Page 18 of Undercover Savior

Gus shook his head. “I don’t believe she does, and when I questioned her about why she made the request, she launched into a ten-minute monologue about how she’s never asked for anything in all the years she’s worked here.”

“You know I’d never begrudge her anything, but don’t you find it odd?” I asked.

“Very much so. Her second request is even more puzzling.”

I raised a brow. “Go on.”

“She asked that one room be left untouched—your grandfather’s study.”

He motioned me to the closed door, and when I opened it and stepped inside, I swore I could smell pipe tobacco. I hadn’t set foot in here since I was sixteen, when he passed away, but I remembered this room being his sanctuary. He always said there was no place on the entire estate that had a better view of the loch—even from the castle.

Approaching the bookcases, I ran my hands along the spines, recalling I’d done the same as a child. “Look at this,” I said, picking up a framed photo. “Is this you and me?” I asked.

Gus studied it with scrunched eyes. “I think it is.”

“I’ve never noticed it before.”

He shook his head. “Neither have I. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a picture of the two of us.”

I perused the rest of the room as though it was a time capsule. “My grandmother died before I was born,” I said, picking up a photo of her from the desk.

“She was a beautiful woman,” Gus said, looking over my shoulder. “As was your mum.”

It was sad that both women died so young. Not just the two of them, but my father was only fifty when he passed—three years after my mother had.

“Out of your parents and grandparents, your paternal grandfather was the only one who lived beyond his fifties,” Gus commented.

“Right,” I said, returning the photo to the desk and noticing there wasn’t a speck of dust anywhere on its surface. In fact, there wasn’t any on the bookshelves either. It had been thirteen years since anyone had lived in the cottage. Surely, it hadn’t been cleaned on a regular basis over the course of all those years.

“When we meet, Con can give us an idea of how long it will be before construction is complete, and then you can make a decision about where to stay,” Gus added.

“Pardon? I didn’t follow.”

Gus had wandered out of the office. “You and Sullivan could stay here rather than in the smaller cottage.”

He made a good point. However, based on the way it looked presently, it would be quite some time before it was inhabitable.

“Con and Tag are here,” he said, looking at his mobile.

“Let them know we’ll meet them in my office.”

Gus nodded, knowing I spoke of the one I kept in the castle.

“Have you come to any decisions about revealing your title to Sullivan?” he asked on our walk back.

“The longer we’re at Ashcroft, the more difficult it will be to keep it a secret. Especially with Brose’s arrival.” I stopped walking and put my hands on my hips. “This ismybloody home. Why is it I don’t feel as though I can tell my uncle he isn’t welcome to descend on the place as though it’s his?”

Gus chuckled. “Only you can answer that question, Ash.”

“We could always refurbish his suite of rooms. In fact, you could pull the crew from the cottage and have them start work this afternoon.”

“We could do. And it would certainly be far easier than simply confronting him.”

“Sod off,” I muttered.

7

SAVIOR

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