Page 11 of The Spring Promise (The Starlings of Starling Hall #1)
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“A nd this is where I slept when I was a child,” Mark said, opening the door with a flourish. “My parents travelled a great deal, so I was left with my grandparents whenever they were away. This room is part of the old tower, and I thought it very exciting. If you stand outside on the balcony, you can see down into what was once the moat.”
Molly peered into the room from the corridor. It looked dusty and there were large patches of damp on the walls. She didn’t want to be here with him and she wasn’t all that keen to see his old bedchamber. When Mrs. Hunter had been called away to attend to some domestic matter, Mark had insisted he show her around the house. If she hadn’t been so desperate to escape Will and Celeste’s whisperings, she would have said no.
Really, all she wanted was to go home and throw herself on her bed and weep. It seemed as good a solution as any. Celeste seemed more infatuated with Will than ever.
Mark pointed out some of his toys, each one with a story all its own. It was quite charming, actually, and if she had ever thought about marrying him in another life, she might have been swayed to say yes. But she hadn’t, and it was becoming more and more of an effort to be agreeable because she knew she had to give him an answer. And there was really only one answer she could give.
“Come and see the view,” Mark led her to the narrow window. He swung the frame open with an effort—the hinges groaned with disuse—before leaning out to show her the small balcony with its metal railing.
“Oh, it is further down than I expected,” she said.
“I used to pretend I was a valiant knight of old, watching for my enemies,” he said with a self-conscious laugh. “Give me your hand and I will help you step out.”
Molly didn’t want to step out. The balcony didn’t look very safe at all. But Mark had already gripped her hand and was helping her through the low window. The next thing she knew, her feet were on the narrow balcony. Looking up, she could see Starling Hall in the distance, though she really didn’t want to think about the Starlings right now.
Celeste’s voice came from outside the door. “Mr Hunter?”
A moment later, she appeared in the doorway. She came toward them with a cry of excitement. “Oh, can I join you, Miss Lacey?”
Mark turned away, perhaps to warn her there was only room for one, and that was when it happened.
Molly felt the balcony floor give way. She fell, and it was by sheer luck that she managed to catch hold of the windowsill.
It all happened so quickly. There was a crash as the remains of the balcony fell against the tower and then slithered down to the ground far below. Molly’s feet dangled helplessly as she tried to find something to stand on, but there was nothing but fresh air. She had hold of the windowsill but that was rotten too and began to pull away from the frame.
She screamed as she began to fall. “Will!” she cried out instinctively.
It was Hunter who grabbed her arm. He cursed as he leant through the window and some slivers of broken wood jabbed him from the broken sill. “I don’t know how long I can hold you,” he panted. A droplet of blood fell from his injured wrist onto her cheek.
And then Celeste, her voice high with terror, “Will, is that you? Oh, thank God! Help! Hurry!”
Hunter’s hold on her was slipping, and he was in obvious pain.
“I am going to fall!” Molly cried, her voice filled with despair.
Just as Will appeared in the window above her, and clasped her arm in a strong grip. Hunter let go, clutching his wrist and stumbling out of sight, but Will’s hold was sure.
His eyes were locked on hers, as if she was the most important thing in his world. As if at that moment, the height, the dizzying drop to the ground, none of it mattered to him. The only thing that mattered was not letting Molly go.
“Molly,” he said urgently. “Don’t move!”
“I’m hardly likely too,” she managed, but it was a poor effort at a retort. “I am going to fall. Will! I am going to fall!”
“No, you are not.” And it was true as, slowly, he managed to lift her to safety. She was trembling and trying to catch her breath. Once she was over the sill, Will released her and Celeste was there to hold her tight.
Just then, Sir Reginald arrived, wide eyed and asking if everyone was all right. Mark was leaning against the wall, cupping his hurt wrist with his other hand, but now he began apologising to Molly. Celeste bustled over to him, taking his wrist gently in her hands, and examined the wound.
“You were so brave to hang on for so long,” Celeste said softly.
“I was a damned fool for putting her out there without testing the boards first.”
“My dear Miss Lacey,” said Sir Reginald. “What a relief.”
“Are you hurt?” Will asked Molly. His gaze moved over her, searching for any damage.
“I don’t think so,” she managed to say. Her arms ached, and she had a cut on her leg from the fall, but she was alive. “Thank you, Will. You saved my life.”
Molly could see the turmoil in Will’s eyes. Before he could answer, Mrs Hunter arrived, terribly shocked by the incident, and hustled Molly and her grandson away, to tend to their injuries.
She did not see Will again that day. Mark took her home. After he had apologised again, and they had travelled a little way in silence, he began, “About my proposal.”
“Mr Hunter, I?—”
Mark shook his head. “When I was holding onto you, you did not cry out my name. I think we both know who your heart truly belongs to. I know my offer was a bit unconventional, but I would never expect you to marry me when you are in love with another man.”
“I am sorry.”
“Don’t be. Will is a lucky man. The only question is whether he realises it or not.”
That was the question, and Molly feared that she knew the answer. If she had to lose Will to Celeste, then she would bear it. At least he was still her friend, and she would be forever grateful to him for saving her. It seemed all the more remarkable when she knew how afraid he must have been.
And yet he had conquered that fear. For her .
Molly knew she would love Will forever, and perhaps that would be enough.