Page 38 of Prince She Shouldn't Crave
‘Very resourceful,’ she said, still keeping her voice low, quiet.
‘I’m not just a…what did you call me. Thirst trap?’
‘That’s your hashtag. Why am I whispering?’ she asked.
‘I don’t know. No one can hear us here. It’s quite safe.’
She looked at the wall again, with the chalk-marked arrows. Small but clear. All pointing to her room.
‘How do I get back in?’
‘I’ll show you when we get to my end. There’s a small latch. It’s easy. The only problem is when there’s furniture across the doorway. People have forgotten these passageways, or deliberately blocked them off. I can only imagine what would have been done using them,’ he said, chuckling.
‘A little like what we’re doing now.’
‘I have no doubt.’
Gabe seemed to pick up the pace. She followed his purposeful stride. ‘How long will it take?’
‘Shorter than walking through the hallways to get to my room, since I’m in another wing entirely,’ he said. ‘You’re not afraid?’
‘No, it’s amazing! I’ve always wanted to walk through a secret passageway. Think of the things you could do!’
‘I suspect they were used for espionage. Invite foreign dignitaries to stay, put them in the right quarters, and then you could stand in these passageways and listen.’
‘Really? I would have thought the walls were too thick.’
‘In certain places there are what appear to be air vents in the walls. They’re not. They’re listening ports.’
‘Oh, that’s very underhanded of you and your family. Would they be used now?’
He shook his head. ‘We prefer diplomacy rather than subterfuge.’
‘Isn’t subterfuge what we’re doing?’
Gabe chuckled again. ‘I suppose it is. Must be in my blood.’
Or hers…but she didn’t want to dwell. Gabe didn’t have another family stashed away. They were both single, free to do whatever they wanted. She tried not to think about how they were sneaking about secret passageways to see each other. What that meant.
After a few more minutes Gabe slowed, stopped. Shone the torch on the wall, illuminating an X in chalk.
‘X marks the spot,’ she said. ‘These are your rooms?’
‘Yes. Pieter has the night off, so we won’t be disturbed. Here’s the mechanism to get in.’ There was a complicated-looking lever in the wall. He depressed it, then turned, and the door snicked open. He closed it again.
‘You try.’
She did. Once he appeared satisfied that she could get into his room from the passageway, he pulled on the handle and led her through, closing the door behind them.
Lena walked into what appeared to be a dressing room with racks of suits, business shirts—all perfectly ordered. No surprises there. It seemed as neatly ordered as himself. The space was imbued with that scent of him. Woodsy. Green. Fresh, like the cool mountain air. She breathed him in.
‘Come this way,’ he said, placing his hand on her lower back, the warmth of his fingers seeping into her skin as he led her into a lounge area. The light from some side lamps painting the room in gold. Glorious silks lined the walls. The furniture sumptuous, comfortable-looking, yet undoubtedly antique. An elegant room she could see he fitted into, and clearly the room of Halrovia’s prince.
But what struck her aside from the opulence was something else. All around the room, all surfaces had candle holders and candles, imbuing the space with a warm, flickering light. In the corner, by what appeared to be a set of windows with the curtains drawn, was a beautiful little table with armchairs. Onthe table flickered small tea-light candles in holders. There was a bunch of flowers in a cut-crystal glass that glittered in the low light. Beside the table was a wine bucket, wine on ice.
Gabe stood behind her, hands on her shoulders. His body warm against hers. He leaned down, his breath brushing her ear. ‘Do you like it?’
‘I love it,’ she said. Tears prickled her eyes at the time and care this would have taken, the organisation. She turned. ‘How did you manage to do all of this without anyone finding out?’
