LOGINShare
Chapter 31: Cleaning the Study
publish date:
2026-10-28 21:46:00"Mrs. Sterling, what are you doing with those rags?" Mrs. Gable asked, hurrying down the north hallway with a tray of fresh candles.
Sienna paused outside the door, the soft dust cloths tucked under her arm. "I am only going to dust the ledgers, Mrs. Gable."
"Mr. Sterling said you must rest," the housekeeper warned, lowering her voice. "He does not like anyone near this room. You know how strict he is about his private work."
"He
Latest chapter
The Sterling Vow Chapter 36: A Moment of Truce
"I am not going anywhere, Alec," Sienna said, her voice steady in the quiet of the study.Alec did not move. His forehead stayed pressed against hers, his warm breath coming in slow, ragged tremors that brushed against her cheek. His large hands remained fixed over the curve of her stomach, his fingers splayed wide as if the slightest shift would make her vanish into thin air."Look at me," she told him softly, raising her hands to cradle his stubbled jaw. "Look at me and tell me you believe that."Alec lifted his head slowly. The dark shadows beneath his eyes looked carved from slate, but the cold, calculating mask he wore for the harbor board was gone. All that remained was the exhausted face of a man who had carried a fire in his chest for three years."I spent months watching you walk through these halls like a stranger," he rasped, his thumbs tracing the wool over her belly. "Every time you lowe
The Sterling Vow Chapter 35: The Confrontation in the Study
"Put it down, Sienna," Alec said, his voice dropping to a harsh, dangerous scrape.He stood frozen two feet inside the open doorway, his damp overcoat hanging heavy off his broad shoulders, his boots caked with harbor grit.His dark eyes were locked on her lap.He stared straight at the scorched, singed leather of the journal resting open across her knees, his own ragged ink exposed to the pale winter light."You wrote this," Sienna said, her chin lifting high as she met his wild, shadowed stare. "The day after the fire. You sat in a clinic on the mainland and wrote this about me.""Give it to me," Alec commanded, taking two violent, measured strides toward the desk. "Now, Sienna.""No," she said, her voice shaking with sudden heat. "You do not get to order me around in this room, Alec. Not today."Alec stopped t
The Sterling Vow Chapter 34: The Guilt Unveiled
"Mrs. Sterling, please answer me!" Mrs. Gable's voice echoed through the lower gallery. "The master is on the terrace path!"Sienna did not move from the armchair. Her boots remained planted on the wool rug, and her knuckles turned white around the edges of the open book."I have to know," she whispered to the quiet air. "I need to know everything you kept from me."Downstairs, the heavy iron latch of the terrace entrance gave a dull, violent clang."Where is she, Mrs. Gable?" Alec's deep voice carried up through the central stairwell, rough from the harbor wind and laced with sharp agitation."Mr. Alexander, please, let me take your coat," the housekeeper pleaded from the landing. "She was resting in the east parlor just an hour ago.""She is not in the parlor," Alec snapped, the sound of his wet leather boots striking the marble ro
The Sterling Vow Chapter 33: The Hidden Words
"I should have died under the timber," Sienna whispered to the empty room. "But the girl with the dark eyes would not let me burn."She turned the dry page carefully."Why were you even there, Alec?" she asked softly, her eyes tracing his sharp handwriting. "You had no business in the parish basement."The next line gave her the answer."Julian thinks I was checking pump valves," she read from the paper. "Eleanor thinks I was inspecting city pipes. None of them know why I was down in that basement. I went there because I saw her carrying bread into the chapel three mornings in a row."Sienna drew in a sharp breath. "You were watching me before the fire? All that time?"She turned the leaf, reading the heavy black ink aloud."She wore an oversized gray sweater with holes at the cuffs," she read, her fingers trembling. "Her hands were red f
The Sterling Vow Chapter 32: The Locked Drawer
"Do not touch it, Sienna," she whispered to herself.Her fingers hovered two inches above the brass handle.The wind off the bay rattled the tall arched panes, sending a low shudder through the cold woodwork of the study. Down in the corridor, there was only the hollow silence of an empty floor. Alec was still miles away at the deep-water terminal, arguing shipping tariffs with the harbor board.Yet staring into the dark slit of the drawer felt like standing in front of him."You should close it," she said under her breath. "Just push the wood flush and walk out."She took a slow, steady breath. Her hand did not push the drawer shut. Instead, her fingertips settled onto the cool metal pull.With a faint, oiled glide, the mahogany drawer slid open another three inches.The faint smell of ash, charred animal hide, and dried ceda
The Sterling Vow Chapter 31: Cleaning the Study
"Mrs. Sterling, what are you doing with those rags?" Mrs. Gable asked, hurrying down the north hallway with a tray of fresh candles.Sienna paused outside the door, the soft dust cloths tucked under her arm. "I am only going to dust the ledgers, Mrs. Gable.""Mr. Sterling said you must rest," the housekeeper warned, lowering her voice. "He does not like anyone near this room. You know how strict he is about his private work.""He told me to stay indoors," Sienna replied, keeping her voice light. "He did not say I had to sit in an armchair staring at the fire all morning.""The master will be furious if he finds out.""He will not be furious," Sienna said softly. "The door was left unlocked. Look, it is already open."Mrs. Gable looked at the crack of space between the door and the frame. Her eyes went wide. "He never forgets to turn the brass bolt. Never."
You May Also Like
My Bestfriend's Brother Shouldn't Know How I Taste
Demiah13656.4K viewsSweet Dreams
Josie frank1.1M viewsTo Be Yours Again
Taylor1.0M viewsOne Night With Mr Billionaire
Sun girl818.3K viewsMy CEO Ex-husband Regret
Linda Nova 50 viewsThe Boy Behind The Jersey
Author JJ48 viewsWORLD BETWEEN US
AG Mocumi91 viewsAfter Hours: My Deal with Professor Bancroft
Fidelia_j143 views
