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She shook her head. “Not at all. I have searched all these books and found nothing like what is attacking the area. I thought perhaps with your knowledge of the shadows that you might have a suggestion.”
Ben leaned back and cupped his chin in one hand. “I’m afraid I haven’t heard of such an illness.”
Dreda’s face fell and she wrung her hands in front of her. “I feared as much, but I also hoped you would investigate the matter during your time here. You are so good at sneaking about and sticking your nose where it’s not wanted.”
A barking laugh escaped me which I stifled only by clapping my hand over my mouth. My eyes flitted between the faces of my companions. “Sorry.”
A smile crept onto Ben’s lips. “There’s no need to apologize for an accurate, if slightly brusque, description of my sleuthing skills. I would be glad to help in whatever way I can.”
I set a hand on his shoulder and captured his gaze in mine. “Wewould be glad to help.”
Some of the anxiety that marred Dreda’s features lessened slightly. She clapped her hands together and her bright eyes shimmered in the dim light of the crackling fire. “Thank you, Ben, and you, as well, Millie. You’ve made an old woman very happy. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”
CHAPTEREIGHT
Ben stoodwith a mischievous glint in his eyes. “I hope monetarily, but a feast at the end of this endeavor will do.”
Dreda rolled her eyes and dropped her arms to her sides. “So ever like your father.”
“Not quite,” Ben countered as he offered me a hand and helped me to my feet so we faced one another. His gentle gaze looked me over. “I do hope to have quite a few more children than him.”
A blush accented my cheeks but I rose to the challenge. “I guess that could be arranged.”
A lustful glint slipped into his eyes. “Then we had better be off to bed.”
I snorted and patted his shoulder. “Not tonight. I’m so dusty that we’d just create a tornado.”
“The baths have warm water and you may use as much as you like,” Dreda assured me.
I lifted an eyebrow. “How is it heated?”
She tapped the side of her nose and gave me a wink. “That’s a family secret.”
“Thus an answer for another time,” Ben chimed in as he looped an arm around the back of my waist. “For now, we should get you washed.”
I was glad for his arm as a clock somewhere deep in the bowels of the manor chimed the late hour. My feet dragged a little up the stairs and the bed looked more than tempting, though not for the reason Ben’s eyes hinted at. I grabbed my nightclothes from my open luggage and slipped through the door I had noticed earlier. The bathroom did indeed lay beyond that portal, and it was of a most pristine and elegant white with a clawed-foot tub and marble sink.
I opened the bathtub tap and was pleased when hot water came without having to wait half a lifetime. In a few minutes, I found myself sinking into the luxurious depths of a hot bath. I could have stayed there for what remained of the night, but a few noises from the bedroom reminded me that I wasn’t the only one who had had a long drive.
Eventually, well-pruned and rested, I slithered out of the tub and slipped into my night clothes. I opened the door and found Ben seated on the side of the bed that faced the door. His head shot up at my coming and he admired my person.
“How do you feel?” he asked me.
I snorted as I read the implied tone in his voice. “Like a million bucks-”
A large yawn struck me and I was so focused on not locking my jaw that I tripped on the rug. I yelped and stumbled forward. Only Ben’s quick reflexes as he leapt to his feet and caught me in his arms saved me from face-planting my gaping maw into the carpet.
I sheepishly looked up into his bemused face. “I think I need to close this bank for the night.”
“You do look tired,” Ben reluctantly admitted as he righted me. He guided me over to the bed and threw open one side of the covers.
“I’m not a baby,” I insisted as I let him set me on the bed. He even flung the covers over me and tucked me in.
Ben set his hands on the covers near me and smiled down at the part of me that was visible. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“Better hurry. . .” I murmured as I snuggled into the warm blankets. The bath had wiped away the numbing chill of the garden and the sheets kept the cold away.
Maybe a little too well. The last thing I knew was Ben shutting the door behind him with a soft and hurried click.
