NATHAN

Kissing Sophia was my new number one thing I loved to do. She was so sweet. Willing, but unsure. A little shy. As I moved back just enough to see her reddened face, she looked at me with a shining gaze that nearly brought me to my knees.

My goddess.

I wanted to worship her. Show my devotion inch by inch on her body. Starting with those amazing lips.

"Nathan?"

"I know. We’re in public so we should be more circumspect. Just give me a minute to calm down, okay?"

I didn’t think it was possible, but her face got even redder. I lightly pinched her cheek. "What are you thinking about, butterfly?"

"Things that only a wife should think about her husband."

This woman was going to give me a heart attack. I groaned as I stepped back, giving her space to adjust her dress and school her expression. My perfect, beautiful bride-to-be.

"C’mon, sweetheart," I said. "Let’s go have lunch."

The little sandwich and tea shop was crowded, but we managed to find a table for two in the far corner. I went to place an order at the counter, and returned with two hot apple ciders. "A little something to warm us up while we wait for food."

Sophia took a tiny sip and then grinned. "This is delicious. Thank you." She took a bigger drink, then said, "All right. Tell me what happened last night."

The conversational volume of the crowded eatery was such that we had no worries about being overheard. All the same, I leaned forward and said in a low voice, "We found three bodies. Probably men. It looks like they were buried in the wall."

"That’s horrible. Who are they?"

"Hune thinks they’re servants."

Sophia’s expression turned to horror. "You don’t think Jace killed them, do you? He went to the trouble of getting rid of all the servants, including Daisy. He didn’t want me to regain my memories."

"I don’t know who else would kill three men and then stuff them behind a wall. That seems like something Jace might do. Or any of the Willowmarches."

"Tilda said there was an actual dungeon in the basement."

I nodded. "Yes. A room filled with torture devices. I got the impression this dungeon was quite old. Maybe as old as the house."

"But it’s possible it wasn’t used recently, right?"

"I don’t know. It smelled awful."

"I thought I knew Amaranth Manor fairly well. After all, my family and I were there all the time, especially in the summers." She paused, tilting her head in this adorable way as she gathered her thoughts. "I lived there three years and never knew about it. And I’ve been in the larder hundreds of times. I guess the flooding broke through the floor and revealed the mansion’s ugly secret."

I listened to what Sophia was saying, but something she’d mentioned didn’t make sense. "You said you lived there three years? But you and Jace only married three months ago. Didn’t you live in Chapter House before the wedding?"

She met my gaze and she looked troubled. "What if I told you---"

My name was shouted, and Sophia paused. "Hang on," I said. "Let me get the sandwiches."

I returned with two ham and cheese sandwiches made with toasted bread and dark mustard. Each came with a pickle and a helping of fried potatoes.

"What were you saying?" I asked. I took a big bite of the sandwich. I was starving. I could’ve eaten an entire pig at this point.

"What if I told you I was reborn?"

I put down my sandwich and stared at her. "What do you mean ... reborn?"

"Don’t think I’m crazy, okay? Because what I’m going to tell you is true." She took a deep breath. "I was killed by Penelope Shire in my last life. She stabbed me and threw me into the lake near the manor. In that life, I had been married to Jace for three years. I took care of the house, his grandfather, and even Penelope. He spent most of his time in the Capital and would send underlings to pick up Penelope to join him."

I saw tears form in Sophia’s eyes. "I tried so hard to be a good wife. I’d spent so much time and effort trying to win his heart only to be ridiculed and rejected. I was so miserable, Nathan. But I felt trapped. I had been raised to be the matriarch of the Willowmarches, but nobody asked if that’s what I wanted for my life."

I reached across the table and wiped the tears from her cheeks. "He was a blind fool. You deserved better, Sophia."

"You believe me?"

"Yes." Of course, I believed her. Because I’d gotten a second-chance life, too.

Sophia looked relieved. "My parents like to tell the story of how I burst into the mansion and claimed that I would marry the boy in the garden. If that was really the impetus for pushing me into a marriage with Jace Willowmarch, I’m sorry I ever said the words."

I reached for her hand and squeezed. "You will marry the boy in the garden, Sophia."

"But ... didn’t I already?"

I chuckled. "My father died when I was young and Mother ... she was sick. It fell to my uncle to train me to be the next Duke Stonehart. He took this task very seriously. We had come to the Willowmarches for quail hunting. There were several families there. Uncle had taken me out for sword practice and I fumbled. His sword slashed my arm. He said that was my lesson. And my punishment."

"So you ended up in the garden? By the oak tree?"

"Yes. I was sitting there when a beautiful little girl came down the path chasing butterflies. She gave me a piece of candy to cheer me up. She was five. And I was nine." I lifted Sophia’s hand to my lips and kissed her fingertips. "That was the first day we met, butterfly. So, like I said. You will marry the boy in the garden. Because that boy was me."