AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 32
Giulia released a sigh of contentment as she stood in the center of the ballroom and spun slowly, taking in her masterpiece. This place had begun to feel like a home and working with the people to prepare for the ball had given her such a glorious feeling of fulfillment and companionship. She swallowed the bitter taste in her mouth, reminding herself that she had never been welcome to remain at Halstead forever. Ames’s offer to return her to London and give her a place to stay at Mama Jo’s while she figured out what she was going to do with her life was timely. While it was a generous offer, she knew it would be best to refuse.
Little Jo would not appreciate another woman encroaching on her home, particularly at this crucial time of the engagement and start of her marriage to Ames. Giulia and Ames might be well aware of their lack of romantic feelings for one another, but that did not mean that Jo would welcome her around. Perhaps after they had been married for some time, or Giulia had someone of her own…
But what choice did she have? She couldn’t imagine staying on at Halstead Manor with Nick, not with the way things stood between them. Where would she go when he tired of her? Or when he moved on to the next woman, or the woman who would eventually become his wife? Maybe she wouldn’t go with Ames, but she had to go somewhere, that much was certain.
She shook her head and looked back to the beautiful shimmering drapes Mrs. Tubbs had designed for her. The woman should be applauded. The bunched fabric fell from the ceiling in swoops, artfully avoiding the three massive chandeliers and running down the length of the walls. It gave the illusion of the room being turned into an enormous, fantastic tent. When the chandeliers were lit and the room aglow, it would shine off of the glimmering fabric and look even more magical. It was such a simple design, so masterfully assembled by those Tucker boys. It gave Giulia a heavy feeling of contentment.
The door swung open and Nick stood tall and determined, framed by the light behind him in the foyer. He looked almost dangerous, his eyes fastened on her, and Giulia’s breath caught. She’d done her best to avoid him since that wretched morning after their lemon tart kiss. Or ensure that Ames would be nearby to act as a barrier between them.
And now they stood alone in the ballroom. Dinner was over, the earl and Ames both had gone off to bed, and not a servant stood in sight.
“Good evening, Nick. I suppose I must bid you goodnight?” She moved toward the exit, roundly avoiding him as he stepped into the room.
“Jules, this is…” He spun slowly, soaking in every detail that she had designed and orchestrated over the previous week and a half until his gaze landed on her. “This is breathtaking.”
Literally, she thought. “I am glad you approve. Though I believe I requested that you stay away so you might be surprised.”
He dipped his head. “I am awfully surprised. I have never seen anything like this.”
“Lord Hart seemed pleased as well.”
“I cannot imagine a more perfect setting for reopening the castle for social events.”
She nodded her acknowledgement and moved through the door, hoping to silently make her escape. She made it to the base of the stairs before Nick caught up to her, his hand coming to rest lightly on her arm. “Giulia, wait. I have a surprise for you.”
“Can it not wait until tomorrow?” she asked, manufacturing a yawn. “I am dreadfully tired, you see, and I really do not think I can stay awake another moment.”
“It can wait, but I would much rather show you now.”
She couldn’t ignore the warmth of his hand on her arm, the pleading in his eyes. Her resolve slipped away. “Very well.”
Nick’s face lit up and his hand slid down her arm, grasping her hand and pulling her up the stairs, toward the west wing. The moment they turned away from the corridor that led to her room, she knew where they were headed.
“Is it unlocked?” she asked as they made their way toward the tower.
“It is.” Nick grinned down at her. “But no one has opened the door yet.” He answered the question she was thinking.
Excitement pulsed through her veins as they rounded the alcove and slipped through the door, running up the stairs of the west tower hand-in-hand, her free hand holding up her skirts. They paused at the door, their breath coming in equally rapid beats.
“Ames?” she asked.
“Yes,” Nick answered.
She nodded and gripped the padlock, slipping it from the ancient handle and hanging it on a nail beside the door. Nick took another candle from his pocket and lit it with his before handing it to Giulia. She took it and inhaled a deep breath before pulling the door open and stepping inside the dust-covered room.
Silence muffled the tears that gently slid down her cheeks as Giulia walked to the center of the room and spun in a slow circle, taking in each tiny detail of the room as the candle lit it section by section.
“So this is where it all began,” she whispered. And it had to be true. A tattered sofa sat against the wall, covered by an abundance of pillows and a quilt thrown over one side in a way that reminded her of the Swans’ Literary Society and their makeshift meetinghouse. An elaborate painting of a tree covered one portion of the wall, its branches stretching high onto the ceiling. A small ladder came away from the tree at an angle and ended at a hatch, no doubt leading to the roof of the tower.
Every bit of wall that was not claimed by the painted tree was covered in shelves and shelves of books. It was an oasis. A grand and beautiful playroom that undoubtedly fed Patrick and Robert Peppers’ love of adventure and danger and intrigue.
“This is amazing,” Nick said in awe, filling Giulia with pride. She had known this room was somehow related to her father—she had been able to sense it deep within her. “I can see why Robert has ignored it, though.”
She nodded. “He must have locked it up when their relationship ended.”
“How do you feel?” Nick asked as he crossed toward her.
