LOGINMaking Hay While The Sun Shines.Bella did not realize how fast she was walking until she nearly missed the turn that led to Eleanor’s chambers.Her breath came uneven, not from the distance, but from the thoughts pressing in too tightly for her to sort through. Every corridor felt longer than it should have been, the castle had always been quiet, but tonight the silence felt different, maybe because she was walking too fast.She slowed just before reaching the door, her hand hovering for a brief moment above the handle. For a second, doubt crept in again.If she said this aloud, there would be no taking it back. Bella clenched her jaw lightly and pushed the door open without knocking.Eleanor turned immediately. For someone who had seemed so composed moments ago, there was a flicker of something sharp in her eyes the instant Bella stepped inside. “You shouldn’t be here,now ” Eleanor said, her tone calm but firm.A box fell off her hand and the contents spilled to the ground. Bell
A Loophole.Theo did not slow down until the corridor curved out of sight completely. Even then, his steps only paused for a fraction of a second before continuing again, as though nothing had happened. He could tell himself that he wasn't angry a thousand times but the truth was there and the silence around him no longer felt like something that he could just push off his mind casually.The feeling as it was pressed in, carrying the remnants of that encounter like a scent that refused to fade away.Much as he tried to push it away Andre’s words lingered. Not the obvious ones, not the threats or the arrogance but the certainty of not knowing where he stood in all of this.In a way he thought that he was right?This pregnancy put him at a disadvantage but also was his birth right from the first day. He wouldn't have paid it any attention but his brother chose to be an asshole about it.Theo exhaled slowly, his jaw tightening just slightly as he replayed the conversation again, pick
Bloodlines.Theo stepped out of Eleanor’s room without looking back even with the heavy thuds his mind made amidst the unrest. He had spoken to her like a thousand times all his life but today she was strange àlmost as if hiding something.The door closed behind him with a quiet click softer than expected, but it carried the same feeling that came from his heart. The kind that settled into chaos that filled his mind.For a moment, he stood there and looked back wondering if he should return or shouldn't. The hallways were unusually quiet though it was not the obvious thing, amidst all of this.When it felt all seemed perfect in his mind he exhaled once, and began walking. His pace was unhurried as he had his hands relaxed at his sides, but his mind was anything but calm. Every detail replayed itself through his mind again as he thought about it.Eleanor’s pauses and most definitely her deflections.He thought about the way she chose each word. She had not lied but at the same tim
How To Tame An Old Cat ( 1)Theo did not immediately speak again after stepping into Eleanor’s room. He let the silence fill the room not out of discomfort, but with deep sincere intentionSilence, he had learned long ago, was important in such matters. It revealed more than words ever could but that was if one was patient enough to let it unfold.Eleanor closed the door behind him with a quiet click. The sound settled into the room like a boundary being drawn..Theo took a slow look around, his gaze unhurried as he took everything in observance without being obvious. Nothing had changed. It was still the same carefully controlled space that he had always loved growing up, everything in its place…Except for, well, few things.His fingers tightened slightly around the neck of the wine bottle.“You redecorated,” he said casually, though there was no change at all.Eleanor did not react immediately. She moved past him, her steps smooth as she gestured toward the table.“I didn’t realiz
Eleanor’s Wall Of Secrets.Eleanor walked slowly out of the room, but there was a quiet sharpness to her steps that had not been there before. Anyone watching closely might have noticed it, the slight tension held in her shoulders, the way her fingers curled faintly at her sides as though holding something in place..But no one was watching.The house carried on as it always did. From the conversations in distant rooms, soft footsteps along corridors, doors opening and closingAll of it blended into something that she had no name for as she moved through it without interruption. Yet her mind was anything but far from all of the drama around.Bella’s voice lingered in her thoughts, not just the words, but the way they had been said. The hesitation in her words.All of it had that quiet edge of frustration she had not tried very hard to hide.Eleanor exhaled slowly as she turned down the hallway that led to her wing.“That much is obvious,” she murmured under her breath.There was no i
What Truth Costs.Andre did not slow down as he left Bella’s room. He was totally furious. The door had barely shut behind him before his expression shifted completely. Whatever restraint he had held inside there fell away the moment he stepped into the corridor. His jaw tightened, his steps sharp and precise against the polished floor as he moved through the dimly lit hallway.The house was quieter now. Late enough that most had withdrawn into their own spaces, into their own thoughts, and secrets.At that moment he told himself he wasn't going to let this go. He knew exactly where he was going to solve this once and got all and it was Eleanor’s wing.The distance between Bella’s room and Eleanor’s felt shorter than usual, though his thoughts stretched every second into something heavier. Her words echoed in his mind, not just Bella’s, but Eleanor’s too.Andre’s lips pressed into a thin line as he reached Eleanor’s door just as it opened.For a brief moment, both of them still
Temptations.“Bella.” The strangely familiar voice called out at her again. She could hear the footsteps making way to her as Instantly her breath snagged. The letter crumpled slightly in her fist before she forced her fingers to loosen. For one wild second she thought of who it could be even if
A Mistake?“Damn! Andre." He cussed as he stormed into the passageway that led to his wing.Theo found Amardi near the lower courtyard waiting with most of the servants long since withdrawn.Amardi stood with his hands clasped behind him, staring at nothing in particular. He did not turn when Theo
Chapter 22Unfinished TermsBella did not release her father’s hand until they were halfway up the stairs. It felt to her like he might disappear if she did.All of sudden she forgot he was to be blamed for her plight as she tugged on.Her father, though surprised, walked briskly behind her. “Wher
Lurking In Darkness.The corridor led back to Bella's room who was completely unaware of the conversation just underneath her window if she looked outside.She wasn't in her room anyways. Bella had remained where she was until her father disappeared beyond the curve of the staircase. Only then did







