Box of Secrets
Page 17
His eyes slowly lowered. “Everything appears to be in order.”
“Yeah, well, yours isn’t.” His scent wasn’t nearly as appealing in the light of a new day. “You know... you really need to take a shower.”
“What is a shower?”
“A wash. A rinse down.” Piper sniffed and immediately wished she hadn’t. “You kinda stink.”
“Ah, I need to bathe. Yes. My apologies. It has been a while.”
“I can tell.”
Pulling back, he stood up and looked around. “Where does one bathe in this establishment?”
Piper pointed to the door of the en suite. “Through there.”
“Excellent. I will return when my aroma no longer offends.”
“I didn’t mean for you to use my bathroom. I’m sure you have your own.”
He paused, reaching for the handle. “Would you like to join me?”
Slightly startled by his suggestion, Piper huffed. “Are you always this inappropriate?”
“What is inappropriate about my invitation? Where I am from it is not unusual for friends and family to bathe together.”
“Yeah, well, here, we like our privacy.”
“And you were wishing to partake of the facilities yourself?”
“No. I was wishing to sleep.”
“Then you should hold no objection if I do.”
Piper sighed and sank back into the mattress, too tired to care where he chose to wash. With a bit of luck, it would keep him out of her hair long enough for her to grab a few more minutes.
Oblivion had just begun to tease her when she heard him call her name. “What now?” she shouted, irritated.
The door opened a crack, and he stuck his head around it. “May I ask where the water is?”
“Um... in the tap,” she said, wondering if he was as stupid as he was annoying.
“Tap? Is that your name for a bucket?”
“Oh, for goodness’ sake.” Piper threw the covers back and got out of bed. “Don’t tell me you don’t have taps in Chimmeris?”
“In summer, we bathe in the river, and in winter, by the fire or in the hot springs.”
Piper entered the bathroom, pausing briefly as her eyes flicked down to Lambert’s unusual underwear—baggy shorts which tied at the waist and knees. He seriously needed to get with the twenty-first century. “It’s quite simple. Here’s the water,” she said, turning it on and picking up the plug. “If you want a bath, stick this”—she waved the plug—“in there.” She pointed to the plughole. “And if you want to shower...” she paused at his puzzled expression, “it’s like standing under a waterfall...”—Lambert nodded with a smile that lightened his eyes—“turn this lever to the side and the water will come out there,” she said, pointing at the shower head.
“Interesting,” he said, hooking his thumbs into the waist of his pants. “There is much I need to learn about your world.”
Quickly diverting her eyes before curiosity overcame propriety, Piper hurried from the room. She glanced at her bed, then bypassed it. The impromptu plumbing lesson had ensured she was well and truly awake, and she’d had an idea. She opened the door and went out into the corridor, almost bumping into the figure passing her door.
“Ah, Todd. I was just coming to see you.”
“You were? What for?”
“You wouldn’t have any old clothes I could borrow, would you?”
He offered her a brief glance and rubbed his chin. “Not sure they’d suit you.”
“They’re not for me.”
Shrugging, he tilted his head towards his room. “Help yourself. If it’s not lying around somewhere, I don’t wear it.”
Piper felt awkward rooting around in a stranger’s belongings, so she quickly located a few items and sped back to her room, where she couldn’t hear the sound of any running water.
“Lambert? Are you okay in there?” she called.
The door opened and Piper stifled a gasp. With his hair wet and mussed, a fluffy, white towel wrapped around his waist, and beads of moisture glistening in the contours of his chest, she found herself studying his physique more closely than she knew she should. Embarrassed, she turned away and stuck out her arm.
“I thought you might prefer some clean clothes.”
“Thank you.” He took them from her and placed them on the end of the bed.
“I’d prefer it if you put them on.”
Piper turned her back and concentrated on the nightstand as he dressed. Her eyes fell on the envelope she’d never got around to opening. With everything that had happened, she’d completely forgotten about it. She picked it up and sat on the edge of the bed, staring at her name.
Raspberry with a hint of vanilla wafted on the air as the mattress depressed beside her.
“Are you planning to open that?”
“I was. But now I’m not sure I’m ready. It’s from my father.” Her eyes rose to the boy sitting next to her. “Our father.”
Looking back to the letter, she slid her fingers along the edge a few times. Its thickness alluded to an extremely long letter—one which might provide answers to the many questions she still had. But she couldn’t help pondering over whether she would be disappointed if it didn’t. She could almost feel Lambert’s anticipation radiating from him, reminding her that he had a right to know what it said, too. She turned it over and lifted the flap.
The reason for the envelope’s bulk was explained as soon as she removed the contents. Inside was a bank book, identical to her own, with three pieces of paper between its pages. The first was surprisingly the deeds to the shop, but the bigger surprise was seeing her name written as the owner. The second paper was a dry-cleaning receipt, and the third, a letter. She placed the first two items aside and read her father’s words.
My Darling Piper,
If you are reading this, I am gone, and for that, I am so terribly sorry.
I wonder how long I have been away and how much worry I have caused? It was never my intention to abandon you. I had always intended to return, but this was a journey I had to take. Please know that wherever I am, it is a lonelier place without you in it. If I were able to be home at your side, I would be, and I beg you not to try to find me, or mourn me. Everything I have done has been with your safety in mind, and though I may no longer have my freedom or my life, I hold many wonderful memories of you in my heart.
You have been my life these past seventeen years, and I have cherished every one of our days together, even the ones in which we made each other sad or angry. It has been a truly magical journey, and I could not have loved a daughter more.
It has been an honour and a privilege to be your father. You are a very special girl who is growing into a strong and beautiful woman, and I am proud of you for coming this far. I know that you will choose the right path in life.
I leave you the enclosed items in the hope that you will understand the meaning of them. I wish I could explain further, but I am confident that, in time, you will come to understand why. Stay safe.
Until we meet again, in this life or the next.
Dad. xx
Piper let the letter fall onto her lap, and a tear spilled over as Lambert’s arm wrapped around her shoulder.
“Do not be sad,” he said. “He would not wish that.”
“I’m not. Not really. I’m relieved. I know where he is, and I’m sure he has good reason to stay there. At least I know that while he was here, he loved me, and that’s all that really matters.”
Lambert pulled her closer, and she sank into his chest. She might not have a father, but she now had a brother, and that meant a lot. Maybe one day, she would find out why her father had left her. Maybe one day, he would return. Maybe one day, she and Lambert would try to find him in Chimmeris. But for now, she was content to find herself, and with Lambert at her side, she wouldn’t be doing it alone.
THE END
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The
story continues in Book Two: Dragonblood: Dead Men Walking
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Also by Raquel Lyon
Dragonblood
Box of Secrets
Dead Men Walking
Mountain of Lies
Standalone
Foxblood: The Trilogy