Viktor leapt up and pulled on his clothes. He leaned down and kissed her before disappearing down the hall. She heard his footsteps stop and come thundering back. Concern gripped her as he exploded into the room.
“What? What’s wrong?” she asked, clutching her chest.
A giant grin spread across his face. “I forgot to say, ‘I love you’, before I left. I’m not used to this yet. So, let me try this again. Stay here, love. I’ll be back soon... I love you.”
Tears welled in her eyes, joy swelling deep in her soul. She bit her lip and nodded, her smile breaking through. “I love you, too, Viktor.”
His grin grew wider before he turned and left. She pulled her knees to her chest and stared into the fire, though she didn’t need the warmth of it now. Every inch of her was on fire from his touch, his love. After years of suffering Cuddy, she hadn’t realized the pleasures that the touch of someone you love could bring. Although she had been married, everything with Viktor was a first. Her first kiss, her first time making love, the first time she experienced the pleasures of an orgasm. It was all so new to her. For the first time in the seven years since she’d met Cuddy, Nora felt true joy.
Several hours passed since Viktor had left. Boredom set in and she decided to explore the castle. This was once Viktor’s childhood home, and perhaps someday would be hers. With her dress torn from his enthusiasm, she wrapped the blanket around her naked body and stepped with bare feet down the hall. Each room she passed resembled the last. Dusty linens draped over what furniture remained, no decorations or paintings to be found. Only decay and mold greeted her in each room.
She continued her journey around the expansive castle. It must contain at least a hundred rooms, and she had only seen a quarter of them when she stumbled into a sitting room. A large painting hung on the wall above a fireplace mantle, providing a pop of color in the desolate room. A woman, a beautiful brunette, clutched a baby to her bosom. A man with a familiar grin stood smiling with pride at her side, a protective arm around her waist. She covered her mouth as she saw Viktor in their faces, his own face reflected in the infant in her arms.
He had his mother’s eyes and coloring, but all his other impressive features came from his father. His straight, proud nose, square jaw and the mischief twinkling in his eyes. Her heart swelled as the three of them stared back at her. She wondered if he knew about the painting. A painful reminder of the family he could have had if his mother had survived. It was a beautiful moment of a happy family captured before death and sadness tore them apart.
Nora tipped her head, realization dawning on her this painting was free from the dust and cobwebs that clung to every other surface of the house. She wrinkled her forehead and stepped forward to touch it, her finger coming back clean on examination. Either this painting was impervious to the wear of time, or someone had been dusting it.
“Who are you?” a small voice cracked behind her.
With a gasp she spun around, pulling her blanket tight around her. A small, old man stood in the doorway of the room. Withered hands gripped the handle of his cane. She stepped backward and bumped into the wall. After glancing around for an exit she quickly realized he’d blocked the only one.
“I, I am lost. I was taking shelter here.”
“Are you harmed?” His voice trembled with age.
She shook her head, clutching her blanket tighter. He wobbled as he stepped toward her, his cane supporting most of his weight.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“I’m Finn Smith,” he responded, his cane clicked on the stone, keeping time with the agonizing pace he made. “I was the butler here for forty years before the place was abandoned. I still come here to check on it from time to time.”
“Oh.” Nora inhaled. This was Viktor’s butler. He didn’t feel like a threat, and even if he was, his old bones could never hold up to the rigors of a fight. Nora relaxed and he finished his journey across the room to her side.
“You should have seen this place in its prime.” Pride radiated from his eyes while he looked around the room. “I scrubbed every stone, polished every piece of silver until you could see your own reflection. There wasn’t a speck of dust to be found. Now look at it.”
Sadness replaced the pride in his weathered grey eyes. The lines deepened on his face as he looked around.
“It’s been almost fifteen years since anyone lived here. My wife, Millie, and I stayed longer than anyone else. But after five years, even we gave up and moved on. It seems the Lord of the House shall never return. Likely dead, we suspect.”
