Page 16 of Potions and Proposals
She took the raincoat, only to hug the fabric to her skin. “Smells so good,” she breathed.
Benedict tried and failed to suppress a chuckle. He hoped she’d remember this in the morning.
“That would be my sweat,” he said, trying to keep a straight face. She might not remember this, but I will. I’ll cherish this forever.“Where are Rosie and Luisa? I doubt they’re happy about you running off.”
“They’re still at the lake!” Thankfully, she didn’t protest as he helped her into the raincoat and zipped it up. The tea must be keeping her warm; it was cold tonight, and though her lips were paler than usual, she gave no sign of feeling chilly.
“Why did you leave them?” He wanted to make sure the others were okay and nothing had scared Lucinda into running off. She didn’t seem frightened, but on Luisa’s tea, anything could happen. He’d fallen victim to her tea himself after his college graduation. He’d woken up on a beach miles from home. Unlike Lucinda, he’d thankfully kept his clothes on, although he had been wearing someone else’s shoes.
“Fireflies,” she said, like it was the most rational explanation in the world.
He couldn’t exactly ask for her phone, considering her current state, and he doubted the others would even answer if they were in a similar state.“How about you come with me? We can look for fireflies together.”
He didn’t want to leave her alone so far from her friends. If she had wandered away from them once, he didn’t trust her notto do it again, and he didn’t fancy returning her to the lake in her current state either. The coven had already questioned their actions; if they were seen like this, it would only work against them.
Running a hand through his damp hair, he waited while she pulled the long sleeves over her hands. The raincoat only covered the tops of her thighs, so perhaps it was a good thing the tea was keeping her warm. He wished she’d left her shoes on. He didn’t like to think of the rough ground cutting up her feet.
“Do you know where we can find some?” Lucinda asked, wide-eyed. “I thought I saw them, but they were just the street lights.” He had to scrub the smile from his face at the genuine disappointment in her tone.
“I even know where we can see agiantfirefly.” Benedict tried to sound convincing. Her eyes widened, revealing her dilated pupils.I can’t believe Rosie let her wander off! She should’ve tracked her down before she got this far from the group.He didn’t have time to be angry now; he needed to get her somewhere warm and safe.
“Lead the way.” Lucinda smiled, offering him her hand. He stared at it, but she rolled her eyes. “We don’t want to lose each other.” She threaded her fingers through his, swinging their arms back and forth.
Please let her remember this in the morning.He took her hand, and she wrapped herself around his arm.
“Stay close and you won’t be disappointed,” he promised, leading her away from the woods to Matherson Manor. He couldn’t bring her back to Hawthorne House like this, but there were plenty of spare rooms in the Manor.
“Wait a second! This is the way to the Manor! You don’t have fireflies!” Lucinda huffed, tugging on his hand as Benedict opened the tall back gate shrouded in green vines.
“Trust me,” he said, gently giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. The hedgerows separating his property from the woods meant no one used this entrance, sparing them both from being the topic of tomorrow’s gossip.
“Promise?” Her eyes narrowed, taking in the gardens as though they might swallow her up. She’d never follow him sober, but he hoped this version of her would trust him.
She studied him for a few seconds before letting him lead. Once inside, he sealed the gate to make sure she couldn’t run back to the woods. He didn’t want to spend the rest of his night tracking her down. The only small mercy was the drizzle had dried up and the clouds had cleared overhead, giving him some hope that his plan would work.
“Promise.” Benedict pressed a finger to his lips, and she mimicked the gesture. “We have to be quiet – we don’t want to wake the guests,” he whispered, even though there was no chance of them being heard this far from the guest quarters. Whether their binding was a political matter or not, if they were caught spending the night together and sneaking around it would be like confirming they were in a relationship.
“Shh,” Lucinda agreed, and giggled.
Walking through the wine cellar, Benedict opened one of the older doors so they could sneak through the old servants’ passageways without being seen by the night staff. Unfortunately, he’d never thought to put lighting in the old passageway.
“I can’t see anything,” Lucinda whispered, crushing his hand in hers.
“Are you afraid of the dark?” he asked, not wanting her to freak out.
“Always.”
He didn’t want to read any more into that. “Let there be light,” he said, clicking his fingers to try and start a fire in his palm. Much to his dismay, it took more than a few tries to spark a flame.
“There are so many cobwebs. I don’t like spiders,” Lucinda whispered, gripping his hand tighter. Panic edged her voice.
A ball of fire finally shone from his palm.“I’m sure the spiders are sleeping,” he lied, not being a fan of them himself.
“This doesn’t seem safe.” Lucinda eyed the elevator, which was older than both of them combined. She took a tentative step back, but he didn’t release her hand.
“Because running naked through the woods, where there are all manner of creatures, is far safer,” he muttered. “Don’t worry, it’s been well serviced. This is the old escape route if the manor was ever invaded. This is the last step, and you did make me promise. Don’t make me break it.”
Lucinda swallowed, but stepped inside. The iron shaft creaked under their combined weight as it rose, and the rusty smell revealed just how old it was.
