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She vanished. Adam switched off the kettle with a weary sigh. “Shall we?”

We followed the sweep of the main staircase, its original elegance somehow enhanced by Adam’s modern touches. The landing stretched in both directions, a line of mysterious closed doors that made my fingers itch to explore. But we headed for the iron spiral staircase at the centre.

The landing narrowed at the top of the house, and it was darker here than below. Isabel stood silhouetted in the last doorway, moonlight from the garden window casting her shadow across the carpet. A rhythmic thudding echoed down the hall, accompanied by the rustle of paper and fabric.

Nicholas was a blur as he darted between two enormous trunks, the air stirring with dust and the smell of old leather as he sorted their contents. Books were strewn carelessly across the floor.

“Are you going somewhere?” Adam frowned, blue eyes following him as he moved from one to the other.

Nicholas didn’t look up, but examined the binding of a leather-bound book, before throwing it carelessly onto the floor behind him with a thud.

“He’s running away,” Isabel explained, her tone condescending. “Again.”

“I’m norunning, Izzie.” His voice was tight, and his movements were less controlled than usual. “But lurin’ away thedanger might be the only move we have left.” His eyes met mine for a heartbeat before slipping away, but I caught the warmth and pain in his eyes. “Unless you’ve miraculously figured out who’s targeting us since the sun set?”

The urgency of his earlier kiss suddenly made sense.Of course.He’d been saying goodbye. I said nothing, but something inside my chest contracted.

“I suppose it might work…” Adam nodded slowly. I glared at him, and he shrugged.

“No.” My whisper carried in the silence. “This isn’t just about you. Running won’t fix anything.”

“The deaths were arranged to look like my work – the first victim my relative, then a redhead like—” He couldn’t meet my eye. “And now your double? I have to keep ye safe, and I cannae watch over ye day and night as I’d like.” There was an edge of desperation in his voice.

I looked to Isabel for support. “Tell him he’s being ridiculous.”

She crossed her arms. Her gaze sharpened, measuring me against some hidden standard.

“Isabel?” I didn’t want to ask again.

She exhaled heavily. “Youarebeing ridiculous, Nick.”

Phew.

“You can’t leave.” I took a step into the room, and he slowed enough for me to see what he was up to.

Beside each trunk was a neat pile of books, all similar in shape and size, the leather worn and faded. Some had a small brass lock on the front, others were hand bound and tied closedwith knotted lengths of leather. He added another to the pile, discarding several beautifully embroidered books that wouldn’t have been out of place in a museum.

“It’s no forever,” he replied, closing the lids of the trunks and locking them. “Only til we ken what’s happenin’ here, and we’ve learned enough to thwart the bastard.” He straightened up. “I cannae guarantee how long it’ll take, but with me gone, you neednae worry about being attacked, at least.

“These are my diaries,” he gestured to the neat pile of books, a ghost of his wry smile touching his lips. “They’re no exhaustive, and it’s true there’re long gaps in some o’ them – but they might help ye in the right direction.”

I couldn’t take my eyes off them.Fuck. A month ago, a resource like that would have been priceless – we’d never had anything like it. Tom would have sold his soul to get his hands on that kind of knowledge. Except now, despite my curiosity, I sort of hated them.

They were a symbol of Nicholas’s disinterest in staying here – with me. And I already had an idea of the horrific events I’d find inside. OfcourseI wanted to know more about him. but I had a feeling that reading those books would leave a nasty taste in my mouth, and my acceptance of my shiny new feelings was still too fresh for me to want to taint it that way.

“Surely your memory would serve as well, Nick?” Isabel asked, folding her arms and resting her slender frame against the open door.

“Aye, it might, but I dinnae intend to be here to share it; as you’ve so cleverly deduced,” he retorted.

“What do you think leaving is going to do, exactly?” I asked, trying to keep the anger and building anxiety out of my voice. “How is that helpful?”

“We thought the killer was trying to draw your attention,” he explained. “Now we know we were wrong.”

Isabel scoffed. “What on earth gave you that idea?”

“Why else would the lass have looked like Erin, if no to taunt me?”

I caught Adam’s wry look out of the corner of my eye, and ignored him.