His eyes moved to the painting. He sighed while he looked them over. “I can’t bear to see this great family I once served disappear behind a wall of dust. I’m too old to keep up the rest of the castle, but this painting meets my duster every week when I come by. Weren’t they a lovely family? Her laugh could be heard for miles.” The creases around his eyes, along with the lines around his mouth, deepened as he stared.
“Where did you go?” Nora asked, her curiosity about this little man urging her to find out more.
“Millie and I rented a little house outside of town. She sews now, best her hands can manage, and I tend to the landlord’s home. It’s getting harder each year as age makes the bones ache, but we manage. And where did you come from, dear?”
Nora scrambled for an answer. “I was traveling to my aunt’s home and my horse spooked. I was separated from my chaperone when my horse galloped away. I was thrown and hit my head. I woke up in the night, lost and disoriented. I found my way here.” She tried not to breathe a sigh of relief at her quick thinking.
“You poor, poor thing. Where are your clothes?”
“They were torn in the fall. I was preparing to mend them when I wandered down here.” Another quick lie.
“Here, come with me, dear.”
Finn ambled around, the time it took for him to turn back to the door was painstaking. She followed him out of the room, one slow step at a time. He led her down a hallway she had yet to explore. They arrived at a large bedroom, a four-poster bed and a few dressers all that remained. He shuffled to a chest that sat in the far corner of the bedroom. After brushing off the dust, he fumbled with the latch, raising the lid with a long, slow creak.
“Here, dear. These dresses belonged to the lady of the house. I’ve stored them here for thirty years. You’re just about her size. Please, take what you need. They are only going to waste away here.”
Nora crossed the room and peered into the chest. Dresses in a rainbow of colors and sewn from expensive fabrics lay inside the antique chest. Viktor’s mother had exceptional taste.
“I’ll leave you to get dressed.” He smiled and made his way out of the room.
She wondered for a moment if she should impose. These were Viktor’s mother’s dresses and she didn’t know how he would feel seeing her wearing one. Realizing it was this or continuing her conversation in the nude, Nora reached inside and pulled out a beautiful red gown. A few shakes ridded it of dust and then she held it up for size. Finn was right. It would fit perfectly.
She slid the dress over her head, fastening the metal clasps that pulled the top tight. White ruffles peeked out around her shoulders and scooped low over her breasts. Though several decades old, the dress still looked beautiful and fit her like it was made for her.
She walked out of the room to see Finn waiting in the hall.
His lip quivered at the sight of her. “You look beautiful. The lady of the house would approve.”
Nora beamed with pride that Finn thought Viktor’s mother would approve. Though she would never meet her, she imagined what she would say if she did.
A flash of movement caught Nora’s eye, but when she looked she saw only empty space. She shook her head; the shadows were playing tricks on her. Another flash pulled her back. She squinted and saw a dark figure emerge. Viktor leapt out from the corner, landing behind Finn with his dagger pressed to his throat.
“Who are you?” Viktor demand
ed.
Finn remained calm and leaned forward onto his cane. “You would skewer an old man?”
Nora shot Viktor a look, her mouth opening to tell him who it was. The look on his face told her she didn’t need to. His arm went slack, his dagger lowering to his side. Finn hobbled and turned around to meet him.
“Don’t hurt the girl,” he said, raising his cane from the ground. He met Viktor’s eyes, his own face fell at the sight of him. “My Lord, you have returned.” His voice quaked under the force of his emotion.
“Finn,” Viktor whispered. His lip trembled for but a moment.
“Vaughn, it’s you. I would recognize your mother’s eyes anywhere. You’ve come home.” Tears streamed from his worn eyes. He fell forward, his arms wrapping around Viktor’s waist. Viktor closed his eyes and enveloped the frail, old man. Nora choked back her own tears as the two held fast in a familiar embrace.
“You’re alive, Vaughn,” Finn said, peeking up. “Millie and I thought you dead. I can’t tell you how it warms my heart to see you here.”
“And mine to see you, Finn,” Viktor smiled.
