Pleasure blossomed inside her.She was such a sucker for a nice compliment."Really?"
"Oh, aye.As bonny as a spring day."
Her grin deepened, and she caught Ian in a slight eye roll at the exchange.She had to bite her lip to keep from making a face at him.
"It's long past supper," Ian interrupted her and Hamish's moment."But if you'd like anything before bed, I'll be happy to bring something up…"
"I'm fine.What about the room?"
There was that tick again.Lucy wondered why it brought her so much satisfaction.Maybe because he was so aloof and proper that riling him in some small way was like a victory for girls everywhere.
He answered slowly and deliberately."By all means, the room is yours.We want your stay to be as comfortable as possible.I look forward to seeing to your needs personally."
Their eyes locked.
Men like him don't make double entendres to girls like you, her inner voice reasoned.It was she.Yes, she, the weak and obviously hard-up impersonator, who took every word out of his mouth and turned it into something carnal.
Okay, so maybe Gram and Kate and even Riley were right.Maybe she did need a man.
"I expect Mrs.Brooks would like to unpack."Hamish broke the silence.
Lucy let out a grateful breath and smiled at Hamish, realizing how much she did want a shower and her own clothes."Yes, I would.Thank you."
Hamish gave her a friendly nod and then left the room behind Ian.
With Ian gone, the tension eased from her shoulders and she busied herself with unpacking.She'd have to put a lid on her attraction, that's all there was to it.After all, her crushes on men who were so far out of her league that she'd have to juggle watermelons on a unicycle, naked, just to get noticed were nothing new.Everyone always said she dreamed big.She could handle it.
Once she was showered and dressed for bed, Lucy pulled out the journal Riley had given to her and got down to business.Shower pressure and hot water, that stayed hot, were major points.And the castle, what she'd seen so far, was gorgeous, easily fulfilling every fantasy she had of Scotland.As she wrote, her thoughts turned to Ian, who also fulfilled every fantasy she ever had… Go figure.But this time, instead of shoving those thoughts aside, Lucy allowed herself to indulge a little.No harm in that.It was her vacation.
After writing some very personal thoughts about Ian, she closed the book, deciding to give Riley an abridged version.The original version she'd keep for herself.
Somewhere, a clock chimed midnight.
Lucy turned off the light, slid into bed, and let the soft patter of rain lull her into peaceful sleep.
When Lucy woke later to use the bathroom, she found the bathroom light didn't work.The water wasn't working either.And upon return to her room, she discovered none of the lights there worked either.
Thunder rumbled in the distance and rain continued to fall, hitting the window in a soft but relentless barrage.Standing barefoot, in cotton boxers and thin T-shirt, Lucy felt the chill in her room.She ran her hands over her bare arms, unsure of how to proceed.Should she wake Fran and Hamish?Ian?She chewed on her bottom lip and then jumped back into the warm bed.She was a city girl used to constant lights and movement.Sure, she loved nature, and she practically worshipped the Scottish countryside, but tonight it gave her the creeps.
Then she heard the sounds; thuds overhead as though someone was moving furniture.She sat up.Before she could even talk herself into a reasonable explanation, a dim light appeared under the crack of the door followed by a dark shadow.As the light receded, her mind raced.The doorknob held her gaze.She imagined it turning.
Why did she have to imaginethat?
Images of horror films filled her mind.Oh, God.She was stuck in a haunted castle in the middle of nowhere.Hamish and Fran, they were nice, maybe too nice.And Ian, he could be a stand-in for the devil himself.
Get a grip, Walker.
Annoyed with her overactive imagination, Lucy threw back the covers and tiptoed to the door.The cold brass handle sent goose bumps up her arm.With a deep breath, she clicked open the door, wincing at the tiny sound, and looked into the hallway.
No one there.That was good.Then the thuds from above came again.
After several minutes of pacing her room while the eerie sounds continued, Lucy finally had enough.Scenarios played out in her mind.And one stood out above all the others.It might be an elaborate plan to make her think there was a ghost at Balmorie.It seemed every castle and old home she'd read about had a resident ghost, and it made them immensely popular with tourists.
Whatever it was, she knew if she didn't find out now, she'd spend the next week terrified to go to sleep.Mustering her courage, she stepped into the hall.As she passed a table with two silver candlesticks, she swiped one, impressed by the weight of it.Her weapon of choice, should she need it, was a good one.
The steps leading to the third and fourth floors were curved, steep, and very narrow, made of the same gray stone as the castle.The walls closed in as she went.Old iron sconces were still attached to the stone giving her a glimpse into a long forgotten past when the way would've been lit with glowing, eerie flames.
Before the last step, she paused.
