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“Christ.” His eyes return to the road, but he continues mumbling to himself. I’m pretty sure I catch a Liam in there somewhere.
Finally, the car slows, and I open my eyes. Declan comes to a stop at a massive iron gate. He swivels in his seat to face me. “This is as far as I can go. The Donnellys aren’t going to allow a Campbell, especially Liam’s cousin, to approach any closer. Nor do I want to. I’m afraid you’re on your own from here.”
I swallow a few times and take in a shaky breath. “I understand. Thank you for helping me.”
He stares a moment longer and looks like he wants to say something, but he just jerks his chin up. “You should probably get going.”
I nod shallowly and step out of the car. Declan slowly backs away from the gate and then out onto the road. He casts one more glance in my direction, tips his head, and drives away. Christ. Turning, I walk over to the security box and press the button. A few seconds pass and then the speaker crackles.
“State your business.” Static sounds behind the voice.
I clear my throat. “My name is Imogen Walsh. I need to speak with Mr. Donnelly. It’s important. Please.”
There’s no reply for so long, I’m worried that whoever is on the other end is going to just ignore me and I’ll be well and truly fucked. Then, there’s a click from the gate and it opens. Not waiting another minute, I walk through the narrow opening. The gate stops once I’m past and closes behind me. I glance at it for a minute before continuing my trek down the narrow lane that leads to the manor house I can just make out through the break in the trees.
It grows larger the closer I get until finally it looms over me. The trees form a canopy over the entire front lawn as well as most of the house. Windows make up almost the entirety of the front of the manor aside from a set of double doors in the middle that open just as I reach the porch.
A lovely older woman with strands of gray threaded through her reddish hair answers my knock. Her face has lost some of its color. “Ca—can I help you?”
“Yes, I’m really sorry to bother you, but I need to speak with Mr. Donnelly. Any of them, I guess, but preferably, um, Carrick.”
She continues staring at me with a weird expression, but finally, she blinks, and it clears. The smile she gives me appears forced, but she steps aside and gestures for me to come in. “Mr. Donnelly should be home any minute. Would you like to wait in the library?”
I wring my hands and try not to gawk at my surroundings. “If you don’t think he’ll mind.”
“This way, please.”
She leads me to the left of the entryway and into a gorgeous library full of books lining nearly every shelf. The scent of old paper and must fill the space. It’s absolutely stunning.
“I’ll let him know you’re here when he arrives.”
I turn toward her and smile. “Thank you.”
The woman dips her head and walks away. I wander around the room, taking everything in. My fingers drag along some of the spines and I pause every once in a while to read some of the titles. A throat clears behind me. I spin around with a gasp and immediately choke and cough. Carrick Donnelly stands in the doorway. He doesn’t even have to introduce himself. I’d recognize him anywhere.
“Nora said a young woman was here to see me, although for the life of me, I can’t figure out why.” His voice is a bit raspy. It must be from the pipe he smokes.
Somehow, with him in the flesh, right in front of me, everything I’d planned on saying disappears from my head. I can only stare. My chest hurts, and I’m breathing heavy.
Carrick cocks his head. “Why don’t you come to my office and sit. I’ll have Nora bring you something to drink.”
I manage a nod and make myself move. He heads back toward the entryway, bypasses it, and walks down a hallway until we reach the room at the end. Everything about it is familiar and yet, not. He sits at the chair behind his desk and gestures for me to take the one on the opposite side of it. Slowly, I sink down.
The same woman—Nora—enters carrying a small tray with a glass of water on it. She hands it to me. It shakes slightly in her grip as I take it from her. “Thank you.”
Once again she bobs her head and then she’s out the door—closing it behind her—leaving me alone with Carrick. I take a large drink to wet my dry mouth. He continues observing me.
“Feeling a bit better?” he asks once I’ve emptied the entire glass.
Not really, but I’m here. “Yes, thank you.”
He leans forward with his forearms on the desk top surface. “Now then, would you care to explain who you are and why you’re here?”
I take a deep breath. “My name is Imogen Walsh and yesterday Liam Campbell kidnapped me.”
Carrick, who until this moment had been relaxed, goes rigid, and his whole demeanor changes. His lips tighten and his cheeks turn ruddy. On the desk, his fists clench. “Go on.”
“His cousin helped me escape.”
