Chapter 88: Chapter 88

The next day, something changed. If sexual tension was present before, it is omnipresent now. When the maids came to dress us, none of us looked away. When we ate lunch, it was obvious that we were both thinking about what had happened the night before.

“I regret having done that,” I said, thinking of the danger which this path led us towards.

His silence spoke volumes about his thoughts. He didn’t regret anything. I had to be more explicit.

“You realise that when we return to the castle, I should resume my place alongside Carmichael.”

“Until this war is over, yes. You got married to win this war.”

His statement unsettled me. I realised he had already thought about what would happen when we returned.

“That’s true.”

“So if we manage to defeat our enemies…”

His words hung in the air. He put down his glass of wine and stared at me, determined.

“What I mean,” he continued, “is that if we win this war, then you could see another future.”

“Which?”

“You could live with me.”

“I live with Carmichael.”

“Do you like it?”

“I have… feelings for him.”

“You could put them aside for a while.”

Embarrassed and surprised, I couldn’t meet his gaze, and looked down.

So was he serious?! The day before, I thought he was joking. At least, I assumed it was the delicate situation in the bath that had inspired him to say such words. This wasn’t the case this time. This time, I believed him, and this certainty filled me with new energy. Furtive tears came to lodge in my eyes, an unspeakable happiness ran through me, and I finally found the strength to face him again. I wanted to smile like a teenager exhilarated by her first declaration of love. A silence settled. What could I say?! My thoughts raced as the daily ritual unfolded once again.

A new tomorrow. An inevitable ritual, and a whole series of erotic images now filled every second of our days. I had forgotten where I was, what I was doing and why I was there. I was well aware that this wasn’t the plan at all, that my promise not to be distracted was broken, but it was no longer possible for me to behave rationally. I didn’t even try to get in touch with my mother anymore. I was lost in every sense of the word.

Eric stood behind me. His hands rested on my shoulders, I felt his breath on my neck. I could feel everything. His desire for me was omnipresent, and managing this attraction had become illusory. I was fighting the urge to press against him. He was only a few centimetres away. A few centimetres...

The next day we weren’t talking. Only our looks expressed our thoughts. Suffice to say that at this moment, mine were classified X, and that my will was put to the test. I should have felt guilty, I was aware of it, and yet... facing Eric, I only felt the emotions of my body, my desire for him and the consequences that our confinement caused in him, and in me too. I also realised everything he meant to me. No, I didn’t feel guilty about being happy at that moment.

We relaxed all day on the terrace. I was reading a historical novel, Eric, a detective thriller. Our legs tangled on the chaise while we shared our thoughts. Talking about literature diverted us for a time from our impulses. I also welcomed this break in my boosted libido. But the angst crept through my veins again as I watched him read. Contemplating him became a test. I stood up and put my hands on the railing.

“How is this all going to end?” I said, facing the horizon.

Eric imitated me and walked slowly behind me. This time his hands curled around my shoulders. His warm breath caressed the back of my neck, and I pressed myself against him.

“I don’t care,” he said.

“The Five must have something up their sleeves,” I continued, noticing that he didn’t share my concerns, the situation was dangerous. “They could hurt you or kill you when the mood takes them.”

“Then I will die happy remembering these last days.”

“I’m not joking.”

“Neither am I.”

His lips approached my inflamed neck. The maids entered without hesitation, fanned the fire in the fireplace and lit all the candles. And as we knew what they expected of us, I immediately went into the room, followed by Eric. When the redhead slid his pants off, he didn’t bother to wait for her to put the bathrobe on his shoulders. He went naked in the hot waters of the bath. I followed him and entered it myself. The maids started washing with me and after they finished their task they left.

They soon burst into the room again with a trolley loaded with dinner. We had barely noticed their presence, and didn’t hear them when they went back the opposite way. Hunger being felt, I somehow managed to leave Eric, who winced at the idea. I went to sit at the table, completely naked. He followed me and poured us a glass of wine. Then another. Our eyes welded to each other, I was on my fourth glass when I decided to start on a delicious dish with olives. Once dinner was over, I returned to the terrace. A new sunset was beginning. Enveloped by the passion of this moment, I forgot the guards posted above the cliff, I forgot my mission, and even the circumstances of our confinement. At that precise moment, I wished that we would never leave this suite.

The next day was the end of the ritual. It was not yet 6 am when the Five burst into our room.