“Let me show you to a room, then.”
At least he had let her stay instead of forcing her back out into the weather.
The consolation was mild as her overactive brain was assaulted with emotions. First the drive and the storm, then the dark house, and now being led up this magnificent staircase by a tall, brooding man carrying an old-fashioned lantern. If she wanted atmosphere, she’d received it in abundance.
Actually, more than she’d hoped for.
She shivered, though she couldn’t tell if it was because of her still-damp shirt or the continued uncertainty of this entire situation.
Tate led her only a short way down the hall before pausing beside a closed door. As with the ones she’d seen downstairs, there were intricate carvings, swirls and maybe leaves and vines that gave the wood dimension. Even in the gloom it was gorgeous. “This will be your room for the night.”
So, he still wouldn’t concede that she was right?
“Where’s yours?” she asked, only to clamp her lips together in regret.
In the light of the lantern she watched one thick, dark brow rise. “I’m in a suite at the end of the hall,” he answered simply.
Right.
The darkened room beyond slowly came to life as Tate lit candles from a fireplace match. Willow stared in awe as the historical setting came to life. A large silver candelabrum on the dresser provided most of the light, with smaller candlesticks dotted around the room. As Tate’s big body moved through the shadows, fear and fascination mingled inside of her.
A four-poster bed with drapes and some kind of fabric topper dominated the space, the white fabric with navy filigree pattern lending to the old-fashioned feel of the room. Add in the tall man with shoulder-length disheveled hair and she had the makings of a regular Wuthering Heights on her hands. The thought sent another shiver over her.
As he turned to look at her, she became all too conscious of her body’s reaction. She’d love to blame it on the cold, but she feared the tightening of her nipples had more to do with the man standing before her than the temperature. She quickly crossed her arms over her chest.
Let him make of that what he wanted.
“It’s beautiful,” she murmured. Even in the shadows, there was no mistaking the intricate designs on the furniture and fabrics.
His gruff command grated on her nerves. “Don’t get too attached. We will discuss this situation in the morning.”
“Really? We’re still not over that, are we?” She wasn’t sure what gave her the gumption to say it, but as she stood there shivering with cold, she was over his attitude.
He raised those dark brows again. “I may require more patience than you possess.”
There was almost a literary quality to his pronunciation that sharpened the edge of his words.
Maybe he was right, but... “I have more patience than you could imagine. After all, I teach history to eighteen-year-old freshmen who think being at college gives them the freedom to do whatever they want.”
Her response seemed to surprise him, lightening his expression a little. “The fearlessness to enter a dark house, the patience of a saint... Is there anything else Murdoch didn’t tell me about you?”
I’m attracted to tall, dark and mysterious men? “Um...a classroom of eighty of those monsters has made me efficient, organized and slightly entertaining?”
“Do you really call them monsters?”
This time she didn’t hold back a cheeky grin. “To their faces—with the utmost of affection, I assure you.”
“Then I can only imagine what you’d call me.”
Before she could come up with a clever response, he was at the door. “Good night,” he said as he left the room, closing the door behind him.
At least he didn’t lock me in.
Willow half grinned, half whimpered at the thought. Her sisters would take away her modern-woman card if they knew she’d been seriously attracted to the dark brooding man in the darkened house on the isolated island. Somehow she’d been cast in her very own Gothic mystery with a leading man who would fit right in with Hollywood’s most gorgeous heartthrobs.
But she had a feeling he saw her more as a nuisance than a leading lady. She’d do well to remember that.
Despite wanting to get out of her damp clothes and shoes, Willow took a moment to slowly turn around in the middle of the room. This place was incredible. The furniture she’d seen in the other rooms had been antique, too, but this was an incredibly high-quality fairy-tale look that she’d seen only in photographs.
The bedroom was fit for a royal prince, even if Murdoch had only been the hired help. Willow jumped as lightning flashed through the sheer window coverings, then giggled as she glanced around. The dark furniture was offset by the creamy color of the bed draperies that almost matched the ivory walls. There was a heavy chifforobe, a dresser with an oval mirror hanging above it that reflected the light from the large silver candelabra and matching bedside tables. A large navy carpet mimicked the pattern of the drapes. It looked so soft, Willow couldn’t wait to dig in her cold toes.
Conscious of how damp she was, she glanced in the chifforobe for anything to cover herself with, but it was empty. Well, she wasn’t going back out in this weather for her suitcase, and Tate hadn’t offered. She would just have to make do.
At least her current dilemma took her mind off the man sleeping in the suite at the end of the hall.
She flipped the cream-colored duvet down to the end of the bed, grateful to find another blanket beneath it. As she removed her jeans and wet shoes, she tried to think of ways she could convince Tate to let her stay. This was a short-term gig. Murdoch had chosen her personally. She could prove she was good at the job...if Tate would just give her the chance to show him.
She blew out all the candles except a couple right beside her bed. The urge to search out the dark corners of the room still irked her. But even crawling under the warm blanket didn’t relax her. Exhaustion lurked just below the surface, but her overactive brain wouldn’t let it take over.
Maybe she could make him her special French toast for breakfast? They said food was the way to a man’s heart. Maybe showcasing her cooking skills would at least soften his.
As she reached for her phone to set an alarm, a noise caught her attention. The deep creak of old wood sounded above her, reminding her of her mission and renewing her courage. She needed this job. She needed to find out the secrets her great-grandmother had hinted at in her journals.
Just remember that, little miss!
More creaking, then a thud overhead had Willow sitting up. That sounded like more than just an old house settling in. Had Tate gone upstairs before going to bed? She hadn’t heard any footsteps, but—
Bam!
Willow tucked herself down in the bed, instincts insisting those few inches would save her. But when nothing else happened, she giggled a little. Boy, tonight’s atmospheric adventures were sure affecting her.
Drip. Drip.
Willow bent over to inspect the water droplet that had landed on her now-bare calf. Where was that coming from? She glanced up at the material above her. The heavy drapes were gathered in the middle, creating myriad folds that revealed nothing. The lack of light wasn’t helping. Curiosity getting the better of her, she lifted up onto her knees for a better vantage point. That might be water droplets hanging from the fabric. Maybe?
Then the world went dark as the creak became a crash.
*