LOGINNight settled heavily over the estate. I lay awake long after Tyrone’s breathing had deepened beside me, his arm draped possessively across my waist. The guest-room door had closed hours ago. No further sound came from that side of the suite. Still, sleep refused me. Somewhere past two in the morning, a soft creak broke the silence. I opened my eyes. The connecting door to the sitting room stood slightly ajar—wider than I had left it. A pale shape moved in the darkness beyond. Sophie, barefoot, the borrowed silk robe clinging to her frame as she crossed toward the small writing desk where Tyrone had left the evening reports and his private seal. I slipped from the bed without disturbing him, the marble floor cold under my feet. By the time I reached the sitting room, Sophie already held one of the folded documents in her hand, angling it toward the thin moonlight coming through the tall windows. “Looking for something specific?” I asked quietly. She didn’t startle. She only tur
I stood with my back against the closed bedroom door for a long moment, listening.No footsteps retreated. Sophie remained in the sitting room.I moved to the writing desk near the window, opened the slim leather folio the staff had left for correspondence, and withdrew a sheet of heavy cream stationery. My pen moved quickly, cleanly.A short message to the head of household security. A request for the guest-room key to be logged and restricted after midnight. A second note to the kitchen: no additional trays or late-night refreshments were to be delivered to the second bedroom without my direct approval. I sealed both with the small wax stamp bearing the D’Venne crest and rang for a footman.When the young man appeared, I handed him the notes with a calm smile. He bowed and left without question.Only then did I open the bedroom door again.Sophie was seated on the settee I had vacated, legs crossed, examining her nails as if the room already belonged to her. She looked up when I ent
The palace physician arrived within forty minutes, a composed older man with a leather bag and a quiet authority that filled the guest room the moment he entered. Tyrone remained near the doorway while the doctor examined Sophie, asking measured questions about her flight, the dust at the stables, any history of migraines.Sophie answered in soft, careful tones. She described a sharp pressure behind her eyes, a lingering dizziness, nothing more. When the doctor suggested a mild sedative and complete rest until morning, she accepted with a gracious nod, though her gaze drifted past him toward Tyrone more than once.I stayed in the sitting room, curled on the settee with a cup of ginger tea the staff had brought. The low murmur of voices carried through the open door. Tyrone’s replies were brief. Practical. When the physician finally stepped out and confirmed there was no serious concern, only travel fatigue compounded by mild sinus irritation, Tyrone thanked him and saw him to the ma
Caroline Tyrone’s arm stayed locked around my waist the entire walk back to the suite. He matched his steps to mine, slowing whenever I pretended to falter, his voice low and steady near my ear. “Almost there. Just a little further.” Behind us, Sophie’s footsteps quickened on the gravel path. “Tyrone....wait.” Her voice carried that soft, breathy edge again. “I… I think the dust really got to me. My head is pounding.” He glanced back, still supporting most of my weight. Sophie had one hand pressed to her temple, blue eyes glassy with practiced discomfort. She swayed just enough to look fragile. “I don’t do hospitals,” she added quickly, almost pleading. “You know that. I just need to lie down for a while. Please. I’ll be fine if I rest.” Tyrone’s jaw tightened. For a moment he looked caught between two directions....me leaning against his side, and the woman who had known him since childhood standing a few paces away with a hand to her head. I kept my breathing shallow and une
Caroline“So,” Sophie said, voice light and sweet, “are you two going to join me, or should I just make myself at home?”Tyrone glanced at me first. When I gave a small nod, he rose and pulled out a chair for me at the small dining table near the window. Sophie was already uncovering the silver trays, the scent of warm croissants and smoked salmon drifting through the suite. She poured champagne into three flutes without asking, then slid into the seat closest to Tyrone as if it had always been hers.I kept my expression neutral. Calm. Unbothered. Inside, every casual brush of her fingers against his arm felt like a deliberate claim.Sophie buttered a piece of toast and leaned in, her shoulder almost touching his. “So tell me everything. How did you two even meet? It all happened so fast. One minute I’m in Milan shooting for Vogue Italia, the next I hear you’ve gone and gotten married.”Tyrone’s answer was brief. Polite. Careful. “We met through mutual associates. It progressed quick
Caroline “King Tyrone D’Venne? Room service. I have the champagne breakfast you ordered last night.”I froze against Tyrone’s chest, water still lapping softly around us. My fingers, which had been wrapped around him only seconds earlier, loosened in confusion.“We didn’t order anything,” I whispered, tilting my head back to look at him. “Did we?”Tyrone’s jaw tightened. His eyes, still dark with the heat we’d been building, flicked toward the bathroom door. He exhaled through his nose, clearly irritated by the interruption.“I’ll handle it,” he muttered, already shifting as if to stand. “Just send it back.”“No.” I caught his wrist beneath the water. “Someone ordered it in our names. Don’t you want to know who?”He groaned low in his throat, the sound full of frustrated want. His free hand slid possessively along my thigh one last time, as if reluctant to let the moment go.“Caroline…” He protested, I could sense he didn't want to step out.“Please.” I kept my voice soft but firm. “







