for you, poppet. And as for you, Chambers, remember, if you hurt her, I’ll kill you.”
“I’d expect nothing less,” I muttered.
As Jules pulled the bell and called for champagne, and the children headed back to their tree decorating, Ginny admired her ring. “The delicate points and diamonds. It looks like…a snowflake.”
“It is.”
She looked up at me for explanation.
“I met you in the winter. When everything was cold and dead, and you brought beauty and life. You are unique, stunning, just like a snowflake.”
Did she like the ring? It was as she remained quiet that I realized how desperately I wanted to hear those three little words. Lord, I was pathetic and needy. But I wouldn’t push her. She would tell me she loved me when the time was right.
Izzy whimpered and held her arms up to Ginny.
“She’s tired,” Ginny murmured, as she scooped up the child. “Poor dear.”
“Shall I call for the nanny?” Jules asked.
“No. Don’t bother. I’ll take her upstairs to the nursery.” She stepped closer to me and lowered her voice. “Wait ten minutes, then come to my room.”
I quirked a brow. “In the afternoon?”
She grinned as she picked up her mother’s journal and headed for the door. “Izzy, time for your nap.”
I settled back at my seat behind the piano and started another Christmas song. The family talked gaily about the upcoming wedding, and I didn’t even mind that they hadn’t bothered to include me. As long as I could marry Ginny as soon as possible, that was all that mattered. The ten minutes seemed to take forever. I tried not to stare at the clock above the mantel, but failed. Finally, the bell chimed five.
I ended my song and stood. “If you’ll excuse me.”
“Retiring all ready?” Rafe asked warily from the chair where he sat by the fireplace.
“I feel the need for a nap.”
“A nap?” James scoffed.
“I don’t know very many young men who take naps. How interesting,” William added.
“Oh, do leave him alone,” Jules said.
Ignoring them, I bowed, then fled the room. This is what it felt like, I realized, to be in love. The hope that bloomed, the excitement that flared. She was mine. Ginny was mine. And now she would always be mine.
My steps slowed as I made it to the top floor. I checked first on Izzy, peeking into her nursery room. She lay in her little bed, sleeping soundly. I couldn’t help but lean over and kiss her soft cheek.
“I’m here,” I whispered. “And I’ll never leave you again.”
Closing the door quietly, I moved down the hall to Ginny’s chambers. The room was quiet. The only sound was muffled singing from downstairs. I knocked.
No answer.
Slowly, I turned the knob and pushed open the door. A lamp rested on the bedside table, glowing softly. But it was her telescope, knocked to the floor, and her curtains fluttering in the cold breeze that chilled my blood.
I stepped farther into the room. “Ginny?”
Her mother’s journal lay on the floor. The room was empty.
Something was wrong.
****
Ginny
The murmured sound of voices stirred me from slumber.
I did not rest upon my soft bed, but something hard. Something cold. Something rough. I tried to move, but I couldn’t seem to control my arms or legs. I was a quivering mass of nerve-endings that pulsed with pain. Bemused, I cracked my eyelids and studied my surroundings. Darkness. Shadows.
“You hit her too hard, you fool.”
“I want my money,” a man hissed. “You said you’d pay when I delivered. She’s here. I delivered.”
“I said, John,” the other man growled, followed by a loud thump. “You will get what you deserve! She is no good to me injured or dead!”
Despite my throbbing temples, I tilted my head to find them, the side of my face scraping against a brick floor. Two male shadows, just out of reach of the lantern light, stood cross the room. They were fighting, the taller one had pushed the shorter man against the wall. My muddled mind cleared.
Where was I? What had happened?
Suddenly everything came rushing back into focus. I’d just taken Izzy to the nursery, and returned to my room, awaiting Gabe. The window had been slightly ajar. The man had grabbed me from behind, hitting me on the head with something hard.
Oh dear God.
Fear sliced through me. I needed to run, I needed to scream for help, I needed to do something. Anything. But I couldn’t move. Could barely breathe. Everything hurt, from the top of my head to the tips of my toes.