Page 25 of Hot Irish Halloween

PENNY

“Oh! Well. Congratulations,” Clarissa said after a shocked pause. She huffed an amused chuckle. “When did this happen?”

Yes, Jack, when the fuck did this happen?Penny gazed at Jack, who was still locking eyes with Clarissa. His muscles were even tighter under the grip of her fingers.

“Within the last few weeks. It happened fast.”

“Well, aren’t you full of surprises? Penelope, we must get to know each other better.”

Something about this situation was feeling increasingly off by the minute, and it was centered on this woman and the man by her side.

Jack calling her his wife? A talk was definitely in order, despite the way it had felt to hear another man say it other than Brendan. Jack had claimed her with those two words,my wife, and fake or not, it had thrown her into a daze. She now clung tohim because her legs were weak, as weak as her resolve not to want him anymore.

“How did you —”

Clarissa’s next words were cut off when Simon stepped closer, speaking to Jack.

“I have to tell you, at the risk of sounding like an obsessed fan…. well, I am a huge fan of yours, Mr. Valentine. I’ve followed your career since the days when you fought in…less than ideal circumstances.” Simon’s eyes held a glint. Almost feverish. “To watch you come so far has been fascinating. You have a lot to be proud of.”

Jack’s answering grunt wasn’t encouraging. At least he nodded his head in acknowledgment of the praise.

“We’ve got a great night planned,” Simon said to Penny with a generous smile, placing his hand on her back and leaning down. He straightened when Jack stepped in and moved Penny closer to his own side. “And Jack, I didn’t know if you were aware I’ve recently acquired controlling shares in a fitness brand.”

“I’d heard,” Jack said shortly.

“Good. At some point tonight, I’d love to discuss some of my ideas for the brand with you and get your input. Maybe there’s an opportunity for you to endorse it, if you’d be interested. In the meantime, go get some rest, have a look around. My castle is your castle. Excuse me.”

Dismissing them as quickly as he’d greeted them, Simon turned to welcome the next couple.

Clarissa tossed her head delicately to move her hair out of her face. “Diarmuid,” she said to the nearest male servant. “Please escort Mr. and Mrs. Valentine to their room.” To Jack, she said, “We light our bonfire at sunset to commence the celebration. Please come down in your costumes. After that, dinner, dancing… and so on.”

Her eyes on Penny’s face were icy chips of emerald gems despite her wide, white smile. The look she shot Jack was an arrow seeking a target. As they followed their usher to the right of the hall and up a wide granite staircase, Clarissa was still staring up at them until they reached the next landing, and Penny couldn’t see her anymore.

They walked down a long corridor with a vaulted ceiling past several wood doors, each bearing what was most likely the FitzGerald crest. Diarmuid showed them to a large bedchamber, bowed, and closed the door behind them.

The room was surprisingly cozy for its size. Penny had been expecting cold stone. The walls were papered in a soft gray with a pattern of tiny yellow and pink birds flitting between green vines. There was an enormous painting of several figures in a garden scene. Looking closer, Penny could see the figures were men and women engaged in a variety of sexual acts.

“See? Orgy,” Penny declared, pointing at it.

Jack didn’t speak, looking at it with growing concern written on his face. Penny walked about the room, examining the chests and tables made of rich, polished cherry. The floor was hardwood with a cushiony rug extending from beneath the King-sized four-poster bed with carved wooden posts at its corners. Penny swallowed. Good thing it was huge. A few pillows in between to keep the peace, and they’d be all set.

Jack was looking at the bed, too. Then he turned away with a tic in his jaw and went to the large armoire while she checked out the ensuite bathroom. Surprisingly, the amenities were all modern, with a rain shower head in a glass cubicle and gray tiling. The floors were heated, and the bathtub on the other side of the room looked huge and inviting.

Back in the bedroom, Penny pushed aside the turquoise velvet damask drapes to peer through the tall, sparkling windows.

“Holy smokes. This must be really pretty in summer.”

The windows overlooked the grounds at the back of the castle. It was vast, with manicured lawns showcased by sculptures, packed gravel paths, and cream stone benches. There was a sandy path with unlit torches along either side leading to the pile of wood that must be the bonfire Clarissa mentioned. A Samhain bonfire, as the tradition went.

And beyond that lay a hedge maze and thickets of secret woods. Penny gazed at them, wondering what lay waiting in there. Its wildness called to her, like the depths of the forests back home she’d sometimes wandered alone, free to be wholly herself.

This place wasn’t home. It was different,feltdifferent. Whatever lay in wait in those woods was foreign to her, a whole unknown world. She shivered.

Jack was busy checking out the armoire, in which his clothes had been hung in the short time it had taken them to speak to the hosts. Penny went to a second armoire and sure enough, her things had been installed as well.

“Wish they hadn’t. I don’t like strangers touching my clothes,” he muttered.

“I thought you said you have a lady that does your laundry every week?” she asked with a quirked eyebrow.

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