Three

Reaching Trisha, I noticed a small smirk gracing her lips. With a roll of my eyes, I sent her a small glare. "You're loving this, aren't you?" With a small chuckle, Trisha threw an arm over my shoulder. "Just a little..." Her laughter filled the air as the arm around my shoulder gave a gentle squeeze. Once her laughter died down, the smile vanished from her face. Walking beside us to get closer to William, Tanya sent a small smirk our way. "I swear if she smirks at me one more time, I'm going to throw her into that fountain," Trisha mumbled.

Shoving Trisha's arm off my shoulder, I couldn't help but laugh. "Please don't. That fountain is too pretty to ruin it with trash." Yet I couldn't help but agree with her. Tanya was getting on my nerves, too, but I'd rather not ruin the fountain with all the makeup she had on. The fountain out the front of the castle was beautiful, magical even, and I wish I could stay here and watch it for longer.

"If you will all follow me, I will now take you through the castle." Came William's sudden honey voice.

Turning my head to see where he stood, I spotted William standing at the entrance of the castle. He stood there in his white button-up shirt and black business pants. He looked handsome, but as soon as the thought crossed my mind, I dismissed it. He was just some random man who was lucky enough to be rich and own a castle, a very nice one at that. Walking up the grand steps to the top floor, I found my hands reaching down to grab something.

My fingers were itching to grab material, but with the jeans that I wore clinging to my skin, there was nothing for them to grasp. Frowning, I placed my hands into the pockets of my pants, wishing nothing more than to be back in my bed and dream of the man who had been haunting me for months.

Walking further into the castle, I felt the air leave my lungs. A few of the students gasped in awe at all the beautiful sights that surrounded us in the main hall. Hanging from the walls were large portraits of what I could only assume were those of the past kings and their wives of the castle. Each one of them was dressed in a beautiful golden frame, with the women wearing elegant ball gowns and jewels.

"Someone's rich." Whispered Trisha. “What the heck are the women wearing?” Scoffing, Trisha shook her head. “I would not be caught ever wearing something like that, and if I had to, I’d rather smear it with dog shit.”

Smiling, I nodded along to her antics. Surely Trisha would wear a gown and not smear it with dog shit, but then again, this was Trisha, a typical tomboy who’d rather wear anything but colour. Moving my gaze back towards Mr Stevenson and William, I noticed Tanya was trying to flirt with William. With her hand placed on his upper arm, the shrill of her fake laughter echoed off the perfectly polished marble. "You must get so lonely here by yourself." Came Tanya's annoyingly high-pitched voice, causing a not-so-hidden roll of my eyes. Batting her lashes up at William, I watched as he gave a small frown. He wasn’t really paying any attention to her.

Moving away from her, William smiled politely in her direction. "I'm sure you will be glad to know I am quite fine." At his words, a strange feeling seeped into my bones. It was a mix of relief and sadness for the young man before me. Surely, he had a partner of his own to share his estate with?

"How old are you?" Asked another female student, catching William’s attention.

Lowering his head with a small smile, William bit his bottom lip. The action caused something within me to stir. "I'm twenty-six years old." He spoke.

"So, you're only eight years older than us. That's not too bad." Spoke Tanya, as a flirty smile lingered on her lips. With a roll of my eyes, I moved closer to the group. "It's not, but sadly, I have someone I treasure dearly." Came William's sudden reply. A few of the girls groaned at his statement, and I couldn't help but frown a little, too. Although much older than all of us, there was a small bubble of hope that seemed to have popped just by those few words. Moving towards the group of students, I watched as William pointed at the frames.

"Here are all the past wives and husbands of the castle." He spoke, trying to change the subject. Pointing at a photo dated 1680, William smiled. "Here is the very first Lord of the castle. It is said he built this for his wife at the time, but sadly, shortly after they moved in, his wife passed away from childbirth."

"Oh no," I whispered. I could only imagine the grief he went through at the loss of his love. Catching the sound of my voice, I found my eyes locking with William. "Yes, very sad indeed."

Moving along the photos, William explained all the next owners, but stopped at an empty portrait. "Here once hung a beautifully painted portrait of the last Lord. The portrait went missing back in 1830 and was said to be the only painting that pictured his love. It is said that the photo was taken down after a tragedy with the lord, and we are still to this day trying to locate the painting."

"Why would they take down the photo?" Asked a student.

Turning to the class, I couldn't help but notice William's eyes seemed far away, as if he was thinking back to that time. "It has been told to us in many different stories. Some say that his love was beside herself with the tragedy of the Lord's passing. Another says it was stolen and sold for a high price. The real reason is still unknown to us, and I feel we will sadly never know."

Nodding at his explanation, I continued to gaze at the area where the portrait should’ve been hung. To think someone would’ve stolen it to sell for profit seemed to be an act of disloyalty to the Lord. Whatever had happened to him, I couldn’t help but feel that something more sinister had happened. “Were there any documents about the Lord's passing?”

Turning to me, William shook his head. “Sadly, not. The only thing we know of is that William trusted her dearly, but not long after his death, she disappeared.” Turning to gaze at all the students, he continued, “There were rumours from the maids that she simply faded away before them, whereas others state they had seen her run away with a young man.”

Before I could think, my mouth opened. “What do you believe happened?” With his honey-coloured eyes now staring down across the room at me, I felt rooted to my spot. “I believe she simply vanished. Perhaps what the maids said about her fading away before them was the truth… sadly, we will never know.” With a small shake of his head, William turned to our teacher. “Allow me to show you to the main library.”

After what seemed like hours of walking around the large manor, all students were allowed to have a break and look around. Trisha had stomped off to who heck knows where, and I was left alone in the main garden. This time of year, everything seemed to be in full bloom. Every flower was bursting open with different shades of colour, with bees landing on the fragrant petals. A few feet away sat a bird feeder, with some Willie wagtails enjoying the seed. Their tails moved side to side, as if they were showing their happiness for the feast in front of them.

Crouching down, I observed the birds as they came and went, almost wishing to be as free as they looked.

“Willie wag tails are a symbol of joy and guidance.” Came a sudden voice. Turning my head, I spotted William standing beside me. “Hello, Helena.”