The Last Waltz

Chapter 22

When they reached the room on the quiet, cold fourth floor of the house, Poppy threw herself down, face first, onto the bed and let out a scream of frustration. Why had she felt so guilty? That had been so much harder than she thought it would be.

She rolled over and toed off her shoes as she sighed. "That was... ugggg!" Words failed her.

Isaac took his time looking around the room, wandering over to the window. Eventually, he sat in a chair in the corner that was too small for him, and it groaned under his weight.

"I'm sorry for the drama, but that's just how my dad is." Poppy sat up on her elbows.

"I get it, though. Neither one of his daughters clued him in on their love lives," he said, holding up his hand when Poppy opened her mouth to defend herself. "I also get why you didn't clue him in."

"I knew he would be upset!" Poppy said, throwing herself back down on the bed.

"Was this your room?" he asked, looking around. It was large, with three fireplaces. It had been three servants' rooms that had been made into one.

"Yes, I was the last born. Most of my cousins are six years older than me, and I didn't really have anyone to play with. They needed extra room, and to make up for the fact that they couldn't put me on the floor below with everyone else, they made my room extra-large. I wished it was smaller when I was a girl because there would have been fewer shadows to fear at night."

There was a knock on the door, and Poppy sat up and called for whomever it was to enter.

"Here's a little snack. I don't know how hungry you are, but it is late." Reva said as she sat the tray on a small table next to Isaac's chair, then eyed his large frame in the small chair. "We'll get a few larger pieces of furniture moved in here first thing tomorrow." Then she was gone.

Poppy stood up and stretched, then moved to the corner of the room, where she started to dig through her luggage for her nightgown.

She and Isaac hadn't shared a room since the Glenns had left the castle, so she had been looking forward to sharing a room with him again. Poppy had never been shy or inhibited when it came to her body, except a few time with Isaac. She wasn't an exhibitionist, but it never bothered her to change in front of people, and once again, without a thought to Isaac, she started to undress as she thought about her father's reaction to her news.

"Poppy," he growled through gritted teeth.

"What?" she asked, looking at him with a frown. She had removed her outer clothes and had just unhooked her bra.

"Can't you go into the bathroom?"

Poppy didn't hide her small smile. "No, it's down the hall and ridiculously small. You'll have to shower on the next floor, but there's a sink in the corner." She motioned to the farthest corner of the room. "But if you're shy, I'll close my eyes while you change," she offered as she slid the thin fabric of her nightgown over her head.

Poppy could see the muscle in Isaac's jaw jumping in consternation as Poppy stood next to him and poured herself a cup of tea. "Would you like some?"

"No." His voice was gruff, and Poppy smiled again before she moved over to the center fireplace and lit a fire in the cold room. Then she grabbed a few pillows from the bed and settled down to drink her tea and munch on the toast and jam that Reva had left.

"If you're cold, you could always put more clothes on," Isaac suggested.

"I'll keep that in mind," Poppy nodded as she watched the flames. She didn't notice that Isaac was staring at the way the firelight played off her red hair and creamy skin, highlighting the shadows under her nightgown.