They broke apart from their hug and exchanged another smile.
“What are you doing back, Lord? I can’t wait to tell Millie.”
“Here, sit.” Viktor gestured to the upholstered chair.
“Don’t mind if I do. I’m not as spry as I once was.”
“Nonsense, you haven’t aged a day,” Viktor teased.
Finn lowered himself to the chair and pulled his cane into his lap. “Tell me, Lord. Where have you been?”
“Please, you don’t need to call me Lord. You are as a father to me.”
“All right, then. Where have you been, Vaughn?”
“You can call me Viktor,” he said with a smile. “I’ve been on great adventures, Finn. You should see the places I’ve been.”
“And this one over here? I take it you didn’t get thrown from a horse and stumble onto this place?” Finn raised an accusatory brow.
“Did you make that up on the spot?” Viktor tipped his head.
“I didn’t have a choice. I didn’t mean to lie, Finn. I’m sorry.”
“No need to be sorry, dear. You want to explain to me what’s going on?”
“Finn, we’re in a bit of trouble. I need you to tell no one, not even Millie, that we are here. Nora’s life depends on it.”
“Say no more, Vaug—Viktor. Your secret is safe with me.”
“I promise I will fill you in on everything. I can’t wait to catch up with you. Perhaps you can stay for lunch?”
“I would love to, Viktor.” Finn slapped his thigh.
“Wonderful. I picked up some food at the market. I’ll make lunch and we can all get caught up.”
“Help an old man up, will you?”
Nora and Viktor each took an elbow and hoisted Finn back to his feet. He started down the hall, Viktor and Nora stepping one slow step at a time behind him.
“I feel like I need to carry you, Finn,” Viktor laughed.
“Nonsense, I’m the one who used to carry you. I’ll get there when I get there.”
Nora caught Viktor’s smile and reached out to take his arm. His eyes glowed with warmth as he looked back at her. They fell to the dress she wore, a nod tipping his head.
“It looks beautiful on you. He’s right, my mother would approve.”
“I’m so glad you think so,” Nora said, returning his smile.
Viktor leaned down and kissed the top of her head and she melted with joy.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“WELCOME BACK, FINN.”
Viktor wrapped his arms around him. Though it was his third visit in as many weeks, the warm greetings between them continued. In the absence of his own father’s kindness and love, Finn had been his whole world. He’d looked after him, tended to his needs, and surrounded him with the fatherly love he so desperately needed. Leaving Finn behind had been the only thing that gave him pause when he left almost fifteen years ago. To see him again sent waves of warmth through him.
“Hello, Viktor.”
They broke from their embrace and Viktor extended an arm to gesture him in. Finn clicked his cane along the stones and settled into the chair in the parlor. Over the weeks, Nora had been hard at work removing the filth and the years of decay that had settled on his castle. This room, the first a visitor would see, was her original focus. Though no decorations or warmth were present, the dust and cobwebs had been brushed away. The painting of his family that stared back at him from the wall was no longer the only sign of life in this room.
“I bring news from town.” He pulled a white letter from his vest pocket, a shaky hand holding it out.
Viktor saw the red wax stamp, the imprint a familiar sight. It was from Charlie and addressed to Finn, as he had requested.
“Thank you.” He took the letter from Finn’s hands, prying it open to see the message from Charlie coded inside.
We received your note and had come to the same discovery. Her husband is back in Liverpool. We will await word on your directions for how to proceed. Send instructions to the Sleeping Cat Inn. We will be waiting.
Charlie
“Bastard,” Viktor whispered under his breath while he crumpled the letter. If they had discovered proof, then the question of his innocence dwindled. Her husband had contracted for her murder.
“What is it, Viktor?” Finn furrowed his brow. “You seem upset by the news.”
Viktor gritted his teeth. “I am most upset. It seems I have business to attend to. I cannot take Nora with me. Will you stay with her here in the castle until I return?”
“I will do anything you ask of me, Viktor. Anything at all.”
