19

 

Lily spent over an hour on the phone that night with Beth, telling her all that had transpired. Beth, of course, was full of questions. “What did Ian say?”

“Ian was all for a full on ass kickin’,” Lily said, her voice taking on his light brogue, “but got voted down. We all talked about it and decided we’re not going to acknowledge it yet. In the meantime, I’m going to make sure Lucas gets it in his head that we’re over. If worse comes to worse, I’ll look for a new job. It’s getting pretty uncomfortable there, anyway.”

“Can’t say I blame you there,” Beth agreed. “Speaking of bad endings–a fisherman found another woman today, same area. That’s four now. They think whoever is doing it might be picking them up from the mall.”

“It’s scary considering how much time we spend there,” said Lily. “Ian’s worried about my safety.”

Beth had a ready solution for that little problem. “So move in with the Prince so he can protect you,” she said.

Lily burst into laughter. “Honestly, you’re no help at all, and stop calling him that.”

Moving on to other matters they chatted for a little bit longer before Beth said suddenly, “I gotta go. I’ve got another call coming in, it’s Renaud.”

“What?” shrieked Lily, but the line was already dead.

She and Bella had been in bed less than a minute when the phone rang. She rolled over and answered it, a warm glow spreading over her at the sound of Ian’s voice. “Hello, handsome man.”

“Naw, ’tis only me, beautiful lady,” Ian teased. “I just called to say I miss you and to thank you for an amazing weekend. You spoil me, sweetheart.” There was a beat of awkward silence. “I’m sorry for all the commotion this morning.” 

“It’s my fault too,” said Lily, “I guess I jumped to a whole bunch of wrong conclusions.”

Ian sighed with relief. “You have nothing to apologize for, sweet, but I’m can see I’m going to have to watch my step in the future so you don’t yell at me again. By Christ, what a temper you’ve got for such a wee thing.” She laughed out loud at that, and after a moment he did too. “Promise me you’ll call tomorrow if you need me. Or if you don’t,” he added quickly.

“You have my word, mo chuisle. You have nothing to worry about,” she assured him. “I promise I am yours for as long as you want me.”

There was a long silence. “That could be a very long time,” he warned, “so be careful what you agree to. A promise is a serious thing, my beauty, and I take yours to heart.”

“Mmm. You speak so beautifully, all courtly and chivalrous. Are you sure you’re from this century?”

“I am whatever you wish me to be,” he said grandly, and she caught the humor in his voice. “Besides, I think you like it.”

She snickered. “You’re a devil. I do like it though, very much,” she admitted.

“It is late, so I shall wish you the sweetest of dreams and leave you with the sad and piteous vision of poor me all alone in this big, cold bed.”

Lily giggled. “No, the vision I’m going to have is of you last night, all fierce and scary. You completely terrified me, you know.”

He heaved a dramatic sigh. “And here’s me thinking those were screams of passion. So it was fear all along, then? I’m obviously not doing something right. Mayhap I should take up reading, too.”

Laughing, she said, “I think you’re perfect just like you are.”

“I’m far from perfect, love, although I did find what was left of that lace thing you were wearing and I did perfectly destroy that,” he said. “I’ll buy you a new one. Or maybe several. Yes, several,” he decided, “one in every color so the floor will look like it’s covered in lace confetti.”

“Mmm…sounds like a plan,” she said. “I love you.”

“I love you too, my sweetheart,” he said softly.

* * * *

The small scarlet-haired woman awoke with trepidation. She spent the morning walking the estate grounds in troubled solitude and the afternoon staring sightlessly out the window of her study. Hunger eluded her all day and she only picked at her dinner, waving the tray away after only a few bites.

Retiring to her suite, she opened a dresser drawer and pulled out a silk pouch containing a shallow black stone bowl. She placed it on the table near French doors that opened onto a balcony adorned with planters. Taking a decanter of clear water from the windowsill, she filled the bowl to the rim then sat in front of it and took a deep breath to relax. Her bright blue eyes lost their focus and gradually, figures began to appear in the surface tension. She recoiled in horror, watching the scene play out in the reflection before her.

