The three women slipped quietly through the corridors, their footsteps barely making a sound against the stone floor. Though the hallway was deserted, a prickle of unease lingered between them. In this house, emptiness never guaranteed privacy, especially not now, since the Dowager's sharp eyes and sharper schemes might be lurking in every corner.
Lorraine didn't dare return to her own chambers; Leroy was still there, and she wasn't ready to explain why she needed to whisper secrets with her maids. Especially when it involved him.
And so, they went to the one place she was certain no prying ears would be hiding—the chamber belonging to the one who held as many, if not more, secrets than she did. Aldric's room. A fortress in itself.
The moment they stepped inside, Lorraine let out a long, exasperated sigh at the sight before her.
"Why," she muttered under her breath, "do men insist on keeping their studies in such dreadful disarray?"
