Page 61 of Four Promises to Love

Finn wasn’t surprised when she heard the discreet knock a while later. She knew Owen would come to her. It was one of the reasons why she’d stayed put instead of sneaking around the manor searching for treasure. In addition, although she would take a bullet before admitting it, she was still shaken after the ghostly vision; the idea of wandering around the dark manor gave her chills.

She let Owen in. He was still wearing the same clothes, but his cravat and his hair were attractively rumpled, and he had the beginnings of a night beard. He took her by the shoulders, his grip gentle and his eyes concerned.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“As I said earlier, I am perfectly well.” She touched his bristly jaw. “There is no need to worry.”

“That is easy for you to say. Channeling spirits may be your bread and butter, but for the rest of us…” He shook his head. “Watching you being taken over by a ghost shaved a few years off my life.”

“The experience was unusual—even for me,” she said hastily. “I have never felt a spirit’s presence quite so keenly.”

“You are shivering. Let us sit by the fire.”

They went to the sofa, and he insisted on bundling her in his frock coat. Although she didn’t need it—the fire made the room warm and cozy—she liked the soft wool and being enveloped by his scent. He sat beside her, lacing their hands and resting them on his thigh. His casual affection made her heart flutter.

“Do you want to talk about what happened?” he asked.

While he knew the general gist, she could speak more freely now that they were alone. She felt strangely safe with him. The way he listened as he held her hand anchored her. She was even beginning to wonder how he might react if she told him the truth about Iris; was it possible that he might not condemn her? That he might understand—even help her?

Don’t get ahead of yourself. Take one step at a time.

She shared again what she remembered of the vision. She trembled, recalling the way she’d found that hidden mechanism in the hearth as if invisible hands had guided her. Her last memory was of crawling into the concealed chamber and making herself as small as possible in the dark.

“Do you remember what you said to me in the hidden chamber?” Owen asked.

She shook her head.

“I am not surprised.” He drew a breath. “I think it was Rose who was talking.”

A chill tiptoed up her spine. “What did she say?”

“She was crying, feeling guilty because she’d left Thomas to face their enemy alone. He’d told her to hide, and she regretted following his instruction because their enemy then killed Thomas.”

Finn’s heart ached. “How horrible. But it wasn’t her fault.”

“I told her the same thing.”

“How did she respond?”

His face turned ruddy. “She said…she said that I was a good man.”

Finn narrowed her eyes. “Was she flirting with you?”

“No.” He laughed. “Not at all. She was comparing me to her love, Thomas, an honorable man.”

“Well. At least I was possessed by a perceptive ghost.”

Owen was still smiling. “She also told me to take care of you.”

“Of me?” Finn stared at him. “Why would she do that?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. But that was the last thing she said before she—you, I mean—fainted.”

“This is all very strange.”

“Coming from a medium, that says quite a lot.”

“You don’t seem bothered by any of this.”