'Good morning, Megan,' he says in a gentle and sweet voice that I have missed so much during the nighttime.
'Good morning, Sloan,' I smile back at him. He takes my hand and starts caressing my fingers.
'Did you sleep well?' He asks, looking into my eyes.
Both of us smile at his question, as we both slept very well, I am sure. He reaches and gently kisses my forehead.
'Sloan, I was not planning to stay this long… I must go now, it is almost time for breakfast,' I say, feeling uncomfortable.
'All right, let's get up and get dressed,' he says cheerfully.
Now, that it is morning, and the room is brightly lit, I feel uncomfortable standing naked in front of him. I do not know how to tell him to look away while I try to find my clothes. Luckily, he understands my confusion.
'I will turn around while you get dressed, do not worry,' he says with a nice smile. 'Though there is not a single part of your body that I have not seen.'
I smile shyly and do not say anything. He has not only seen everything, but has also kissed every part of my body. But still, I feel a bit uncomfortable. He turns to the other side, while I get up quickly and start getting dressed as fast as I can.
I am getting dressed in silence - only the soft sound of fabric is heard as I am pulling my clothes over me.
At last, I am ready.
'Sloan, you can turn around,' I say softly, and he immediately turns and looks at me in amazement.
'You look beautiful, as always,' he says.
'Thank you,' I say and take a deep breath. 'I must go now,' I add.
'I hope to see you soon,' he says.
'Me, too,' I reply. He nods. I nod. Then I turn around and walk out of his room.
The corridors are empty. I do not know what time it is, but it is certainly still early in the morning, and luckily nobody meets me in the corridors. I have some time to think in solitary. I know that Sloan is engaged to Kaithria, and it was a wrong thing to do to let him take me into his bed. Even so, I do not feel bad. Kaithria is not a good girl, so why should I feel bad? Also, he is not her husband yet, so he is a free man. I can have an affair with the man that I love.
A man that I love? I catch myself on that word. Yes, I nod as I get nearer Elsie's bedroom. Yes, a man that I love. I cannot keep it a secret from myself anymore. I love Sloan. And I am happy for having spent the night with him. I will have the perfect memory to remember for the rest of my life. And I do not care what will happen next.
'Oh, look who is rambling the castle's hallways early in the morning,' I hear a sound and turn around abruptly. Even before seeing them, I am more than sure who it can be. The familiar voice and the rude comment tell me all about the person.
Kaithria and her mother appear from behind the corner, sneering at me.
'What do you want from me?' I ask them, unable to hide my anger.
'We want to know exactly which worker is your lover,' Lorna says. 'We know that you have an affair with one of the workers of the barn, but which one had you last night, we do not know. Maybe several at once?'
'You are so inapproriate,' I say, shaking my head.
'I will make sure that everyone knows about your affairs with the barn workers and the coachmen; do not worry,' Kaithria says. 'You cannot deceive the people of the clan. Everyone must know who you are in reality.'
'Both of you are out of your mind,' I say angrily and run away from them, afraid that I might turn the conversation into a big fight. I do not want Sloan to know that I am involved in arguments with them.
At last, I reach Elsie's bedroom. I am sure she has been wondering where I have spent the night.
'Meg? I was worrying,' she says the moment I open the door of her bedroom. 'Where have you been?'
'Elsie, I was spent the night with Sloan,' I whisper, after I securely lock the door from the inside. ‘And we made love in his bedroom.'
Elsie raises her eyebrows and closes her mouth with her hands, obviously to mute her shriek of surprise. She does not look angry – on the contrary, she is excited.
'Tell me, how it happened?'
'Well, at first, I went into his bedroom, and we started to talk about Kaithria and her mother,' I say. 'I told him how everyone despises Kaithria and Lorna, and how rude they are in front of everyone except him.'