Unfortunately, not yet, I don't. I don’t like that I don’t know much about him, his past or even his family. They're wealthy and influential in the county, that’s all I know.
“Can I ask, whydidyou agree to this marriage? You don’t seem to care the slightest bit about him, the wedding... or the fact that someone's threatening your life.”
“You’re asking the wrong question.” Ashleigh gives me a wide smile before standing and walking over to the fireplace. There’s no fire, but she stares as if it’s ablaze.
“What’s the right question?” My tone is sharp because I’m starting to feel like she’s playing with me. Is this all a game to her? Why is she not more afraid? It’s her life on the line at the end of the day.
“You should be asking if I agreed to this marriage at all.” Her sharp gaze cuts to me, and some of the breath leaves my lungssharply. The flash of defiance in her eyes is electrifying. She’s baiting me, but I won't bite back.
No matter how tempted I am to play it out.
“Well, what about the DeLucas? Was there any bad blood between you and their heirs?” I ask slowly, carefully watching her reaction. She sits back down on the couch, next to me but not touching. A small smirk flashes at the corner of her lips, but it quickly vanishes, leaving no trace of any emotion.
I find that interesting.
“I don’t know. What do you think?” She flashes those big blue eyes at me, full of mirth, using her skills of deflecting expertly.
“You don’t want to know what I think,” I reply lowly. Her eyes lose their shine, and a muscle in her jaw ticks as her teeth clench. “Because if you confirm what I think is true, then I have to do something about it.”
Her demeanour shifts ever so slightly. Her chin tilts up, eyes meeting mine with a fiery, stubborn glint. A look that I’m finding I like on her delicate features, maybe a little bit too much. Her voice comes out breathier, “Like what? What would you do?”
I move my hand to the back of the couch and turn to face her.
“I’m here at your father’s request. When I discover who’s sending these threats, I’ll have to deal with them, and then be on my way.” I inch closer, our eyes are locked. We’re the only two people in the world right now. “If the threats stop, I have no reason to be here.”
Clearing of a throat causes my eyes to flicker up to the maid that’s standing in the doorway. MY eyes return to Ash, I slowly move away leaving behind my intention. What I said is the truth but I hope she sees deeper into my words.
“Miss Burke, Linda Bedford is waiting for you in the receiving room.”
7
Ashleigh
Night settles quietly around me as I perch on the window seat in my bedroom, knees drawn to my chest, gazing out into the moonlit courtyard. The curtains are half-drawn, and the lamplight inside casts a golden pool around me, but I keep the rest of the room in shadow.
My window is cracked, letting in the cool hush of night, the distant chorus of crickets and the sound of leaves rustling in the breeze.
I like the dark of night. I imagine it's a cloak wrapping around me, protecting me from all my fears. The world outside is soft with silver shadows, the garden lights twinkling in the distance. It’s the only time I feel even a little free. The patio below glows softly with lantern light. I spot Kaden making his nightly rounds, his silhouette familiar and comforting.
We’ve been spending quite a bit of time together. It’s been almost two weeks since he first set foot on the Burke estate. My father asked him to keep close to me whenever he could, and he’s upheld that to the best of his ability. My heart thuds with the thought of what his life might be like outside of these walls.
I press my forehead to the cool glass; it feels nice against my warm skin. I watch, breath held, as I watch Kaden pause beneath my window, head tilting as if he senses my gaze.
Slowly, things have shifted. We talk. Not loads, but when we do talk, he actually listens to me. He asks me what I think, what I like. He’s the first person who’s ever truly wanted my thoughts—who listens to every snarky thing I have to say.
The last person to listen to and talk to me as intently as he has was my mom, and she passed five years ago. It’s been lonely on my own. I imagine this is how Rapunzel felt, locked away in her tower.
I admit I’ve tried to ignore him and push him away since he got here. But I can’t resist him.
Am I only feeling this way because we’ve been spending so much time together? Am I just naïve? Am I so desperate for some meaningful connection that I’m latching on to him? Or could this be real? The questions circle through my mind as I watch him linger below. All I want is to be with someone who cherishes me, who treats me as an equal. Freedom—maybe that’s what love is. Maybe Kaden could be that person.
I always thought princesses -Rapunzel- were naïve when their hero came along. Falling all over themselves for the first person who treated them well, but maybe they weren’t so wrong. If you find a good thing, why would you let it go?
I almost feel sorry for him for being stuck assigned to guard me. He doesn’t have much other choice but to put up with me.
He’s probably got better things to do. Which means this assignment is a complete waste of his time. But then at times it seems as if he knows; knows all my secrets and sees through all my exterior.
Either way, he’ll find out eventually that I’m the one sending the threats and creepy surveillance photos. And he will, he’s too clever not to work it out, if he hasn’t already, and then he’s goingto hate me. That’ll be the end of any kind of relationship we have, not just my imaginary romantic one, but our friendship too.
