Had Gabriel slept in one of these rooms?
She jumped when a bird came flying out of one of them and then laughed at herself.
The next floor wasn’t much different, except the rooms seemed smaller but more plentiful.
Ready to find her way back to the stairwell, she stiffened upon hearing voices. Was that Nathaniel looking for her? But no…
She’d heard such sounds before… when she’d been searching for privacy outside of Louella’s ball.
“My lady.” A gravelly, ragged sound. Followed by whimpers and sighs.
Surely, not Lady Priscilla? And the only possible gentleman then… was Lord Lockley.
Olivia knew she’d been off by herself for quite a while already. Unwilling to cause any trouble, she wanted to get to the bottom of the Abbey without further delay.
If she could just slip past this doorway without making any noise. One step, two…
She couldn’t help but glance inside. The lady’s black flowing hair tumbled down her back and her arms wound tightly around the gentleman’s neck. At the exact moment Olivia would have moved along, the baron glanced up and caught her watching them.
He did not seem embarrassed or in any way protective of Lady Priscilla, whose gown had been dragged off her shoulders. Furthermore, he did not make any attempt to alert Lady Priscilla that the two of them were no longer alone.
No, he lowered his lips, nipped at Lady Priscilla’s ear and dropped one eyelid in a wink.
“Lockley,” Lady Priscilla uttered.
Olivia scampered away.
As she was about to make her way down, she lifted her hand to her head. She’d left her hat on the top floor.
She loved that hat. And Louella would be hurt if she lost it. Determined to be quick about it, she dashed up the stairs, sometimes skipping a step and within minutes emerged upon the rooftop and then drew herself to a halt.
Gabriel stood alone there, looking off into the distance, her hat clasped loosely in his hands.
Chapter 26
AMoment
He’d thoughthe could do this. No, he didn’t just think he could. He had to. He’d given away his choice nearly a decade ago.
And Victoria had been all that was pleasant. He’d already put off the nuptials for nearly a year. And ironically enough, no one had died in that time.
He lifted the jaunty little hat Olivia had been wearing and inhaled. She’d stolen his breath this morning when she’d urged Rhiannon to race across the field. At first, fear had clutched at him. He’d known she could ride. She’d admitted so much to him on one of their outings and how she’d missed the privilege. But these fields were not familiar to her, nor was the horse.
But she hadn’t had to travel far to show what a natural she was.
He’d witnessed Olivia looking happy before, but he’d never seen her looking powerful. It was as though she’d become the fairy queen herself, at that moment.
“I forgot it.”
He’d not realized she returned. Steps away from him, his Olivia. Breathless and flushed.
The others had already descended to the bottom of the tower. He ignored the voice in the back of his mind that assured him they would not be interrupted.
“It isn’t always the same.” He’d lain in bed the night before, considering her question. He’d shamed her somewhat, by not having an answer for her yesterday. He’d made her feel gauche for asking.
She tilted her head questioningly.
“In fact, depending upon the person. It can be incomparable.”
