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Davina twirled her cloak over her shoulders and fastened it at her throat, her heart thudding against her ribs like a restless beast. The moment she’d returned from Broderick’s room, she’d hastily dressed, tying her laces with trembling fingers. Now, she eased the door open a crack and peeked into the dim hallway. The man was maddening—arrogant, secretive, and insufferably commanding. So, he thoughtshewas using this marriage when it suited her. But what washedoing?

It was about time she figured out this mystery herself.

Pulling the hood of her cloak low over her brow, Davina slipped out of her chamber and into the quiet corridor. The castle lay in hush. She padded softly down the stone stairs, her slippered feet making scarcely a whisper against the worn steps.

As she reached the foyer, a door creaked open behind her. She froze, her breath locking in her chest. Broderick stepped into the hallway, his broad frame darkening the space.

Saints preserve her. A wave of nausea roiled through her belly as her mind scrambled for an excuse.

But instead of coming down the stairs toward her, he turned and strode upward, his boots thudding heavily as he climbed to the third floor. Davina pressed herself into the shadows, heart hammering, ears straining to catch every sound.BANG BANG BANG!She flinched, her hand flying to her breast to steady her breath.

Davina lingered, poised on the edge of retreat,straining to listen.

“What in the—” Her uncle’s voice, thick with irritation. “What the hell do you want? Shouldn’t you be bedding your wife?”

“Perhaps ye’re right,” Broderick drawled, his voice curling with dark amusement. “If she wasnae loud enough for ye tae hear, I’d be happy tae remedy that right now.”

Davina cringed and began tiptoeing back up the stairs, heat flooding her cheeks. Saints above, not only had the household likely heard her screaming Broderick’s name like a woman possessed, but the low, rumbling timbre of his laughter clenched something traitorous deep inside her. Damn him!

“For the love of Saint Peter, spare me! The whole bloody village probably heard you already!”

Broderick chuckled again, the sound rough and sinful, curling around her like smoke. She swallowed hard, her pulse fluttering wildly.

“That’s why ye woke me? Couldn’t this have waited until a more decent hour?”

“Suppose it could’ve,” Broderick said casually. “But I’ve business tae tend tae. There’s a new route I’d like tae establish, so I’m leaving now and willnae return until sunset.”

Broderick’s voice dropped too low for her to hear, and her uncle mumbled something in response, but she was already creeping back down the stairs and toward the front door, her pulse quickening with determination.

As she suspected. She didn’t believe for a moment that Broderick was tending to business he claimed no interest in. There was something else he did during the day, something he wasn’t willing to share, and she was going to find out what.

Her heart racing, she ducked into the shadows of thecourtyard. The morning air was biting and cold, carrying the damp scent of earth and a faint hint of burning oil from the torches lining the walls. Drawing her cloak tighter around her shoulders, she pressed into the stone, her breath misting in the chill as she waited, her gaze fixed on the castle’s front entrance.

Time stretched unbearably long before the heavy door finally creaked open. Broderick emerged, his tall figure framed in the doorway, his dark cloak catching the breeze like the wings of a predator. She held her breath as she pressed herself deeper into the shadows. He paused, scanning the courtyard, then nodded to the gate guards as they hauled open the thick wooden doors.

Without hesitation, Broderick strode through the gates, his pace purposeful and brisk, the wind tugging at the edges of his cloak.

Davina waited until the gate groaned and began to close behind him, then darted forward, slipping through the narrowing gap just in time. Freezing morning air brushed against her face as she emerged onto the road beyond.

She kept her distance, her steps feather-light against the packed dirt. Dawn’s first light bloomed on the horizon, streaking the sky in gentle hues of pink and gold. Broderick’s silhouette cut a commanding figure against the growing light, his shoulders broad beneath the weight of his cloak. She watched as he tugged the hood low over his head, concealing his features from the waking day and increasing his pace.

Then, without warning, he vanished.

Davina’s breath left her in a rush. One heartbeat he was there, striding steadily ahead—and the next, gone. A dark blur swallowed by the forest’s shadowed edge.

“What…” Her voice came out as little more than a gasp, her heartbeat thundering in her chest.

She broke into a run, skirts clutched in her hands, her slippers padding against the earth as she hurried to the place where he’d disappeared. The forest loomed like a living wall of shadow, dense and forbidding. As she reached the tree line, she slowed, her eyes narrowing, scanning the underbrush for any sign of him.

There—a trail of parting leaves. She followed it, her breath coming in shallow gasps. The path wound deeper into the forest, twisting and turning between the trees, the gnarled branches reaching like skeletal fingers. But then it faded to nothing, the rest of the leaves undisturbed, as if no man had ever passed that way.

She stood there for a long moment, turning in a slow circle. The forest had grown thick around her, the trees towering overhead and blotting out the light of the rising sun. The air hung cool and damp, a faint mist clinging to the ground like ghostly wisps curling about her ankles.

Where in blazes had he gone?

Frustration coiled tight in her chest. Defeated, she turned and began making her way back toward the castle. The household would soon be bustling with activity, and Cailin would surely be looking for her.

As she walked, her thoughts churned like a storm-tossed sea. She couldn’t shake the image of Broderick vanishing before her eyes, his figure dissolving into a blur too swift for human speed. And it wasn’t the first time she’d noticed something…unnatural about him.