Page 9 of Betrayal from Beyond
“No. After his schooling, he’s been spending most of his time with Gyda in the forge.” Turner lifted his shoulder. “I believe he’s been waiting for you.”
“Well, we will get back to it, then.”
Turner drained his brandy and stood. “And that is exactly what I should do. First, I’ll go and tell Cook about your plans for breakfast.”
Kara finished her drink as well. “Yes, I think I’ll see what Harold is doing. Perhaps he’ll want to begin again on the Green Man.”
She found the boy in the schoolroom, draped over a desk. “What are you working on?” she asked as she entered.
Harold jumped and draped a protective arm over the paper in front of him. “Oh! You startled me.”
“Niall mentioned you were interested in Mr. Blundel’s work on cataloging the wildlife in his wetlands. Are you researchingthe subject?” The boy often enjoyed digging into the topics she and Niall used in their art.
“No.” Harold stood and placed himself between her and the desk. “I am, ah… I am working on something, but I’m not quite ready to show it to you yet.”
“Oh.” Kara stopped, surprised. “Of course. I don’t mean to pry.”
“No! You are not prying. I just want to sort everything and get organized before I share it.”
“Of course,” she repeated. He sounded so…grown. It gave her a pang. “I’ll leave you to it, then.” She turned to go.
“Kara?”
She turned back just in time to catch him as he hurled himself into her arms.
“I’m so glad you are back.”
She ran her hands through his hair and pressed her cheek to the top of his head. “So am I. Let me know when you are ready to begin working on the Green Man again.”
“Tomorrow?”
“Excellent.” She left him and paused on the landing of the main staircase, her heart full and her mind busy. Harold was growing up. They had tried to give him opportunities to explore different skills since he had come into their care. It would be up to him to choose his path, but she couldn’t help but wonder which direction he would take.
And where was Niall? She drifted downstairs to see if he’d returned.
“I haven’t seen the duke,” the maid, Prudence, told her. “But Lord Stayme announced that he is tired and not at all hungry after such an extensive tea. He has asked for a tray in his room tonight. Shall I bring one up for you as well?”
“No, thank you. I find I’m not hungry either. I’ll wait for Niall.”
Prudence curtsied and set off. Kara drifted upstairs. She sat down with her correspondence until her eyes grew tired, then she rang for her dresser and readied for bed. Yawning, she curled up in a chair before the fire—and woke, much later, to find Niall kneeling before her.
“Kara?”
Smiling sleepily, she reached for him. He gathered her in his arms and took her to the bed. “Where have you been?” she asked as he climbed in next to her.
“I went walking and stopped to chat with the gardeners.” He smoothed her hair on the pillow. “I remember the first time I saw you in these rooms.”
“It was you sitting in that chair back then,” she said sleepily. “I walked in and you scared the life out of me.”
He chuckled. “You showed no sign of it.”
“Well, I couldn’t, could I?”
“I was frightened for you,” he said, his voice low. “Do you remember? That night I saw someone come through the gate hidden in the hedge, beyond the laboratory.”
She nodded and yawned.
“How many people here at Bluefield know about that door?”
