Page 110 of Potions and Proposals
“A nickname and a compliment in one morning; you didn’t brew another love potion, did you?” he asked, resting a hand onher thigh as he pulled into a side street that wasn’t far from the temple.
“Is this where you kill me and take my place?” Lucy joked as they walked down a rickety cobbled path covered in overgrown weeds and moss. Hardly anyone lived this far from town or this close to the woods. Those that did lived few and far apart.
“Damn it, you discovered my diabolical plan!” Benedict squeezed her hand. The trees had blocked out any trace of sunlight, so it was rather creepy with only the sound of rustling leaves and waking birds surrounding them.
“I can rule out the wolves, since they live in the opposite direction.”
“You won’t be able to guess, and you don’t need to look so frightened,” he said. “Trust me.”
Lucy glanced around, spotting an old torch on a tree that looked like it had been cleaned up recently. Benedict rested his hand on the bark, and their path was lit by torches attached to more trees, highlighting the way ahead and revealing a house.
Her jaw dropped.
“Welcome to the original Matherson Manor,” he announced, chuckling at her reaction.
“How did I never know this place existed? How long have you been working on this?” It was far smaller than the current Manor, but it had the same Victorian architecture and looked like it needed some repairs. From the scaffolding on the far side of the wraparound porch, such work was already underway.
“I’ve been working on it since it was left to me – a little passion project.” Benedict opened the front door with an old key while she admired the stained-glass window in the door, and they were welcomed by a host of lit candles laid out on the wooden floorboards.
“Come through here,” he said, guiding her past a staircase. Lucy nearly tripped over a piece of uneven floorboard. Therewas a workstation in the centre of a high-ceilinged room lined with new shelves and a large circular window that looked out to the back of the house. Some shelves lay on the floor by an old fireplace.
“What’s this?” she asked, astonished by the work he’d done. The smell of freshly cut wood and varnish smelled like the library. All it needed was the musty smell of books to complete it.
“I figured you’d want a home library; the books in your room are piled so high on the floor and shelves that I’m surprised you haven’t drowned in them.”
Lucy blushed, feeling her packrat-self exposed. “I could’ve converted one of the rooms at home, but I like my books close. However, this library is so beautiful I could part with them so they can sit on such pretty shelves.” The fact that he had done this for her melted her heart. She had done so much to push him away, but he had never been anything but certain.
“There’s something else I want to show you.” He took her hand and led her through a long hallway to the kitchen.
“I don’t think I could love anything more than a library,” she argued, stopping in the middle of the kitchen by the cobweb-covered sink.
“This didn’t require any effort on my part.” He stood by an old stove and pressed on a daisy-engraved tile beside it. With a puff of dust, the stove retreated into the tiled wall and exposed a stone stairwell beneath.
“I do love a hidden staircase,” she said gleefully. She wondered what other secrets their new home held. “Unless it’s a dungeon.”
“I promise there’s nothing to fear.” Benedict picked up one of the candles and led the way.
“I’m not afraid,” she promised. “I trust you.” She meant it, though if someone had told her just eight weeks ago that she’d not only trust Benedict but enough to let him lead her down asecret staircase in a derelict home, she would’ve questioned her sanity.
At the bottom of the stairs, the silver cobwebs were highlighted by emerging torches, exposing a circular door at the end of a short corridor. An M sat at its centre, and she gripped Benedict’s arm, stopping him in his tracks.
“Is – is that what I think it is?” she stammered.
He smiled, clearly pleased. “I knew you’d like it.”
“Are you sure you want to do this? This is sacred to your family, even if we’re bound!” As much as she wanted to see what the dark steel vault contained, it was as intimate a gesture as seeing one naked, if not more so. He was willing to show her his past, his ancestors’ history.
He kissed the back of her hand. “I trust you.”
He placed his free hand on the M, and the steel vines twisted around the letter started to unravel themselves. With a loud clunk and a cough-inducing scattering of dust, the vault opened.
Lucy hurried inside, a squeal escaping her. She probably should’ve waited for permission in case of traps, but excitement got the better of her. Benedict chuckled as she left him behind, exploring the vast shelves of varying artefacts and leather-bound texts. He said nothing to hurry her, merely answering whatever questions she had without hesitation. From the farthest shelf, she pulled out a book. She could barely read the incantations within; the excitement of learning all the Matherson vault contained nearly caused her to drop the book.
“There’s so much to learn and explore. Have you read all of these? How far do they go back? Does Gwendoline know you’re showing me this? This is as exciting as the library!” Her thoughts came out in a flurry before she turned around and threw herself at him.
“I’m going to need a bigger budget for books if this is the reward every time.” Benedict laughed as she buried her facein his chest, wrapping his arms around her waist. “And yes. Gwendoline knows you’re down here, and she’ll help you if you have any questions. I want you to make yourself at home.”
It was the first time she’d felt at home anywhere other than at Hawthorne House – and it had nothing to do with the house, but the infuriating man in her arms.
