Page 61 of Empire of Ache & Ruin

“Good evening, Mrs. Archer. Would you be dining with Mr. Archer tonight?” she asks hopeful.

“No, thanks.” I shake my head.

For days, he’s been leaving me invitations under the door. Today, is the first day he didn’t leave one. Now that his family is gone, he’s done pretending to be a nice guy. Or what did Gardenia call him? Kind and fun? Please. He’s a beast.

“I will bring your tray up shortly then.” She smiles, then turns to leave.

“Mary Jane,” I call after her. When she turns to face me, I continue, “I’m sorry to ask. Did you by chance find a small crystal swan. It’s about the size of my hand.” I make a fist to show her. “I keep it by my bed. But it’s gone. It’s been gone for a few days actually.”

“I do know which figurine you mean. Last I saw it was on your writing desk. I can ask the girls and see if maybe they saw it when they changed the sheets,” she offers.

“Thank you. That would be great.”

“Is that all?” she asks.

“Yes. I’m sorry to bother you.” I wave my hand in dismissal.

“No bother at all.” She does a quick bow and heads for the dining room.

When I lift my gaze, Archer dips his head at me from his study. He leans on the doorframe and openly ogles me. I purse my lips and dart for the stairs. I enter my room with my heart pumping so hard, I feel like I’m going to pass out. What is wrong with me? Archer didn’t even say a word to me. In fact, he hasn’t spoken to me since the last time I ran into him in the kitchen.

He was gloriously half naked again. I swear in the month since I got here, he’s gotten bigger. The first time I saw him, he put on his T-shirt right away, so I didn’t get a good look at him. Though I have to admit, those abs and the way that v muscle disappears into his waistband are tattooed in my mind’s eye.

But this last time, I got a view of his back. It’s gorgeous, of course, but it’s also covered in scars, long tendrils that go from the nape of his neck down to his waist on his left side. What happened to him? What kind of accident leaves that kind of mark on someone his size?

A soft knock on the door brings me back to reality. I jump out of bed and go to open it.

“Your dinner.” Mary Jane beams at me.

“Already?” I turn to look at the clock over the mantle. Did I just sit in bed thinking of Archer for a whole hour? Jesus. “Um, I mean, thank you. I’m starving.”

“I’ll just leave it here.” She sets the tray on the writing desk.

I stand back as she goes through the process of laying out a place setting. I’ve taken most of my meals in this room for a month, while Mary Jane watches me eat like I’m some kind of willful child. I don’t blame her for it. She has strict orders from the all-powerful Archer not to leave my room until I’ve eaten.

“You don’t have to stay,” I tell her when she pulls out the desk chair. “Please.”

“He’s worried about you.” She clasps her hands in front of her.

“Do you agree that he should be? I’m not starving myself.” I brace my hands on my hips. “I feel like a prisoner when you stand there watching me like that.”

She glances up for a beat. “Alright. But please do eat.”

“I will.” I walk past her and open the door. “You can come get the tray in forty minutes.”

“Okay.” She does her usual subtle nod and leaves.

“Take that Mr. Archer,” I say to the closed door.

If he wants to know if I ate or not, he’s going to have to come here in person and ask me himself. At least before, he was talking to me. Now he just pretends like I don’t exist. He doesn’t even send me dinner invitations anymore. Oddly enough, rejecting him quickly became the highlight of my day.

I sit down to eat. By the third bite of chicken and veggies, my mind goes back to trying to figure out what happened to my swan. As I chew, an idea forms in my head. Mary Jane won’t return for another forty minutes. She’ll be downstairs handling Archer’s usual three-course meal. I quickly finish the rest of my dinner and finish in five minutes flat. I hop to my feet and head out before I lose my resolve.

With my heart drumming in my throat, I stop at the landing and glance up to the third floor, Archer’s floor. If he took my swan, I’m sure he would keep it in his room. And I have to know. Being here all alone, I feel like I’m going insane. I can’t be misplacing my things.

With another look toward the main floor, I dart upstairs. I’m still looking behind me, with the odd feeling that I’m being chased, that I don’t see Archer until I run head on into his chest. He grips both my arms. And I swear I can taste the danger in the air.

“Why are you here?” His voice echoes across the wide hall. “I told you you’re not allowed on this floor. What are you doing?” he asks as if I’m his worst enemy and not his wife.

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