“Bring me different things. Treats. Books. Perfume.” She demanded petulantly, feeling a tad like the child he saw her as.
Cecil laughed and nodded. “I will do my best. If any of those things are too difficult to procure, I’ll bring you shiny rocks.”
“Only if they’re attached to necklaces and bracelets.”
“Listen here, you swindler —” he chuckled, once more glancing behind her.
She already knew what he was looking at, and her curiosity reached its limit.
“Are you waiting for something? Someone, perhaps? You’ve been distracted since I arrived.”
“Hmm?” he looked back at her and shook his head quickly. “Oh, well… you’ll find out soon enough.”
His answer was vague, and it infuriated her. Just as she was about to grab him and jostle his frame until he admitted what he was hiding, the butler joined them in the foyer and announced,
“Mr. Wightman, the Duke of Ironwell is here to see you.”
Nora felt shock run through her, rendering her body stiff as she turned to her brother.
“Ah, yes. Right on time —”
Scarcely had the words left her brother’s mouth when the duke waltzed in, looking like they were the ones in his house and not the other way around. Nora whirled around to face her brother, her eyes alight with suspicion and disbelief.
“Tell me, brother. What is he doing here?” she questioned quietly, sparing the duke a glance.
Cecil grinned sheepishly and stepped around her, going forward to greet the new company.
“Millington, you look as well as you did last night. Perhaps even better. Has the morning air done you some good?”
Godric gave him a deadpan look and sighed.
“Good morning, Wightman. I am here, as you requested. Where is that which you promised?”
“Ah,” Cecil clapped his hands and pointed down a hall. “This way, Your Grace. You too, Nora.”
Confused, Nora trailed after them as her brother led the way to a drawing room. He opened the door so they could walk in first, but the duke also paused at the doorway, nodding towards her.
“After you, Miss.”
Nora’s nose twitched in annoyance at the gracious airs he was putting on, but she still walked into the drawing room. Almost immediately, she spotted something out of place.
“That is new, is it not? I have never noticed it among your other collections.” She said, gesturing to a magnificent painting hung on the wall above the fireplace.
It was a beautiful piece, a landscape drawing of what appeared to be a garden with a singular apple tree that seemed to be flourishing and bearing fruits. But strangely, the tree was surrounded by dying plants, and the dirt around appeared to have darkened significantly — as though the tree was taking the life out of its surroundings to survive.
It was haunting but still a stunning visual piece.
“Good eye,” Cecil commended his sister before shifting his attention to the duke. “As promised, a worthy offering as a sign of my gratitude.”
Nora turned as the duke stepped forward, his eyes fixed on the painting. His gaze roamed around it as he silently studied thepiece of art, as though he were there to appraise its originality. After a few long moments, he stepped back and said,
“A worthy offering indeed. Thank you very much.” Godric then faced Nora, who was startled by his attention. “I do hope we can get along — civilly, at least. Even though neither of us wants this, the best we can do for ourselves is coexist peacefully.”
Confusion settled upon Nora once more as his words sank into her mind.
“What… what do you mean? What on earth are you talking about?”
Godric stared back for a moment before facing her brother with an expression of disbelief.
