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He walked over to the chest of drawers to pick up and sniff the decanter that Gilroy had brought up with him. Brandy.
His chest heavy, Evan set the lip of the decanter to his lips and let the liquid drain down his throat.
Praying the answer would be at the bottom of the bottle.
Knowing that none would appear.
{ Chapter 23 }
He’d been gone too long.
Hours.
Hours and Evan hadn’t returned to his chamber.
Juliet stared at the dark grey velvet of the bed canopy that hung above her. Simple, not much to stare at except for the gathering of folds along the edges. A blank canvas that did her imagination no good.
For all that Evan wouldn’t entertain the idea of his brother having any ill intentions, she harbored a healthy dose of mistrust. Wherever Gilroy was concerned, Evan put his brother first, even if it was to his own detriment.
But how far would Gilroy dare to go? The wedding could have very well sent him over the edge. He wouldn’t dare hurt Evan, would he?
If he was holding a bow and arrow…maybe it was a very real possibility.
The more time dragged on, the more worry Juliet nursed in the pit of her stomach, staring at the canopy.
Heaving a sigh, she tugged back the sheet she’d been ensconced under and set her feet to the floor. Best to find Evan, see with her own eyes that he was fine to relieve her worry, or she wouldn’t get a wink of sleep.
She slipped back into her chemise and dress and stared at her boots for a long moment. Best to put them on in case she was forced to search outside the castle for Evan.
Lighting acandlefrom the fire and setting it under the glass of a lamp, she set out into the castle. The corridor of their rooms, empty. Down the stairs and into every room on the main level of the castle—the study, library, great hall, billiards room, solarium, both drawing rooms. No Evan. No Gilroy.
She scurried back up the stairs, realizing she never looked in the hall where Ness and Gilroy’s bedrooms were situated.
Creeping along the corridor as quietly as her boots on the thick wooden planks would allow, she cocked her head, listening for the slightest sound in front of Gilroy’s room. Silence. She stepped in front of Ness’s door and heard feet shuffle across the floor.
Maybe Ness had seen Gilroy in the last hours.
Juliet knocked on the door.
No response, so she opened the door a crack to peek in.
The room was empty, except—no, Ness was by the window.
The open window. The two tall hinged windows spread wide, jutting out into the night.
Her right hand gripped the side of the jamb, her left bare foot on the bottom sill as she lifted herself upwards.
Ready to jump.
The lamp crashing to the floor, Juliet charged forward, lunging, her arm swinging out around Ness’s waist just as she hurled herself outward.
The momentum of Juliet’s tackle was enough to knock both of them into the side of the open window and they tumbled inward, crashing onto the floor of the room with arms and dresses and legs tangled.
“What the hell are you thinking, Ness?” Juliet’s scream filled the room as she tried to extract herself from Ness’s limbs.
“It’s the only way out—the only way.” Ness screeched back, her voice a hiss.
Pushing Ness off of her chest, Juliet scrambled upright, moving to her knees. In that moment, the hair fell away from Ness’s face.
