Mine, Forever After by Beth Bolden

Author:Beth Bolden [Bolden, Beth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Beth Bolden Books
Published: 2019-12-16T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five

Telling Gray about Marthe and Diana’s discovery hadn’t been the first thing he’d wanted to lead with—there were definitely other subjects he was dying to discuss with Gray—but after Rory’s confession, that was all Gray wanted to hear.

“Tell me everything,” he said, pulling Rory towards the farmhouse, as Anya directed the guard towards the stables. “What do you mean, she isn’t dead? I fried her.”

“You did,” Rory agreed. “We all saw it. But, Marthe found a room, deep in the catacombs, near where we snuck in using the old sewer tunnels, where Sabrina performed her magic spells. And it seems that someone else is using it.”

Gray stared at him, as Rory sank into one of the chairs near the fireplace. Gray’s old home might be very simple, but it was comfortable. “Someone else? Who?”

“Unfortunately, they seemed to have run off just before they were discovered. But,” Rory sighed, “I do have my guesses.”

“Aplin or Rinard,” Gray said in a hard voice. “Of course it would be them. It surely has to be Rinard.”

“Perhaps not. I have my concerns about both of them.”

Gray sighed, and began to pace back and forth. “I won’t disagree with you. But why were Marthe and Diana searching in the catacombs in the first place?”

This was less easy for Rory to admit, because so much of the explanation why touched on the other reason he’d been desperate to talk to Gray.

He held out his hands towards Gray, who came nearer and took them in his own, clasping tightly. Rory’s heart beat a little faster, and even though he knew this was the right thing to do, he still felt a frisson of nerves. “It was actually Marthe’s suggestion. She said many of the nobles didn’t fully understand what Sabrina was capable of, and perhaps I should show them what she was truly like. It was good timing, since I was looking to curry favor with the court, because I’m planning to announce a new proposal that might not be popular.”

Gray frowned. “Is that really the best idea right now? Even if you can convince them Sabrina was evil, the risk might not be worth the reward.”

He couldn’t have known it, but his words gave Rory the strength—the certainty—he so desperately needed. “The risk,” he told Gray seriously, “would be worth every bit of the reward. At least I hope so.”

“What could possibly be worth it?”

Rory stood, and tugged their still connected hands in the direction of Gray’s room, where he knew the bath was set up. “Let’s take a bath and talk about it, more privately,” he said. “I’ve been thinking about your bathtub since we left Beaulieu.”

Gray laughed, his expression was baffled. “You have marble tubs the size of whole rooms in Beaulieu; why on earth would my tub be worth dreaming about?”

“Because you’re in it,” Rory said, closing the door behind them and wrapping his arms tightly around Gray’s neck. He rose on his tiptoes and kissed Gray square on the mouth. From the moment their lips touched, Rory realized that they hadn’t been kissing nearly enough.

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