Mistletoe and Mayhem - Cheryl Bolen Page 0,274

floor of the main building.

“We cannot go any higher, but this at least affords you a view of Carno valley,” said Rhys.

Below them stretched out a low land, nestled under snow clouds. It had been snowing lightly since they arrived, but Wister was pleasantly surprised to discover Carno was not cold. The wind was barely above a slight breeze.

“It’s a speckled wonder of green and white from up here,” she said.

Rhys came to stand behind her. Wister lay her head back against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her waist. They had only made the first step from being friends to possibly something else over the past few days, but already she was comfortable in his embrace.

“All of Wales is green—though they do say that Carno is a hundred shades of verdant emerald. You should see it in the Spring. Legend has it that Saint Patrick picked up a piece of Ireland and gifted it to Saint David on this side of the Irish Sea, and that is where Carno began.”

She chortled softly. “I think you might have just made that story up.”

He gasped in feigned outrage. “Are you saying we Welsh are tellers of tall tales?”

Wister turned in Rhys’s arms and grinned up at him. “Not exactly. I just think you are trying to impress me, Baron Carno.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Am I succeeding?”

She paused for a moment, suddenly unsure of herself. There were many things she wanted to tell him, but the fear of uncertainty over her future with Rhys held her back. What was she to say?

Her bravery faltered. A change in subject the only way out. “Why did you bring me to Wales?” she asked.

The frown on his face immediately told her that Rhys didn’t like her answering his question with a different one.

Hold fast now, Wister. Don’t let your foolish heart allow you to make a fateful decision that you later come to regret. Rhys has to be prepared to give you everything. Settle for nothing less than what you deserve.

He loosened his hold and she took a step back. “Wister, I brought you here because I have two major life-changing decisions to make, both of which require your opinion. The first being, what am I to do with Carno Castle? Do I sell Kington House and put all my money into restoring some of the ruins here, which means remaining in Wales? Or do I give up my ancestral home and try to make the other estate pay?”

She could understand why Rhys was torn. The decision was a difficult one. “I don’t know if I can give you an answer to that question. Well at least not right now.”

Rhys met her gaze and held it. “Wister, please. Take a walk around the grounds. Look at the place. You have been running Kington House for over a year, so you have a good idea as to how much things cost. I value your opinion highly and would like to know what you think.”

She considered his request. It was a difficult decision and she could appreciate why he would wish for a second opinion. “Alright, I will do some sums and then give you my considered thoughts. But I will also take into account your family’s heritage and ties to this place as part of my recommendations. This is Morgan land and your bloodline will forever be bound to Carno Castle.”

After leading her back down to ground level, Rhys left Wister in the castle grounds while he went to check on arrangements at the gatehouse. He had given her a tough challenge, but she felt more than up to the task.

Wister took a deep breath as Rhys disappeared out of the main part of the castle ruins, leaving only his footprints in the snow. Alone with her thoughts, she pondered the conundrum he had set for her. Carno Castle was Rhys’s spiritual home, but it was also a shattered ruin. Moving to Kington House would mean him leaving Wales and setting up in England. Not a small ask.

She turned and slowly tracked her gaze around the ruins of Carno Castle. This was a decision not just for today, but for future generations of the Morgan family. A family that she desperately wished to make hers.

Chapter Nineteen

From the upper floor of the stone gatehouse, Rhys watched Wister. She stood for a short while where he had left her. Her hand was to her mouth, which he took to be a good sign. Wister always adopted