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Giulia stood to cross to the sideboard and fill a plate of her own. The strawberries on Ames’s plate looked juicy and tantalizing and made her stomach growl. No sooner had she scooped a pile of the vivid fruit onto her plate than a tall form sidled beside her and began loading up a plate of his own. Her pulse quickened with the memory of the previous night in the dim stairwell and confusion clouded her mind as her heart was telling her one thing and her brain another.
She could not dispel the fact that she had enjoyed kissing this man immensely. Regardless of Nick’s lack of good intentions, the feelings he invoked within Giulia had been real. For her. Suddenly heat infused her cheeks in a very uncharacteristic manner that made her want to run from the room and hide until her face returned to its natural pale color. Twice in two days? What was happening that she would actually blush twice in two days?
“What is it, Jules?”
Nick’s kind whisper only added to her embarrassment as chills started behind her ear and traveled down her arm. Frustrated, she shoved her plate into his hands and turned away, running from the room and toward the staircase.
She groaned with claustrophobia at the thought of being confined in the castle for another moment and changed direction, sprinting for the front door. She blew through the doorway and across the bridge that covered the moat, before turning again and racing toward the stables. Halfway there she recalled the ban and knew that the earl’s loyal men would never let her take a horse out for a ride. She was aching for a bruising ride, or run, or anything really that could burn off the pent-up feelings inside her and let her feel free again.
Giulia reached the stables but didn’t stop. She circled back to the castle and began running along the moat, lifting the hem of her gown and following the perimeter of the large, ancient structure. She relished the stretching of her lungs and the thoroughly purifying feeling of utilizing her muscles. She gazed up the wall of the castle when something caught her eye. Halting mid-stride, Giulia nearly stumbled, but she righted herself quickly and stopped to catch her breath.
Screwing her eyes, she strained to see what it was at the top of the tower that was glinting, for something was definitely shining up there. She craned her head back until she was nearly off balance again and caught herself before she fell. Checking to make sure there were no witnesses to her fumbling, she took one more glance upward in vain, for it was much too high and she could not quite see what was causing the sun to glint off of the top of the tower.
She froze as recognition dawned; this was the west tower—the one which led to the locked door. A renewed sense of adventure flowed through her veins as one more piece of the seemingly unsolvable puzzle presented itself and she found herself wondering what Nick would think of this development.
Well, that did the trick. Giulia sobered and turned back to walk along the moat. Sneaking inside through the front door, Giulia tread quietly up the stairs and down the hall in the west wing, away from her room. She rounded the alcove that lead into the west tower and ran straight into something solid.
Two hands came under her elbows to steady her, and she commanded the butterflies in her stomach to calm when she recognized Nick’s blond hair and deep green eyes.
“I thought I would find you here,” Nick said with a devastatingly handsome smile.
“I was just out for a walk. I saw…” She swallowed. She could not trust this man with her heart, evidently. But the mystery was different.
“Yes?” he prodded, leaning closer.
Giulia let out a breath and stepped out of his reach. The flirt was going to have to realize that she was through with his games. She could be his friend, but nothing more. Which would be significantly easier if the man would simply step back a bit.
“When I was outside I saw a light shimmer off of the locked tower, at its very highest point.”
His eyebrows drew together. “You should not be outside alone.”
“I am safe. But the light—”
He shrugged. “It is not so bizarre. It was probably a window that you saw.”
“That is what I thought,” she agreed. “Except that it was the strangest thing, but the window appeared to be colored.”
Nick pursed his lips together in thought and swung around to face the door. “Has Ames tried his hand at the lock yet?” he asked while he faced away. His voice was low and controlled.
“No, I have not asked him.”
“But he is willing?”
“No. Or, well, I am sure he would if I asked, but I thought…”
Nick turned around to face her. His expression was shuttered, and it caused her to step back a fraction. “You thought?”
Giulia swallowed the lump in her throat. She had no idea why she was fighting tears, but they were there just the same. “I was hesitant to admit another person into our mystery.”
“And why is that?” He stepped forward.
She inched backward again. “I did not want to ruin…” She could not find the words to explain her feelings. The mystery felt like theirs, Nick and Giulia’s, and bringing Ames in would have felt like a betrayal of sorts. Though why she felt the need to protect it now was puzzling.
A smile tilted Nick’s perfect lips and his gaze strayed to hers. That was enough to pull her from her daze and she straightened her spine. She stepped back again and spoke in clipping tones. “Of course, the fact remains that he is rather skilled and could gain us entrance should we wish it. But I will leave that up to you. Let me know if you would like me to ask him to help us. Now, if you do not mind.” Giulia stepped back again. Good. More space was better. More space made it easier to breathe. “I am going to take care of a few things for your ball. Good day, Nick.”
Giulia nodded curtly as she spun and walked away. She was in her room with her door locked within moments and slunk back against the wall until her breathing slowed. At this point there was only one thing she could do. She needed to fully immerse herself in the planning of the ball.
