“There are surely no more guest rooms available at this time of night, Miss Snow. I will have to sleep in my carriage.”
She wanted to be headstrong and tell him to sleep with the horses, but she did not have the heart for it. Instead, she walked over and sat across from him at the table, sighing. “All right. Guests are still finding their way around, right? Perhaps we should just wait it out and then one of us can go find an empty room. It will be fine.”
“You sound so sure.” He smirked, mocking her panic.
“Well, Your Grace, I am not someone who goes around, sharing rooms with strange men in strange castles.”
“So, I am strange now?” He leaned forward, and she felt butterflies flutter in her stomach.
“I hardly know a thing about you, Your Grace.” She watched as his expression changed from a playful one to a reserved one, and she suddenly felt bad for trying to intrude. “I wanted to apologize for asking about your mother earlier. I overstepped. I know from personal experience what it is like for things about you to come out without your consent.”
“It’s all right. I owe you an apology as well. I did not mean to snap at you.” He sighed, running his fingers through his hair. “I suppose we do not really know much about one another, do we?”
“You know much more than I would like, Your Grace.” Alice smiled, leaning back in her chair, looking him up and down.
As if on cue, he began to unbutton his jacket, hanging it over the back of the chair. He leaned his arms onto the table, his white dress shirt emphasizing his strong shoulders.
Get your mind out of the gutter, Alice! Maybe I should not have had that last glass of champagne.
“How about this,” he started, standing up, walking over to the desk, and pulling out a deck of cards. “Let’s play a game. Whoever trumps the card on the table gets to ask the other a question. Loser must drink.”
“Any question?” She furrowed her brow as he moved two glasses and a sparkling decanter to the middle of the table and began to shuffle the cards, dealing them out to one another.
A small voice at the back of her head told her that she probably did not need any more alcohol tonight, but her curiosity was stronger.
“Any question,” he confirmed. Stacking the deck of cards in the middle of the table, he flipped over the one on the top to reveal a four of diamonds. “An easy start. Ladies first.”
As he expected, in her hand was a five of clubs, which meant that she could ask him any question she liked. “All right. My question is about your mother. What happened between you two?”
“Starting strong,” he mumbled, filling his glass. “Smart girl.”
“You know my biggest secret. It’s only fair, Your Grace.”
“Right as ever, Miss Snow. Well, to make a long story short, my mother cheated on my father, leading to his passing from a broken heart. He was… a good man. He was my best friend, and after seeing him so in love with someone who did not respect him… I refuse to see myself go through the same.”
“So, that’s why you will not marry?” Alice leaned forward, suddenly putting the pieces together.
It is no wonder he was so adamant about not getting married. He had to go through heartbreak in the worst way possible.
“That’s another question for another card. Play by the rules.” He winked.
If she was not already flushed from the alcohol, her cheeks would have been on fire.
He checked his hand and placed down a nine of hearts. “What happened to make your brother treat you so cruelly?”
Alice bit her lip, looking down. “If I am honest, I am not sure. He has always been a bit… controlling, I suppose. But after our parents passed, it was as if he became an entirely new person. We used to be close when we were small, but I doubt he remembers that. He is too preoccupied with finding new things for me to clean.” She giggled, sipping her glass and placing down another card. “So, why did you start traveling the world?”
“I wanted to see what was happening in other places. It fascinated me. I studied at university and decided to take myself to Rome as soon as I could. I needed to go away, and it was a perfect escape.”
“I did not know you were a scholar. What did you study?”
“History.” He smiled fondly.
She watched as his expression lightened, and she felt her heart jump. She was not sure if it was the alcohol or the lighting, but he looked stunning. His dark hair was messy and hanging across his forehead as if he had run his fingers through it many times, and between their last drinks, he had pushed his sleeves up to his elbows, exposing his forearms.
Her eyes trailed down his arms to his hands, where his fingers were interlaced.
“Miss Snow, did you hear me?”
