“I’ve been thinking of working with some other fabrics. The silk corsets on display at that museum this morning were gorgeous.”
“I like yours better,” Jace said with a sheepish grin.
Hers were all made of leather, so of course he liked them better. He rarely went without his leather motorcycle jacket. And that was another thing she missed—riding behind him astride his rumbling Harley. But sitting on the wrong side of the car and taking in the sites was fun too. Smiling to herself as they passed through a quaint village, she caressed the platinum band of the solitaire engagement ring on her finger. Every moment with Jace brought her joy. She’d never thought she’d fall in love with a man. She definitely never thought one could hold her heart so completely and that she’d actually relish the feeling. She still pretended to be a badass dominatrix, but she’d come to terms with having an uncharacteristic soft spot for Sinners’ silent bass player the day he’d crumpled at her feet and begged for mercy.
They arrived at their destination without mishap. Jace parked in a small lot. Through the trees, Aggie caught a glimpse of the enormous sandstone castle.
“I’ve seen this place before,” Jace said.
“I thought you’d never been to England before.”
He shook his head. “I haven’t. I must have seen a picture of it or something. It looks familiar.”
He opened his door and climbed out. He paused before the car’s hood and stared up at the stone façade of the immense structure. Still inside the car, Aggie saw a shudder ripple through his entire body. He took a hesitant step in the direction of the castle. And then another.
He was halfway down the path to the gardens before Aggie opened the car door and climbed out. “Didn’t you forget something?” she called after him.
He froze and turned to look at her. His breathing was uncharacteristically rapid and shallow. For a second he seemed not to recognize her. He lifted a hand to massage the golden hoop in one ear and tilted his head. “What did I forget?”
“Me!”
He held out a hand, and she trotted toward him to take it. As soon as his fingers wrapped around hers, he hurried down the walkway toward the entrance. After having to drag him through attractions for two days, his sudden change in enthusiasm baffled her.
“What’s gotten into you?” she asked as he bounded the steps and swung the entrance door open.
“We’re going to miss the last tour,” he said, pointing at a sign.
This week only—Rare opportunity to tour the castle’s private living quarters at 11 am, 1 pm and 3 pm. Tour space is limited.
So maybe he was having a better time than he’d let on. Or maybe there was something unique about this place. She wasn’t sure why he was in such a hurry to catch another tour.
Luckily for them, there was space in the tour due to a last-minute cancellation. As they moved from room to room and the guide droned on about dates and lords and ladies, Aggie watched Jace with more curiosity than she held for any artifact or tidbit of historical information. Even though his eyes scanned every inch of every room, he didn’t seem to be paying much attention to the tour. As they made their way through the luxurious castle, his stride became more and more stiff and his brow furrowed deeper and deeper with displeasure.
“Jace,” she whispered as he glared at a set of drapes, “is something bothering you?”
“This is all wrong,” he said. “She wouldn’t approve of any of this.”
“Who?”
“Katherine.”
Aggie stiffened. “Who the fuck is Katherine?” While Aggie trusted him, she sure didn’t like the name of another woman tumbling affectionately from his delectable lips.
Jace stared at her wordlessly for a long moment. If she hadn’t known better, she’d have said he didn’t know who she was.
“Jace?”
He closed his eyes, shook his head, and shuddered violently. The tour group had entered another room by the time he flipped his eyes open to look at her again. “Aggie?”
“You’re acting weird,” she said.
“I’m feeling weird. It’s like I’ve been here before, but nothing is exactly how I remember it.”
“Déjà vu?”
“I guess. I’ve never felt this way about a place before.” He wrapped his arms around his torso and rubbed his upper arms. “It’s chilly in here, isn’t it?”
It wasn’t. She touched her fingers to his forehead to check again for fever. She almost hoped he was coming down with the flu; at least his odd behavior would have an explanation. “You don’t feel feverish, but I have to admit you’re sort of freaking me out,” she said.
He released a soft laugh. “You and me both, babe.”
“Should we go? Maybe you should lie down for a while before you have to be onstage.”
“No,” he said hastily. “I like it here. I want to see every inch of the place, even though something feels a bit off and I don’t know why that would be.”
“Maybe you were here as a small child and that’s why you remember it. And things look different to the adult you.”
“Maybe,” he said with a shrug.
She got the feeling he was only saying that to make her feel better about the bizarreness of what he was explaining, and she truly appreciated him for soothing her fears.
Based on appearances, the castle wasn’t the least bit creepy. The décor was elegant and inviting, the ceilings high and the rooms filled with abundant natural light from the enormous windows. But she couldn’t deny the shivers racing along her spine or the goose bumps on her arms. Maybe it was a little chilly in here.
At least she thought so until Jace leaned closer and captured her lips in a heated kiss. Nope. Not chilly in the castle at all. A bit too warm, if anything.
The chandelier overhead creaked. Aggie tugged her mouth from Jace’s and glanced up at the enormous light fixture, her heart hammering.
“Are you sure you like it here?” she asked, taking his arm and moving him out from beneath the inexplicably swaying chandelier.
“Yeah,” he said. “It’s like I belong here or something.”
She knew he
didn’t get that feeling often. Hell, he hadn’t even felt like he belonged in his band, and it was obvious to everyone but him that he was tailor-made to fit their ranks. She patted his back and smiled, truly happy that he found a place that he connected to, no matter how many heebie jeebies were tickling her belly.
“Maybe you really are related to that Seymour guy. We should ask about him.”
Expecting him to disagree, he surprised her by smiling brightly and nodding. “Yeah, I think I will.”
They caught up with the tour group in the next room. Aggie stared at Jace in disbelief as he raised his hand and snapped his fingers to gain the tour guide’s attention.
“Yes?” the woman asked, her head cocked slightly.
“Did someone named Thomas Seymour live here at one time?”
“Indeed,” the guide said. “I usually talk about him in the chapel where his wife, Queen Katherine, is buried.”
“His wife is buried there, but he isn’t?” Jace asked.
“He was executed for treason less than a year after her death. Quite the scoundrel, that one. Well, depending on whom you ask.” She giggled.
“Oh,” Jace said flatly. His eyebrows scrunched together. “Would you mind telling me where he was executed?”
“In the Tower of London.”
“Wasn’t everyone?” an older man in the tour group asked, which elicited a round of laughter.
Jace didn’t look amused. A bit nauseated maybe, but not amused.