Chapter 16

Tess dressed before the mirror, checking her overall appearance. Aiden stepped behind her, rested his hands on her shoulders, and pressed a gentle kiss to her neck.

“How do you feel?” he asked, checking on her.

“Very well,” she smiled that beautiful smile of hers.

“Nothing hurts?”

“No. I’m fine,” she repeated patiently, for the umpteenth time already.

“How fine exactly?” he asked. “Would you like to go for a walk?”

“We can,” she nodded. “It’s beautiful outside.”

He watched her in the mirror.

There could not be no feeling behind a look like that, he thought. Then he turned, brought Tess a light cloak, and draped it over her shoulders.

“I want to show you something,” he said softly. His gaze was thoughtful and unusually tender. He crossed to the bookcase. Tess turned toward him. Aiden knelt before the wall, carefully slid the lower row of books aside, and found an almost invisible catch with his fingers. A quiet click. Tess grew alert, but waited. Half the shelf shifted with a creak, revealing a narrow entrance into darkness beyond the wall.

“Don’t be afraid. There is light there,” he whispered, seeing her surprise. He went first, reached for a lantern hanging from a hook inside, and lit it. Golden light spread over stone walls. The air was cool and damp like a cellar, yet carried something calming. The tunnel was higher than she expected. She could stand upright. The walls were dressed stone, here and there veiled with moss. Her steps echoed in a hollow whisper. Ahead, she heard Aiden speak.

“This tunnel was here long before I was born. It once led to an old storehouse at the edge of the property. No one uses it now. Only me.”

After a few meters he stopped and pointed to a small side alcove. “There’s an exit to the stables,” he said. A wooden door lay hidden behind an old screen. “You can pass through unnoticed. If you go with a horse, though, you must cross the yard afterward. The tunnel is too narrow.”