It turns out that a Duke will always keep his word.
Nerissa and I had no where to go after what happened to the Hotel. Fortunately, Zachery allowed us to stay with him and Giles in his estate until we figured out what we were going to do. The invitation extended to Pierre also, however, he had family that he was able to go stay with. They lived only a few miles away from where Zachery's estate was, so Nerissa and Pierre were both able to continue their relationship. They needed each other more than ever.
This gave Zachery and I plenty of time to ourselves, especially as Giles was very coincidental with his 'royal guard duty' timings.
Zachery's parents offered us money, but their kindness was too much. Nerissa and I always figured things out. Always have, always will.
We all had a short stay in the hospital after the fire, just to get patched up and monitored, but it was long enough.
About two weeks after we returned to normality (or at least as close to it as we could) Zachery went out for a walk with Giles, leaving Nerissa and I alone, for the first time in what felt like years. It was so nice to be able to explain everything to her in detail, about Zachery, Jeremy, about the Ball and everything up until we got out of that hotel. It felt like a massive weight had been lifted off of my shoulders, and she understood more than I could have ever wished for.
When Giles and Zachery returned, Zachery came in to the sitting room where we were both sprawled over the sofa giggling along with each other. He smiled wide with his hands behind his back. We stopped giggling and greeted him properly, but he was silent.
He brought his hands round from behind him, displaying tickets.
They were boat tickets, for all of us by the looks of it. Zachery looked me in the eyes and gave me his signature sly smile.
"The Mystery at Hotel Victoriana was great, so are you both ready for our next adventure?" He said, teasingly waving the tickets in front of us.
We both jumped up and started clapping to ourselves excitedly. In another life, we'd be partners in crime.
"More than ready." I said, giving him a thankful look. Nerissa looked at me curiously before looking down. Zachery walked up to me and held me by the waist as he turned me round to face him.
Then he kissed me.
"So, is this a real kiss now then? Not part of the act?" I asked, looking up at him longingly.
He gave me a half smile as he stroked my cheek with his thumb. "It was always real, Kitten."
YOU ARE READING
He Strikes at the Hotel
غموض / إثارةRoyally disastrous... Audrey-Rose is strong headed, confident and adventurous. Everything a Duke could ever need in a woman. Especially when he needs a partner in crime. Whilst being a chambermaid in an Edwardian hotel, Audrey Rose encounters a lot...
