Gracie’s heart ached,and she knelt beside the bed, brushing a strand of hair from their faces. “Och, me sweet bairns, he’s been very busy with his duties, but he will come to sit with ye soon,” she said softly, forcing a smile she didn't feel.
The twins pressedclose to her, and Gracie held them both for a moment, feeling their warmth and innocence. “For now, let me stay with ye a wee while, aye?” she whispered, smoothing Eden’s hair and kissing Rose on the forehead.
She hummeda lullaby as their eyes slowly drifted closed, listening to the steady rise and fall of their breathing. Once they were finally asleep, she rose and straightened the blankets, her fingers lingering on their soft covers a moment longer.
Gracie left the nursery quietly,the corridor now silent but for the faint echo of her footsteps. She returned to her chamber with a quiet hope that Jaxon would be there, that perhaps he had finally thought to return and share a meal with her. But the room was empty, the bed untouched, and the air felt colder without his presence. They had not shared a meal in days, and she felt the absence like a weight pressing upon her chest.
Sittingat the edge of the bed, Gracie wrapped her shawl around her shoulders and let out a long, soft sigh. She wondered why he avoided her, why the intimacy and connection they had shared seemed so far away now. Doubt and sorrow crept into her heart as she stared at the empty space beside her.
Perhaps he doesnae want me anymore,she thought, a pang of despair twisting in her chest.
Her eyes filled with tears,and she pressed her palms to her face, trying to hold back the sobs threatening to escape. Every heartbeat echoed the same ache, the hollow feeling of being neglected by the man she had given her heart to. Gracie wondered if he even thought of her, if he missed her at all during these long hours apart.
She rose slowlyand moved to the window, looking out at the moonlit courtyard below. The wind whispered through the trees, carrying the faint sounds of the castle settling into the night.
She wrappedher arms around herself and whispered into the darkness.
“Jaxon…will ye ever come back to me, or am I alone?”
The silence gave no answer,and her tears fell quietly into the shadows of the empty room.
The following night,the castle lay wrapped in a hush so deep it pressed upon Gracie’s ears. She had not seen Jaxon since Edmund’s return, and the absence gnawed at her more fiercely with each passing hour. She lay in their bed staring.
Where ishe and why has he vanished so completely?
Sleep refused her,though her body ached for it. She had grown accustomed to the solid warmth of Jaxon beside her, the quiet reassurance of his breathing in the dark.
“Neglectful fool,”she turned from one side to the other and muttered under her breath. “Yer brother is found, and still ye cannae come to yer wife.”
At last sheflung the covers aside and rose, pacing the chamber like a caged thing. The stone floor was cold beneath her feet, grounding her anger into something sharp and focused. She poured herself a small measure of whisky, the burn steadying her nerves as much as it stoked her temper.
“To hell with waitin’,”she murmured, setting the cup down with a clink.
Her anger flaredhot and sudden, and she reached for her shawl with shaking hands. She wrapped it tightly about her shoulders, aware she wore only her chemise, but caring little at that moment. If Jaxon could wander the castle at all hours, so could she. With her chin lifted, she pushed on her slippers and pulled open the door and stepped into the corridor.
The castle was eerily quiet,the hour well past midnight. Torches guttered low in their sconces, casting long, wavering shadows that crept along the walls like living things. Her footsteps sounded too loud to her own ears, each soft pad echoing down the stone passage.
She moved slowly,every sense alert, the shawl clutched tight as if it were armor. Somewhere far off, wood creaked and settled, and she paused, heart pounding, listening.
“Jaxon?”she whispered once, though she did not know why she bothered. Only silence answered her, deep and unsettling.
As she passedthe great hall, moonlight spilled through the high windows, painting pale silver across the floor. The shadows of the banners stirred faintly, though there was no breeze she could feel. Gracie swallowed hard, her resolve wavering only for a moment. She straightened her shoulders again, anger stiffening her spine.
If Jaxon thoughthe could shut her out, hide behind duty and stone walls, he was sorely mistaken. She would find him, whether he wished it or not. With that fierce thought burningin her chest, Gracie moved deeper into the sleeping castle, her heart racing with equal parts fear and determination.
Gracie reachedJaxon’s study first, her heart thudding as she pushed the door open and found the room empty. The candles had burned low, wax pooled and cold, and the map table lay abandoned. A chill crept through her that had nothing to do with the night air. She turned away, her shawl drawn tighter, and headed down the corridor toward the library.
The library door stood ajar,a thin blade of candlelight slicing into the dark hall. She hesitated only a breath before stepping inside, her chemise clingy to her. Shelves loomed high around her, heavy with books and ledgers, their spines catching the glow. Then she saw movement near the far table.
“Jaxon?”she whispered.
But the figurethat stood in the shadow with his back to her was not Jaxon.
25
Gracie watched the figure in the shadows. He methodically lifted silver candle holders and slipped them into a leather bag. He added a small box, its lid inlaid with brass. She caught sight of his face.
Gracie gasped,as she stumbled backward into a chair. The sound sharp and unmistakable. Edmund turned at once, surprise melting into a slow, knowing leer.
