Once they stepped into the clearing, Nephele turned to him. “You must not mention anything about the lady.”
“You had already mentioned the lady, which is why I followed you.”
Nephele dropped her chin and bit her bottom lip. “Can we pretend that we did not see her?”
“You wish for me to lie?” he countered.
Nephele blew out a deep breath. “I suppose not, but I do not want the lady disappointed or angry with me.”
“Why can we not know she is there? Why is it a secret?”
“She said it was too dangerous for her and the others if anyone visited.”
“What others?” Orion frowned. “Why is it dangerous for anyone to know?”
“She did not explain, nor have I seen the others,” Nephele answered. “She only insisted that I keep her secret, or she will not speak with me again.”
“Have you visited with her before?”
“Oh, yes. I met her for the first time nearly a fortnight ago. She is very nice.” Nephele sighed again. “I just hope that she is not too angry with me.”
“Next time you are with her, offer an apology.” He then knelt and balanced on the balls of his feet so that he could look the little girl in the eye. “Tell her that I promise not to tell anyone.”
“Do you promise?” Nephele asked with suspicion. Since when hadn’t his niece trusted him?
Orion traced an ‘X’ over his heart. Besides, he didn’t want anyone else to know that a beautiful woman lived in the grove. Well, not in the grove, as he was certain she had a cottage somewhere. But who was she and what was she doing on Nightshade Manor land? Those were the answers that he intended to learn.
He glanced back one last time. He would find her again and would not leave Nightshade Manor until he learned all he could.
Perhaps she lived on a neighboring estate. Orion really didn’t know what was beyond the grove, or how far the estate extended. It was also possible that he hadn’t even been on Nightshade Manor land, though he found it unlikely since he could think of no other family who would have a folly that resembled a Greek Temple besides someone of Drakos blood.
Nephele ran ahead of him, but Orion strolled at a slower pace. Tomorrow he would return, and he would find the enticing woman.
As he reached the other guests, his mother pulled him aside and away from the others.
“Is there a lady in the grove?” she asked pointedly.
“Ah, you heard what Nephele said.” Orion laughed.
“You did not answer my question.” She searched his eyes, concerned.
Suspicion settled into his gut. What did she know?
“I spent much of my childhood in that grove and never saw a lady.”
“What of today?”
His mother knew something, or she wouldn’t be this concerned. He had also promised Nephele that he would keep her secret while wondering what secrets his mother kept from him. “Is there a lady in the grove?” he countered, curious about her response.
“Lady in the grove?” Cassian asked as he joined them.
Cassian Jourdain had washed up on the shores of Nightshade Manor when he was a lad. The ship that he had been on had gone down in a storm and he had been the only survivor. Cassian was lucky that all the families had been in residence at the time, or he may not have received the help he had needed.
Cassian had wanted to stay at Nightshade Manor, hoping that his mother had also survived. Instead, he went to live with Orion’s aunt and uncle, the Cardwells, who lived not far up the coast in Jory’s Bay.
“Nephele claimed that she had seen a lady in the grove,” Orion explained and shook his head as if to dismiss it as a child’s imagination.
Cassian grew serious. “I should go see if that is true.”
