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“Just tired?”
She shook her head. “I’m…just having some trouble adjusting to everything. I never really had to think about what came next when I was in school. I just took it day by day. But now…now I have this whole future planned out. It’s weird for me.”
“I understand.”
I wasn’t sure why I’d said that because it wasn’t really true. I had always been the master of my ship.
Clara had never had the luxury of choosing anything. Growing up, she was forced to be obedient and quiet. Barely looked at as more than a piece of furniture. As my ward, she was spoiled with luxury and given anything she desired.
But she wasn’t really free.
The lodge was half empty when we arrived around nine that night. Vincent Galt greeted us on the porch, shaking my hand and brushing his lips over the back of Clara’s fingers.
“Miss Prothero,” he said, cocking his head. “You are stunning. Osian is a lucky man.”
She flushed slightly, but kept her chin up. “Thank you, sir.”
“Oh, no, call me Vince,” he said. “We’ll see a lot of each other over the next week. You’ll love it up here in the mountains, it does a person good. I always tell my wife there’s nothing that can revive you like fresh, mountain air.”
“It’s lovely,” Clara said, letting him usher her into the front room of the lodge.
It was a huge space with three stories and vaulted ceilings. The interior was perfect for business with its classy, cherry wood tables and black leather couches. I was glad to see the hot tubs steaming outside and the bar along the far wall.
“I’m going to go meet up with my wife for a late dinner,” Vincent said. “But I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
He kissed Clara’s cheek and shook my hand again. Before he left, he flagged down an employee and had them carry our bags down the hallway.
I moved to the front desk, Clara just behind me. There was a severe looking woman standing behind the computer. When she noticed us, she fixed a plastic smile on her face and straightened her spine.
“I have two rooms booked for the week,” I said. “We’re part of the conference.”
“What name was that, sir?” Her voice was clipped.
“Merrick Llwyd. L-l-w-y-d.”
“Oh, I see.” Her eyes dragged over me, clearly familiar with who I was. The lines of her face softened. “Alright, let’s get you checked in then, Mr. Llwyd.”
Her fingers flew over the keyboard and her brows drew together.
“Alright, so it looks like we actually just have the one suite booked for you,” she said.
“Come again?”
Her eyes bounced between Clara and I. “The note on your file says Mr. Galt requested a room to be booked for Mr. Merrick Llwyd and a female companion. I think our booking team assumed you would be…um, well, wanting to be roomed together.”
Clara’s brows shot up, but she kept her eyes ahead.
“It’s fine,” I said. “Let’s just add a second room onto the booking.”
Her glasses slipped down her nose as her fingers clicked over the keyboard again.
“We are fully booked, sir,” she said, her voice thin. I could tell she was nervous.
“How big is the suite?” Clara piped up.
“It’s almost fifteen hundred feet, so pretty big,” the woman said. “There is a second bedroom, but it only has a twin bed.”
Clara turned, chewing her lip, and looked up at me for approval. I considered it for a moment, unsure how to proceed. If there were two bedrooms, it wouldn’t be all that much different than our arrangement at home.