When the images faded away, she rose and took the bowl onto the balcony to water the brightly colored blooms, murmuring a quiet prayer of gratitude. She returned the bowl to its hiding place, picked up her embroidery and settled down to wait for the urgent phone call she knew was coming any minute.

* * * *

Lily awoke before the alarm went off, keenly missing the strong arm that wasn’t holding her close to a large, warm body. Shaking off the longing, she reached for her bag to draw a card. “Now there’s a rousing endorsement to stay in bed the rest of the day,” she muttered, shivering at the frightening image of the tall Tower being struck by lightning, bodies being cast off into the darkness of the storm by the impact. Sudden and irrevocable loss. She got up anyway, displacing a very disgruntled Bella, who was not eager for her to get up and take the warmth with her.

She showered quickly before she chickened out and chose the dress that best would show off her new necklace. Part of her hoped Lucas wouldn’t be there, but another part of her wanted to get the showdown over and done with. She sent Ian a text in case he wasn’t up yet that said simply, thinking of you

Hardly a minute had passed before she got his response.

thinking of you too beautiful lady

When Lily arrived at work, she was relieved to see Lucas’s blue SUV absent from the parking lot. She also noticed that the pile of folders on her desk had spent the weekend breeding because their number had tripled since she left the office on Friday.

Janice was the first to notice her necklace and squealed with delight. “Oh, honey, it’s gorgeous. When do we get to meet him?”

Lily shrugged, uncomfortable. “Soon, I’m sure,” she said.

Irena interrupted their conversation. “If there’s anything ya’ll need me to do this morning, let me know now. I’m leaving for my doctor’s appointment at eleven.” Her gaze flickered over Lily, stopping at the necklace. She didn’t comment, but her eyes gleamed with undisguised jealousy.

Lucas did not make an appearance all morning, but Lily stayed busy and barely noticed. She sent Ian several texts, all of which were quickly returned. When asked what he was working on, he responded with a cell phone picture high overlooking the Castle grounds.

almost finished, great view from up here

Lily fired back immediately.

please be careful, I need you in one piece

She could just picture his cheeky grin when he answered.

which piece?

You are a wicked man, Ian Kelly, she thought, feeling the heat creep into her cheeks again. I’ve blushed more in the last month than I have in my entire lifetime.

Lily didn’t want to work through lunch, but knew she would have to take drastic steps to reduce the pending files dumped in her inbox. Janice went to lunch at noon, promising to hurry back.

… Sudden and irrevocable loss…

Of course, as soon as both of her co-workers left, Lily got swamped, but when Janice returned a short time later they managed to clear both the office and the calls on hold in record time. Once the frantic burst of activity had settled down again, Lily opened the bag and dug into the cooling cheeseburger and fries Janice had brought her.

“I was so hungry. Thank you,” she said between bites. “So where’s Lucas today?”

“I don’t know. He called before we opened this morning and said he wouldn’t be in today.” Janice’s phone lit up and she caught it before the second ring. “Bell Insurance,” she said brightly then listened for a moment. “Don’t worry about it. Thanks for letting us know.” She replaced the receiver. “That was Irena. She’s still waiting, hasn’t seen the doctor yet.”

…lightning…

Irena returned just after three, complaining to anyone who would listen about her doctor visit. “They act like you got nothing better to do than sit and wait on them,” she said with a sniff. “My appointment was supposed to be at noon and they kept me waiting for hours.”

An hour later, Lily’s cell phone vibrated noisily, the caller ID reading Ian cell. Stepping outside the front door for privacy, she answered with a smile in her voice.

“Hi, sweeth–”

Dan’s deep male voice cut her off. “Meet us at the hospital. There’s been an accident.”