Page 75 of His Royal Request

“I want to show you something special.”

I narrowed my eyes but nodded, following him outside to where a car was waiting. It wasn’t one of the black sedans I’d grown accustomed to. “What’s this?”

“This is my incognito car.”

I grinned and slid into the passenger seat while he held the door open for me. It was nice, like the other cars, but was light gray instead of black. It had a Mercedes emblem on the steering wheel, but it looked identical to the majority of the cars I’d seen on the roads here. Perfect for going unnoticed.

“No George today?”

He started the car and turned to smile at me. “Just us.”

I thoroughly loved the sound of that. We hadn’t had a moment of that except for a few stolen moments in the various gardens. It made me miss Galway.

“You’re not going to tell me where we’re going or what we’re doing?” I asked.

He took a sip from his travel mug and shook his head. “We’re going off the radar, just taking an us day.”

I couldn’t contain my smile. “That sounds perfect.”

“Good. Eat your breakfast and enjoy the drive.” I followed his instructions as we drove on winding roads leaving Balivaughn far behind. We drove for almost an hour when he slowed down and took a turn off an unmarked road.

I glanced at him but he seemed lost in his own thoughts. It had been a quiet drive, but I got the sense he needed time and space to be on his own. It wasn’t like I didn’t have things to think about. I’d seen the newspapers this morning that had been left on my vanity. Pictures of us were on the cover of every single one. It seemed that the taste we gave them only made them more ravenous, but at least they were complimentary.

He took a sudden turn down another unpaved road and slowed as he navigated the narrow way covered by trees that met overhead to create a sort of tunnel. After a full minute, the trees gave way to an open lawn. I gasped when I saw the gray, stone castle in front of us. It was a Victorian gothic style that I’d seen quite a bit in Ireland.

“What is this?”

“It’s my home.”

My mouth was on the floor when I looked at him. “What? What about the palace?”

“That’s property of the crown, technically it belongs to the people of Lochland. This is all mine. My mother’s father passed it down to me.”

“What about Cian?”

He smirked. “He felt eventually getting the throne was enough for him. He gave this manor to me, a place on the coast to Isla and Ronan has a property in Scotland.”

I had a feeling that hadn’t gone over well with Cian but didn’t want to bring it up.

“So, this is your house?”

“Welcome to Falcon Manor.”

He got out and hurried to my side to open the door. I was frozen, staring up at the magnificent building.

He dipped his head in. “Are you going to come see it or just stare?”

I took his hand, letting him help me out. I gazed at the lawn, grounds, and forest. “How much of this is yours?”

He smiled and slipped his fingers through mine. “About a hundred acres.”

I gasped. “Wow.”

“There’s a lake, Granddad’s barn where he used to keep his falcons, and a boathouse. He kept this as his personal getaway so he didn’t build other homes on the land. This is where he went when he needed alone time.”

I laughed and pointed at the manor. “That’s what he needed to be alone?”

Aiden’s smile reached his eyes, making the corners crinkle. “He was an exorbitant man.”