When Kiernanfinally excused himself with an apology about early morning obligations, I was surprised by how much I wanted him to stay.
Ophelia and I lingered a while longer. In the quiet left by Kiernan’s absence, I became acutely aware of how close she sat, of how the firelight caught the curve of her cheek, of the subtle rise and fall of her breathing.
My pulse quickened when she reached for my hand and our fingers intertwined. Neither of us spoke or pulled away.
Eventually, we made our way to the east wing and our quarters, saying a quick good night before retiring to our respective rooms. Part of me wanted to follow her, to finally know the taste of her lips in what would be our first kiss. But I wasn’t all the way myself yet. When the day came that Phee and I acted on our attraction, I wanted to be as whole a man as I’d ever been, able to give her pleasure I knew I could, not be compromised by the onset of another debilitating headache.
I had time to heal, to find my footing, to figure out what I wanted from this strange interlude before real life reclaimed us.
On the fifth day,I woke eager to venture beyond the confines of my bedroom and the sitting room that had become my prison unless I was accompanied by Ophelia. Rain streaked the windows in sheets, blurring the world beyond into gray-green smears. Had the weather been better, I would’ve suggested another walk.
“I want to explore,” I told her over breakfast, where Millie had laid out eggs, toast, and thick rashers of bacon that smelled like heaven. And which I ate with an appetite I’d not had in weeks. “There’s an entire castle here, and I’ve seen approximately three rooms.”
“You’ve seen far more than that,andyou’re meant to be resting.”
“I’ve rested so much I’m going mad.” I reached for my tea, noting with satisfaction that my hand barely trembled. “Besides, you can’t tell me you’re not curious. A medieval castle in the Scottish Highlands, owned by a man who locks entire wings and disappears for hours at a time?—”
“He’s entitled to his privacy.”
“Of course he is.” I gave her my most innocent look—the one that had gotten me out of trouble at Eton and into trouble everywhere else since. “I merely want to walk the halls and perhaps find a billiards room where I can embarrass myself with my lack of coordination.”
Phee shook her head, clearly not fooled in the slightest. But curiosity warred with caution in her eyes, and I knew which would win. She was as intrigued by our mysterious host as I was, even if she was better at hiding it.
“I’m in,” she said at last. “But if you start looking pale or unsteady, we’re going straight to your room. No arguments, no feigned charm, and definitely no pouting.”
“I wouldn’t dream of doing any of those things.”
This time, she rolled her eyes.
Greymarch revealed itself in layers,like an old book whose pages had been shuffled and rebound a dozen times. The central section, where our rooms were located, connected to older wings through corridors designed to confuse invaders—narrow passages that turned sharply, stairs that led to landings with no obvious purpose, doors that opened into rooms within rooms within rooms. I understood how one might live here for decades and not discover all of it.
We stumbled upon an armory that would have made my ancestors weep with envy. Swords and pikes and ancient rifles lined the walls—some of which bore the Lockhart crest, while others appeared to be trophies from wars fought across continents. I lingered before a glass case containing a set of matching dueling pistols.
“Beautiful,” I murmured, studying the craftsmanship. “And deadly.”
“Rather like their owner,” Ophelia added dryly.
I shot her a look, but she was already heading toward the door, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. I followed, suppressing my own amusement.
We found a conservatory in a wing that faced south, chasing a sun that rarely appeared. Now it held only dead plants. The iron framework of its ceiling sagged in places, and rain hammered on panes of glass that hadn’t been cleaned in years. The air smelled of rot and mildew, making me anxious to leave.
“It must have been magnificent once,” Ophelia said, picking her way around a fallen palm frond gone brown and brittle. “Imagine it filled with tropical plants, warm and alive, while the moors froze outside.”
I filed the image away for a time when she and I might create such a space together, romantic fool that I was turning into.
We explored until exhaustion caught up with me, then returned to our suite. I spent the remainder of the afternoon reading a Victorian mystery I’d found in our shared sitting room. There were too many characters and not enough plot, but it served to pass the time.
That evening, Millie brought a message from Kiernan offering his apologies, saying estate matters requiring hisattention would keep him from joining us for dinner, and that he hoped we’d understand.
I was sure Ophelia shared my opinion that the dining room seemed emptier without him, but neither of us mentioned it aloud.
We retired early,and I lay in the darkness of my bedroom, listening to the wind howl around the castle’s towers, rattling shutters and finding every gap in the ancient stone. My head ached—not badly, but enough to keep me from drifting off—and my body was restless despite the day’s exertions.
I tried to read, but eventually gave up on the pretense of either it or rest and rose, crossing to the window. The clouds raced across what little moonlight managed to penetrate them, and the world beyond was a shifting darkness broken only by the occasional flash of distant lightning over hills I couldn’t see.
I was about to return to my bed when I spotted a figure crossing the courtyard below. Whoever it was, walked with purpose despite the rain that must have been soaking him to the bone. When he turned into the moonlight, I recognized Kiernan’s stride, along with his broad frame.
Pressing closer to the glass, I saw him head toward a stone structure set apart from the main castle that I hadn’t noticed before. He disappeared inside, and a moment later, the Range Rover he’d driven us here in pulled out and turned down the long drive. Red taillights glowed until it rounded a bend and vanished into the darkness.
