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Chapter Nineteen
Ivy
“And this is the library,” she said.
Fin stood in the middle of the room, turning in a circle as he took in the floor to ceiling shelves crammed full of books. He had a look of near awe on his face and a small grin curling his lips upward.
“Gillian’d love this room,” he said. “She loves tae read.”
“I know. We have exchanged books on several occasions,” Ivy replied. “She had mentioned she insisted they build one at Westmarch Hall.”
Fin nodded. “Aye. She got her wish. Gillian has her own library,” he said. “But tis nowhere near as grand as this.”
A brief smile flickered across her lips. “I am sure it will be one day,” she noted. “It takes time to build up a proper collection.”
“Well, knowin’ her the way I do, I’m sure tis only a matter of time before she builds a collection that rivals yours,” he asserted.
“Oh, I am certain you are correct.”
Fin stepped over to the window and stared through the thick panes of glass for a long moment before he turned back to her.
“What is that out there?” he asked.
“Let us go see,” she chimed.
She led Fin out of the library and out through a side door. The sun was slipping toward the horizon, and the air was already growing cool. She led him down a path and out to the field he was looking at through the window. They walked between the trees and down a couple of rows together in silence as Fin admired the pink and white blossoms that hung full on the boughs.
“This is our cherry orchard. Elix is well known for our cherry wines and jams,” Ivy told him, then paused for a moment. “It is the only thing Elix is known for.”
“At least yer kent for somethin’,” Fin replied brightly. “Nae everybody can say that. Look at Westmarch. We’re nae kent for nothin’.”
She arched an eyebrow at him as a grin quirked a corner of her mouth upward. “To be fair, Westmarch has not been in existence long enough to be known for something just yet,” she told him. “But with Gillian leading the charge, I am sure Westmarch will be a force that could rival even York before too much longer.”
“God willin’.”
As they resumed their walk, Ivy found herself stealing glances at Fin, and it made her heart churn every time she did. He was strong and handsome, and just being near him made her insides churn wildly. Her heart felt like it was going to burst straight out of her chest. She did not know how he had this effect on her, but she could not deny that he did.
A bird called out from one of the branches as it took wing and soared off into the sky. Ivy tracked the bird as it flew off, disappearing into the trees in the distance. Battling the flutter in her stomach that was only outdone by the flutter in her heart, she looked over at Fin.
“So why did you come all the way to Elix,” she said. “Surely, you did not need to come all the way to Elix to take some air.”
A small grin touched the corners of his mouth, and he was pointedly not looking at her. They walked on a little bit longer as she waited for him to answer. But then his grin faded and was replaced by a more sober expression. His eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched, and Ivy knew he had come to Elix for her brother and not necessarily for her. The realization sent a lance of disappointment through her.
“I wanted tae see yer braither’s face when I told him the Duke is recoverin’,” he said. “Twas part of the reason anyway.”
“So, you still believe that Castor is involved with the Duke’s assassination attempt?”
“Nay. I daenae think he’s involved with it, I ken he’s behind the whole thing.”
Ivy felt her face flush, and she immediately felt her anger bubbling up inside of her. She had to beat back her natural impulse to launch a fusillade of harsh words in defense of her brother, recalling the tense scene in his office just the day before, and she thought that Fin might have been right about it all.
“What is it?” he asked.
She looked down at the ground as a cool wind swept through the orchard, sending the pink and white petals skittering across the ground, making her shiver. Fin slipped out of his cloak and wrapped it around her shoulders. Ivy pulled it tighter around her and gave him a grateful look.
“Thank you,” she said.
“Yer welcome.”
