Thoroughly Whipped

Chapter Twenty

The sun hadn’t even reached the sky when I awoke. I wanted to blame it on the jet lag, but the truth was it was Harry. It was Harry and last night, this house, his title, and everything that came with it. I had tried to imagine what being in this life would be like. What it would be like to an outsider, not from the same social circles. The looks Harry and I would be given by his peers, the judgment.

I had never cared what people thought of me. But I cared what they said about Harry. I had imagined too many times how I would react if someone slighted him in my presence, because of my presence. I wouldn’t be able to hold my tongue. I knew I wouldn’t. Would Harry be disappointed by that? Would I let him down if I let my mouth fly to protect him? Us? I didn’t know.

I let myself out the side door that led to the terrace. The morning was fresh and cool, and I wrapped my sweater more tightly around me. As I crossed the terrace and descended the steps to the gardens, a mist hovered over the grass, basking the property in a gothic white glow. I’d never seen anything like it. I held my hands down beside me, trying to see if I could feel the mist between my fingers. I couldn’t, of course, but it made me feel like I was walking through clouds. Birds sang in the trees, and I stared up at the high treetops, heading for the one place that had mesmerized me since the day I got here.

I arrived at the fairy-tale bridge, walked to its center, and looked at the house. Even having spent the last few days here could not take away its majesty. I was sure if I lived here a lifetime, I would still be in awe daily.

The old stone of the bridge was rough under my hands, the flowers’ petals kissed with the morning dew. As my fingertips traced the years of use, I wondered just how many people, over the centuries, had stood here as I was doing now. If they’d leaned over the wall and stared down at the lake, contemplating the world and their place in it. If they’d stood on these very worn slabs beneath my feet and thought about the one who held their heart.

I stayed that way until the sun was high in the sky, the mist had gone, and the day had warmed. I saw the house waking, staff members readying for the ball tonight, and guests taking breakfast on the terrace.

Deciding to head back, I crossed the bridge to the other side. When I looked up, I stopped dead in my tracks. “Hello, Miss Parisi.”

King Sinclair sat on a bench at the foot of the bridge. “Mr. Sinclair,” I said. “How are you?”

“Please, join me,” he said.

Preparing myself for his censure, I sat on the wooden bench. The bridge looked even more magical from this angle. “You like the bridge?” he asked. As I faced him, I saw he was very pale and, in very little time, had lost quite a bit of weight.

“It’s incredible,” I said. “I haven’t been able to take my eyes off it the whole time I’ve been here. I didn’t sleep well last night, so I decided to come and see it at first light.” I glanced at the house. “Your property really is something special.”

“Thank you.” We fell into silence. I braced myself, waiting for another “talk” about my being no good for Harry. But instead he said, “My son is in love with you.” I stopped breathing, I was pretty sure my heart had stopped beating, and I could have been convinced I was dreaming as those words slipped from King Sinclair’s mouth. I wrapped my sweater more tightly around me, a soft layer of self-protection.

King smiled, pointing at the bridge. “It was Aline’s favorite part of our estate too.” Tears filled my eyes at the sudden change in King’s voice when he talked of his wife. It softened, and anyone could hear how much he had loved her. “If I couldn’t find her in the house, I knew she’d be out here.”

“I’m sorry you lost her,” I said, wanting to take his hand and comfort him. As much as he had acted badly toward Harry and me, it didn’t take a genius to know he was racked with pain. He may have recently had a heart attack, but that organ had been shattered long ago.

“She was the best part of me—until we had Harry, of course, but even then, she was this light I hadn’t known I needed. I was always prone to seeing the darker side of life, and she would illuminate the world until it didn’t look so bleak after all.”