Page 65 of Royal Academy

CHAPTER 27

Benedict was surprised that he actually fell into a deep sleep after he and Sally had talked for a few hours. When he awoke the other side of the bed was empty and he felt rather disappointed. It was then that he realized the sun was up rather high. He wondered how long he had slept in.

Getting up he wandered to the bathroom and flicked the light out of habit. He expected the room to remain dark, but light flooded the area. It was nice and warm where he was, indicating that the electricity and power had been restored to the cabin.

Taking a quick shower and brushing his teeth, Benedict rushed to get dressed. He had an overwhelming urge to go and see Sally again. He liked being in her company and the way that she made him feel.

Rushing down the steps he smelled the familiar scent of bacon in the air and rounded the corner with a wide smile only to see Lia standing at the stove.

His face fell, “Oh.”

Lia laughed, “Good morning to you too, Benny.”

Benedict went over and ruffled her hair, “That wasn’t what I meant, Stinky. Where is Sally?”

Lia shrugged, “She left earlier this morning once she was sure that we had electricity. She said she needed to check on some things.”

Benedict looked out the window at the wide expanse of fresh powdered snow. “Did she have any trouble? Or say when she would be coming back?”

Lia gave him a funny look as she turned the bacon in the pan. “No, she said that a power line had been hit by a tree and that was why it had taken the electric company so long to get power going again. She also mentioned that we should have a generator for this place just in case we ever end up stranded for a longer period of time. But that was about it.”

Benedict sank down onto a stool at the bar. “I can’t believe she just left.”

“Benny, we only met her last night. It’s not like we know the woman.”

He looked up and saw his sister’s concerned gaze. Pasting on a smile he nodded, “Of course. What do I care? I just wanted to make sure she was safely home. Can I start anything?”

Lia pointed to where she had the ingredients for pancakes. Luckily it was the easiest mix in the world, just add water. Soon the siblings had a massive stack of pancakes in all shapes and sizes along with some crispy bacon and freshly squeezed juice.

They gathered around the table just as Nick came in with a grin. “Did I miss fixing breakfast?”

Lia rolled her eyes, “Don’t worry, you can be on clean up.”

He groaned good-naturedly as she flicked him with the kitchen towel and they sat down to eat. The rest of the day they spent out of doors all bundled up and exploring the woods around them. The snow wasn’t terribly deep and made for an awesome snowball fight.

When they were cold and miserable it was finally time to come inside and get warm. They kept the fireplaces going and played games of cards until the sunset.

Benedict was disappointed when Sally hadn’t returned.

When three days had passed and Lia announced that she and Nick really needed to get back, Benedict was resigned to the fact that the connection he had felt with Sally must have been one-sided. He didn’t like the feeling, not even a little bit. There had been something there, something powerful. And maybe if given the chance to grow, could have been great.

But now he would never know.

Day five they began to pack their things to return to their real lives. Benedict couldn’t help but look at the lamps and think of her. The bed where she had teased him nearly into doing something stupid, and even the fireplace where she had single-handedly kept all of them warm.

He wondered what it was like to live her life. All Benedict knew was royal edicts, a demanding schedule with an emotionally abusive father who did his damn near best to destroy any happiness in his path. What would it be like to get up and know that you could be anyone or anything you wanted to be?

In a lot of ways he envied Sally, she knew who she was, and that was something he was still struggling with.

As they locked the doors to the cabin they heard a snowmobile approaching and turned to see Sally barrelling up the lane with something tied to the back.

“Am I too late?” she asked breathlessly.

Lia grinned, “Nope, you are right on time. We are just getting ready to go. Why doesn’t Benedict help you get the snowmobile locked into the shed and Nick and I will grab your bags?”

Sally smiled and Benedict felt his stomach do a flip.

Nick pulled her suitcases off the back of the snowmobile and then she rode it back around the cabin to the large shed where Benedict was waiting. He helped her settle it inside and then locked the shed so that it would be protected while they were away.

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