Page 14 of Winter's Scorching Kisses
“I will and be sure to keep me informed about the war with the giants.” In the recent months, she hadn’t thought about it much. But now that she didn’t have a husband or a sister to worry about, it only left her to lose sleep about the giants.
Isabel grimaced. “So far, there is nothing cheerful to pass along, I’m afraid. War is so distasteful.” Isabel reached out and squeezed her hands a little before leaving the hall in a flutter of fashionable fabric. “Write me!” She called out.
Adorra breathed a sigh of relief as she followed Isabel outside and watched her friend hop into her carriage.
Finally.
She raised a hand and waved as Isabel’s carriage left with a clatter as the hooves of the horses beat against the cobbled courtyard. She had gotten rid of anyone who would coddle her, and it felt so good. If her heart was going to heal once and for all, then it needed time to work itself out without interruptions.
“A letter for you, m’lady.” A servant rushed up to Adorra as she sat at her desk by a window in her room.
Glancing over her shoulder, she smiled fondly over at the other woman. “Thank you.” She reached out a hand and eagerly took the letter from the servant. Turning back to her desk, she read the name on the envelope, Lady Alice Cheeseman.
It’d been a couple of days since Isabel had left, and Adorra had begun to think the letter had never reached it’s intended destination. Thankfully, Isabel and Alice hadn’t let her down. And it warmed her heart.
Her fingers trembled as she slipped a finger between the parchment, breaking the wax seal with a small pop. She took another breath as she unfolded the paper and saw the writing on the parchment.
“It is good to hear from you again, Adorra. It has been too long indeed. I did as you asked and made inquiries here at court. No one seems to know where Lord Gothar’s manservant has gone. It appears he has disappeared.”
Adorra glanced up from the parchment in her hands. Disappointment soared through her at this revelation. Keir had gone into hiding after his lord’s death. She may have loved Edmund, but she never understood why he trusted Keir so much. She’d never trusted the snake, and his disappearance wasn’t helping his case.
She glanced back down at the parchment.
“From what I hear here at court, Keir was the type of man who sent shivers down women’s spines. I fear your suspicions could be correct from everything I’ve heard. If your sister did indeed disappear on the same day that Keir went missing, I can only assume the worst. I wish our letters were more cheerful, and I hope this will assist you with your search.”
Adorra sucked in a shaky breath. Then lifted the parchment over the candle sitting close by on her desk. She didn’t need people knowing she was looking into Keir. If he was around, she didn’t want it to reach his ears that she was coming after him.
He may not be the right man to fit the shoulder-doorway-breaking murderer of her husband, but he could be the possible source of her sister’s disappearance. At this point, Keir was the best lead she had, and she was determined to do her sister right by following the lead.
