Marcus laughed and Laurel knew what he was going to say before he uttered a word. He’d complained about it for the entirety of the drive.
“It doesn’t surprise me that we are the only ones here. I know lots of the places we’ve visited have been isolated, but this is quite literally in the middle of nowhere. If our car broke down on the way back tonight, there would be nowhere for us to stay.”
Laurel found herself hoping, however wrong, that the car would break down just before dusk. She couldn’t think of anything more enjoyable than being stranded amid such beauty.
“I don’t think I would care too much if we got stuck out here. Surely a castle as old as this wouldn’t be too hard to slip into after everyone leaves for the night. To sleep in a place like this would be pure heaven.”
Marcus couldn’t sound less enthused. “It probably has ghosts.”
“Oh, I hope so. All of the best ones do.”
Marcus’ hand on her forearm drew her attention away from the tall window she stood gazing out of. “Hey, look. We’re not alone, after all. Still, I agree with you that it’s nice being around fewer people.”
Sure enough, as Laurel turned she could see two people approaching—an older woman accompanied by a young boy who held himself very proudly as he walked.
“Let’s head down toward the other end, Marcus, so that they have this area of the castle to themselves.”
The woman and boy said nothing to either of them as they passed, but Laurel found herself struck by the intensity of the unabashed stare she received from both of them. She gave them a friendly smile in return, and the young boy raised his left hand and waved in greeting before they went on their way.
“Did you see the way they both stared at me? Has my blouse popped open or something?”
Laurel looked self-consciously down at herself as she tried to make sense of their wide, questioning eyes.
“No. Everything is covered as far as I can tell. Maybe they recognized you.”
Laurel laughed and continued to move down the long hallway toward the last room at its end.
“Did you see how small that child was? There is no way he knows who I am. If his parents let him read one of my books at his age, then God help him. No, it definitely wasn’t that. Maybe they were staring at you, and I just mistook the direction of the boy’s gaze.”
“Because I’m black? Come on, Laurel. Surely you think better of them than that.”
Laurel couldn’t tell if he was joking, but it wouldn’t surprise her if he wasn’t. Marcus had so many wonderful qualities. While his humility was to be admired, it drove her crazy just how incapable he seemed of recognizing his own attractiveness.
“No, Marcus. I most definitely didn’t think they were staring at you because you are black. Perhaps they were staring at you because the only other human I’ve seen with your shape is the guy who plays Captain America.”
Marcus huffed and stepped into the room to their right.
“I can already predict what you are going to say about this room.”
Laurel remained just outside the doorway as she awaited his prediction.
“Oh yeah? What’s that?”
“You are going to say that out of all the castles and all the rooms you’ve seen, this is by far your favorite.”
She knew he teased her. Regardless, he was bound to be wrong. The room that lay ahead of her couldn’t possibly beat the tower room they’d seen in the castle two days before.
“Let’s just see about that, shall we?”
Determined to come up with a reaction opposite of what Marcus expected, Laurel stepped inside, looked around, and found herself completely unable to do so.
The room was perfect in every way. The things she loved most in all the world lined three of the four walls—books.
“It drives me crazy when you’re right. This beats the tower.”
“I knew you were going to say that. I knew it even before I stepped inside. I read about it in the guidebook and knew you’d love it. I can see by the happy, glazed expression on your face that you’ll be in here a while. I think I’ll go explore the dungeon while you do so. I’ll come back for you in a bit.”
Marcus nudged her playfully before leaving her alone in the room. Once he was gone, she inhaled deeply and smiled. The smell of books gave her the same kind of energy coffee did for some. She thrived off them, lived in them, made her living from them. In a room full of books, she felt at home.
