Page 61

All that mattered was the way Danni held her, the way she kissed her back without hesitation, the way she made Eleanor feel something that she hadn’t felt in a very long time. Safe.

The rest of the world could wait.

For now, this was enough.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Eleanor stood in the empty, cavernous foyer of the west wing of Brewster Manor, gazing around at the ceiling above her. The smell of fresh paint lingered in the air, mingling with the faintest traces of wood polish. The floors gleamed, the windows reflected the bright summer sunlight and, most importantly, the roof no longer leaked.

It was, finally, her home again. Well, part of it, at least.

Samson stood beside her, his arms crossed, surveying his team’s work with satisfaction. “That’s the big stuff taken care of, Your Highness. This side of the old place is officially water-tight, structurally sound, and, if I say so myself, better than the day it was built.”

“Consider yourself better than an accomplished architect and stone mason, do you?” Eleanor asked in amusement.

Samson sniffed. “It’s a damn good job, if you’ll pardon my language, Your Honor. There’s a few cosmetic bits to do, but I’d say this wing is ready for you to move in whenever you’d like. Must be a weight off your mind, eh? Being able to come back home again.”

For a second, Eleanor stood frozen. She was supposed to be thrilled. No, she was thrilled. Really, she was. For years now, she’d been worried about the whole house falling to piecesaround her ears, worried about whether it would really be salvageable or not. And now, here it was, partially whole. She should want to move back in immediately. It was her home. Yet she was having trouble trying to conjure up the appropriate enthusiasm.

Why did the idea of moving back in make her stomach twist in the wrong way?

She glanced toward the large bay windows, where sunlight was streaming in, highlighting the dust still settling in the air, and took a breath. She knew exactly what the problem was.

Moving back here would mean leaving the farm. Leaving the quiet, early mornings when Danni got up before dawn, moving through the house with a soft tread so as not to wake her. Leaving the warmth of shared meals and easy conversations. Leaving the way Danni looked at her, touched her, kissed her.

Which was ridiculous because they were not in a real marriage.

Eleanor shook her head sharply. She needed to focus.

But the thought wouldn’t leave her alone. For a while there, she’d wondered if she could persuade Danni to move in here, to live with her in the manor.

Yet when she tried to picture it now, Danni in this grand house, muddy boots stacked up by the front door, a cat curled up in the entry hall, farm equipment in the courtyard, she gulped. The image was so vivid that Eleanor startled, making Samson jump.

“You alright there, Your Ladyship?”

She sighed. It couldn’t work, could it? Practically it just couldn’t. All other things aside, she could make allowances, they could compromise. But Danni needed to be on the farm early in the morning, how could she possibly live all the way out here?

“I’m fine,” she said briskly to Samson. “And you’ve done a wonderful job. Your men are to be commended. Efficient and on budget. I can only hope that the rest of the house will turn out so well.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” he said, grinning. “Whenever you’reready to come back in, give me the word. I’ll have some of the boys start bringing the furniture back in, shall I?”

Eleanor forced a polite smile and nodded, but before she could say anything else, her phone buzzed in her blazer pocket. She dug it out and saw Elizabeth’s name flashing on the screen.

“Hello?”

“Where are you?” barked Elizabeth.

“I’m at the house,” said Eleanor. “The west wing is just about—”

“You need to get to my office,” Elizabeth said.

“But—”

“Now.”

Something about Elizabeth’s tone made Eleanor straighten up, made her heart beat strangely and her mouth go dry. “Elizabeth, what is it? What’s wrong?”

“I’ll explain when you get here,” Elizabeth said crisply. “Just… come as soon as you can.”