Chapter 147
CAMILLA’S PO.V
The rooms were larger than I expected and I was slowly coming to the reality that my father didn’t do anything half as sed. This may have been his getaway but he didn’t spare any expense in trying to make things as comfortable as possible. There were crystal chandeliers and marble tables. It was amazing what money could do.
We all got cleaned and changed into fresh clothes. It felt good to not have the weight of the palace on my shoulders and to be able to focus on myself and my family. There was something different about the air here. It felt like for the first time in my life, I could finally breathe
The cook was a beautiful middle aged woman with dark hair and kind eyes. There was something about the way she moved that led me to assume that in her prime, she was a force to be reckoned with. She said she had been working since my father built the place and to be honest, I could see why. If she was one of his mistresses, I wouldn’t be too surprised.
After dinner, I saw Ryker and Audrey whispering to each other while I was feeding Aurora. After a minute of avid conversation and hand waving, she rushed over to me. She had her puppy dog face down to a pat as she gazed up at me with wide eyes. I couldn’t hide my smile as I pretended not to realize that she was trying to butter me up for something that she knew I was going to say no to.
“Mummy, can we go play by the lake?” she asked and I raided my brow. I glanced over at the window wanting to be sure that it was open and she could see how dark it was getting. “I asked daddy but he said I should ask you. We don’t even have to go to the water.”
“It’s late, Audrey, I don’t think we should be around a body of water when neither of us can keep a close eye on you,” I explained and she pouted. I sighed knowing she was getting that lake one way or the other so I opted for a compromise. “Why don’t we go tomorrow? We can sit by the fireplace tonight and daddy can tell stories.”
She weighed it for a second as if trying to figure out whether or not I was ripping her off. She was so dramatic as she put her finger to her temple as if it would help her think harder or better. After a long/minute of deliberation, she turned back to me.
“Can we also put a big blanket on the floor and sleep there?” she asked and I thought about it.
We couldn’t let Aurora sleep on the floor, she would need a crib and unless we dragged it out of the nursery that Ryker carefully erected, we would have to leave her upstairs. I was about to refuse but then I glanced over at Audrey again. She was a good older sister and she had never once protested about the amount of time we spent with Aurora. She deserved some alone time with us as well so I nodded. That seemed to be more than enough for her because she smiled wide.
“I’ll go grab the book,” she rushed up the stairs and I watched her go.
I was so busy watching her that I didn’t realize Ryker had come up to me until he placed his hands on my shoulder. I leaned back into his hold while he just stood there silently. The maids had returned to their quarters and Mr. Biggs who was the only person that actually slept on the property had returned to his room for the night.
“Do you want me to burp her after?” he asked and I nodded. I wanted nothing more than to just lie down and forget about everything. “What do you think of the place so far?”
“Honestly, I think it’s amazing. It belonged to my father so I’m sure there are a lot of secrets to be uncovered here and I’m not sure if I want to spend most of my time relaxing or trying to figure out what he could be hiding here.”
“We could do both but it might be a bit difficult seeing as we have two kids to watch over but if anyone can do it, it’s us,” he joked and I couldn’t stop the small laugh that bubbled out of me. “What is Audrey doing, she should be here by now?
As if on cue, she rushed in with not one but three different books. She placed them all on the table looking nothing short of pleased with herself. I glanced at Ryker who seemed just as shocked as I was. When I asked her to go, I wasn’t expecting this.
“Why don’t you get ready for bed while I burp the baby,” he took Aurora from my arms. “Good luck.”
It was more fun than either of us expected it to be. There was a small part of me that felt like a child again in front of that fireplace. By the time Audrey and I returned, Aurora was already asleep and Zade changed into his own night set. He offered to read the book despite me telling him how I could do it. I sat in between his legs with my back pressed up against him while Audrey sat in between mine.
She fell asleep first and while she was sleeping, Ryker and I decided to sit up for a little while longer and I wasn’t sure when I fell asleep because the next thing I heard was Ryker’s soft voice as he spoke to Aurora. He was walking around the living room with her and I realized two things. The first was that it was morning and the second was that I was lying under blankets next to Audrey.
“How long have you been awake?” I asked making Ryker’s steps falter for a second. He turned to me as I stood up slowly and made my way over to him. “Why didn’t you wake me up?”
“I was already asleep when she started crying. Waking you up would have served no purpose other than to bother you,” he kissed my temple softly. “The cook is already in preparing breakfast. Should we wake her up or should we just let her sleep in?”
I glanced over at Audrey who he was referring to. “Just let her sleep, she deserves it after everything that happened. Besides. I need to speak to Mr. Briggs and find out what we need before going to the lake. She will remember when she wakes up and start asking.”
We split up after that leaving Audrey to sleep. I found Mr. Briggs outside by the garden and he was more than happy to answer my questions and even offered to get a picnic basket filled for our trip to the lake. He told me that the lake was one of my father’s favorite places and I tried to hide the disappointment on hearing that. I knew it was illogical but a part of me was pis sed at the man. He was long dead but he had caused so much before he died.
I tried to push every thought of him away from mind as I focused on getting back to my family. I thanked Mr. Biggs for his help and I couldn’t help but notice that he seemed genuinely happy to be working and I couldn’t help but wonder if it got lonely out here and if they had family. I filed that into the back of my mind and made sure to ask about it later.
By the time I got back in, Audrey was already awake. We ate breakfast together and she waited until she had gotten dressed for the day before she asked about the lake again. I shot Ryker a look as if to say ‘you see what I mean’ but thankfully, Mr. Briggs was ready with the basket. Audrey practically sk ipped the entire way to the lake and I couldn’t help but wonder what exactly about the lake was so appealing to her.
Blankets had been set on the ground along with a picnic table by the side. It was a warm day and Audrey practically rolled in the grass. It was almost like I was seeing her be a child for the first time. In the place, she was expected to have a certain level of composure as the princess but here, she could just be a child. She could run around and chase butterflies with her father behind her and lie face first on the grass.
I chose to lie down on one of the chairs that was situated under a tree for shade. Aurora was lying peacefully on my chest and she was happily gurgling and trying to reach for my hair. I watched everything that was happening and couldn’t help but realize just how lucky I was to be able to get this time. Audrey squealed loudly as Ryker threw her over his shoulder and my eyes snapped to them but something behind them caught iny attention.
I sat up almost immediately unsettling Aurora who made a smail sound of protest in her throat. I picked her up and rubbed her back absent mindedly as I made my way over to where Ryker and Audrey were playing.
Audrey saw me first and she smiled. “Are you coming to join us?”
“Not right now, sweetheart,” I told her not taking my eyes off what was in front of me.
I got to the front of the tree and ran my fingers down the bark. The markings were intricate and although they were old, the writing on it was clear. Ryker must have noticed that I was staring fixatedly at something because I felt his presence behind me.
“What’s wrong?” he asked and his eyes found the markings because he made a small sound of surprise. “It’s just a name, your father’s name. This is his property.”
“I don’t know about you but the late king doesn’t sound like a juvenile who carves his name into trees for nothing. It is so small that anyone could have missed it. It is almost as if he was trying to hide it.”
“Why would he want to do that? What are you thinking?”
I sighed as I turned back to him. “I think there is something here.”