“Thank you, Finn. Your loyalty to me and my family can never be repaid. I am so sorry for leaving you all those years ago. I was a boy, young and angry. I promise, I will make it up to you. When I return I would like you and Millie to come back to Castle Cadwalader, though not in my employ, as my honored guests. As my family.”
A quivering lip shook the loose skin on Finn’s face. Tears glistened in the grey of his aged eyes. “Nothing would make us happier than to return home, to you. We have missed you more than words could ever convey, Viktor. To spend our final years with you, here in the home we loved so much, would be the greatest honor you could bestow.”
He pushed himself out of his chair, his arms shaking beneath his modest weight. “Come here, my dear boy.”
Viktor lowered himself, fragile arms wrapping tight around his neck. The lump in his throat slowed his swallow.
“Thank you, Viktor. You have been through so much. No one blames you for leaving... the horrors you faced here in your young life would have sent any lesser man running well before. But coming back here, returning to this place that took so much from you, that shows great strength. I am proud of the man you have become, and I look forward to getting to know you more in our days to come. You, and that lovely girl you have been so lucky to ensnare.”
Viktor chuckled as they released their embrace. “A couple of lucky guys to have the love of such wonderful women, aren’t we Finn?”
“The only thing you need in life.” He winked.
“Well, I look forward to many years of catching up and swapping stories, but first I must go tend to my love’s protection so she can live her life here with me safe from harm. Having your watchful eyes on her will ease my mind in my absence.”
“I will guard her as though she were my child. I may be old and slow, but don’t let it fool you, I can still wield this cane with great ferocity.” He shook it in the air, nearly toppling before catching himself on the small wooden cane.
“You just worry about keeping you both fed and warm. I’ve spent the past few weeks teaching Nora the art of defending herself. She’s quite an apt pupil, either that, or I’m just an excellent teacher.”
“Both,” Nora’s voice chimed in from the doorway.
Just the sound of her voice could fill him with such heavy
emotions, a rush of warmth filling the dark holes his past had left behind.
“Hello, love.” An open arm invited her in. With a soft smile she found her place beneath it.
“What are we talking about this time, gentleman? I’ve grown quite fond of your stories about this one when he was a naughty child.”
Finn lit up, the soft glow of memories flooding his eyes. “Did I tell you about the time he got so scared of a rabbit he—”
Viktor choked and raised a hand to stop him. “Finn, you will have plenty of time to fill her head with these lies when I am gone. Do me the courtesy of awaiting my departure before you tell her any more embarrassing stories.”
Finn grinned a wide smile. “There will be many.”
“Gone? Where are you going?” Nora tugged his arm and met his gaze with worried eyes.
“I need to go to Liverpool, love. I have word from Charlie that they agree with what you and I discussed before. I need to go confirm it myself, so I can be sure you are safe, once and for all.”
“Viktor, I’m going with you.” Pleading eyes begged him.
“Not this time. You need to stay here and keep an eye on Finn.” Viktor turned and snuck him a wink. Finn returned it with a nod, not as sly as Viktor’s.
“Viktor, please,” she said. He didn’t intend to deny her often, but this time, her pleas fell on deaf ears.
“Nora, love. It is too dangerous for you to leave. You have to trust me. I will take care of this. I will return, and you will be safe.”
A pout formed on her lips, but she nodded her head in agreement. “Just be careful, and return to me, understood?”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he whispered, finishing with a kiss.
“I don’t know what trouble you two have found yourselves in, but you do whatever it is you need to do to keep this one safe. Understood?” Finn shook a finger at him.
Viktor had kept the gritty details of his life still hidden from Finn. Someday he would tell him of the Liberta, of his years as a pirate, and of how his Nora came into his life. For now, he only told him stories that omitted his scandalous past. He worried if he divulged too much too soon, he would give the poor man a heart attack. “And I shall. She will be in your care until I return.”
Beneath The Assassin's Touch (Daggers 0f Desire Book 2) Page 17
