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“Yes,” I say. I have to be honest.
Jonah sighs. “Well, that’s better than nothing I guess.”
I just smile and shrug.
He studies me for a long moment. Then he says, “Let’s talk again in about a month.”
I don’t know what that means exactly. I assume that I’ll be talking to Jonah a lot. “About Torin?” I ask.
“About his happiness,” Jonah says.
That almost sounds ominous. But I nod. “Sure. We can talk any time.”
“Good.” He pauses, then says, “Welcome to the family, Princess Abigail.”
Right. Torin is Jonah’s family. Jonah is also in charge of protecting Torin. Torin’s best interest will always come before anyone else’s for Jonah.
My thoughts still swirling, we board Torin’s private jet and head for Cara.
I sit next to Torin. He gives me the window seat. And he immediately takes my hand, entwining our fingers and resting our hands on his thigh.
I’m married. I’m going to be living in not just a new house, or town, but a new country. One that my husband is in charge of. Kind of.
Everything happened so fast, I almost don’t believe it.
Until I look out the window nine hours later and get the first look at my new home.
It’s just after six p.m. here, but Cara gets nearly twenty hours of sunlight this time of year. So I can see the palace clearly.
From this viewpoint, the structure is smaller than I’d expected. Still, it is definitely a castle.
It’s square, with an opening in the middle. I assume that’s considered a courtyard. As someone who’s spent a lot of time in New Orleans, I know and love a good courtyard. Though this one could have fit ten typical NOLA courtyards in it.
The four corners have spires on top of huge columns—I suppose technically those are turrets—but the rest of the structure is all solid, thick squares.
There’s also a moat, an actual moat, around three-fourths of the castle. There’s no draw bridge. Instead, a wide paved drive leads up to the front gate.
“Is that a hedge maze?” I ask pointing.
Torin leans in to look out the window with me.
It obviously is. It’s gorgeous.
“Yes,” Torin says with a grin. “And throughout the hedge are fountains, benches, little flower beds, and a butterfly garden.”
“That looks like a greenhouse,” I say, pointing to a structure beyond the maze.
“It is. There are also vegetable gardens, and those—” He points to the cluster of trees. “—are fruit trees. We have a good-sized orchard. There are apples, and pears, and…others.” He laughs. “I’m not sure.”
I look at him. “So the royal family has whatever they want year-round?”
He nods. “Castle staff are also free to take home whatever they want from the gardens, greenhouses, and the castle’s small farm. We provide meat, eggs, milk and cheese, as well as wine, whiskey and beer from the distillery, and bread and pastries from the kitchen. We’ve modernized the production of everything over the years, but the recipes are original, and it’s considered a huge perk of working for us.”
I stare at him. “So, everything I want to do with the indoor farms is already happening at the palace?”
He shrugs. “On a much smaller, less technical scale, but yes.”
No wonder all of my work makes so much sense to him. “Then why doesn’t your grandfather understand the program and support it?”
