Unlocking Adeline (Skeleton Key) (25 page)

“The audacity!” He halts, almost sending me off him. He brings my body sliding down his front until our eyes meet. “How dare ye assault me? I will now be forced to punish ye in so many naughty ways that ye will be begging me to stop. No, ye will be begging me to continue—”

“Sir Locke?”

We both turn to see a member of Christof’s men standing in front of us. “Yer brother has requested yer presence, Sir.” Locke nods and the gentleman walks back inside the castle. Sliding me back down his front, he brings my feet to the ground, helping me adjust my dress.

“I’m sorry, but I need to take a raincheck on our rendezvous. I must meet with my brother and discuss what happened. I’ll feel better if ye stay close, and don’t go run off without having someone with ye.”

“Why? Do you think I’m in danger?” I ask.

“I don’t think so. This could have just been a coincidence, but I don’t want to take any chances.” He bends down, offering me a gentle kiss. “Can ye just please stay out of trouble? No yelling at old women or insulting the knitting club.” I drop my mouth.

“How did you hear about that?” I ask stunned.

“Chatty maids. Now I must go. Again, behave. I will reunite with ye at dinner.”

One last quick kiss and he is gone. I press my fingertips to my tingling lips, and a smile breaches my face. I turn and begin to skip down the path to Greta’s, when I stop. Should I go to Greta’s? He said stay out of trouble.
Yeah, I should probably not go there.
Hmmm… I tap at my chin. I am way too hyper to go back to the castle. I look around and notice the rich field filled with wildflowers. I decide to head that way. Pick some flowers for the tables tonight. Maybe some for Ellie. Maybe put some in my hair.
Oh boy, what is wrong with me?
I’m like a little lovesick child! As I practically skip toward the fields, I think about how the past couple of days have been. How my life has dramatically changed. Just a week ago, I was whisked into this new world, slapping a princess badge on me, handing me a prince and my future. I blush thinking of Locke being my prince. I wish Becky Horner could see me now. I’d rub it in her face what luck
really
looked like. But then again, I doubt she would ever be gifted a prince and a magical key either.

The key.

Am I still looking for the key? Just days ago I swore I wouldn’t stop until I found it and went home. And now? How easily I’ve slipped into the comfort of this world, feeling warmth from the people and all the good I was doing. My heart feels full with Locke’s affections. My body begins to tingle all over again, just thinking about his hands all over me, devouring every single inch of me.

So where does that put my plan? Do I still want to go home? My mood dips at the realization.
Do I?
The last few days have been so amazing, well minus Farah and the whole someone tried to burn me alive. It’s been so great, subtract those hiccups, I haven’t thought about trying to find that key
or
going home. What does
that
say about me? Do I
want
to stay? Does Locke even want me to stay? Does he want
me
? In not so many words he referred to me as his queen.

But they weren’t the direct words, Addie.

I shake off my doubts. No one does the things he did, and
not
want someone to stick around. Then I think about what my parents would do if I never returned home. I wonder what my dad has told my mom. Does she think I was kidnapped? Left on my own? I wonder if she is worried about me. Thinking about my family and the guilt of just not returning has me feeling doubtful.

I make it into the wildflower fields.

“Oh, Addie, what have you gotten yourself into?” I ask my smarter half, who should be able to tell my careless half what’s right or wrong. I break off a bunch of orange daisy looking flowers from their stems, bringing them to my nose. “Do you want to stay, Addie?” I pick a petal off the flower, releasing it, and watch it get swept away with the wind. I pluck off another leaf, repeating my question, “Do you want to go home, Addie?” Watching the leaf blow away, I ponder if either decision will make me truly happy.

I wish I was a mind reader so I could know what Locke was thinking right now. If he could just tell me what I should do and I would do it. If he asked me to stay, for him I would. I would accept my fate. If he told me to go, then I would do that too.

“I should stay.” I pluck a leaf off tossing it. “I should go.” Another pluck. I repeat this until the daisy is stripped to its bare bud. The last one ending on stay. I smile, almost nervously. I hope I’m making the right decision—

“What could possibly be so upsetting that ye are destroying that flower?” I turn swiftly to see Farah standing a few feet away from me.

“Ye do know these wildflowers are restricted, right?”

“What are you doing here?” I ask, more like snap.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt. I heard what happened and I wanted to make sure ye were okay.”

“Oh, you did, did you? Well, I’m fine so…”

“Oh, good. We were just very worried when we got word that there was a fire and someone may have been hurt.”

We?
“We?” I ask, taking her bait.

“Oh yes, sorry, Locke and I. He was helping me with some… well, house stuff, when we heard the commotion.”

Her facial expression looks sincere, but her words are anything but. They are meant to wound me. He came from her place. Doing house stuff. I don’t want to believe her. After what Locke and I shared, I want to believe that he wouldn’t do that to me. But shamefully, my doubts are there.

“You lie,” I say with a sneer.

“I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to upset ye. But with ye being away with his brother, Locke said ye chose and everyone was happy with the pairing. It’s all over the village how ye ran off with Christof overnight. With the brightness of the sun, one can only assume. I apologize, I thought ye knew.”

“But I wasn’t with Christ—”

I stop myself. Technically I was. I told him to tell everyone he was with me so he could go to Maria. I told Locke the truth that I was with Greta. He never questioned me.
But he did, Addie. He asked you again where you had been that night.

He doesn’t believe that.
Does he?
I don’t want to hear any more. I shove the remaining daisies in my pocket and push past Farah. I don’t bother saying anything more to her. She knows she hit home. I storm down the hill and past my grandmother’s house. I swear if she comes out, I will tackle her. I am
not
in the mood her for. I make it back to the castle in no time flat, and by the time I enter the corridor, I am out of breath. I’m in a battle with what to believe. Farah wants Locke, that’s clear, and she seems intent on getting him. But at what cost? I told Locke I trusted him. But does he trust me? Maybe I just need to give him the benefit of the doubt. Ask him. Allow him the chance to tell me Farah is lying.

By the time I make it to my room, I’m a bit calmer and less murderous. I open the door to Ellie, who seems busy setting out new bedding. “Hey, El.” I call out, walking past her into the bathroom. Looking confused at my new nickname, she bows, following me. “Hello, Miss. How is yer day fairing?”

“Oh, you know, just peachy,” I reply as I take a squat. She becomes bashful that I’m peeing right in front of her but, shit, if she is so insistent to dress me all the time, she can damn well watch me pee.

“Ellie? If I wanted to set up a romantic dinner for Locke and me; one that doesn’t consist of half the village, how do I do that?” I finish and wipe.

Turning away from me, “Well, tis easy I suppose, we can call for dinner brought to ye in yer room. Or rather one of the small offices on the first level.”

Hmm. If we’re already in a bedroom it can lead to a lot more than dinner. “Great. Can you do that for me? And wait! Can you please send a letter to Locke, telling him I require his presence in my lair about seven o’ clock?” I say, grinning at my sweet slang.

Ellie smiles. “Yes, Miss. Right away.” She takes her leave as I go jump and sprawl myself on my bed.

Trust him. That is what I am going to do. If he admits he has been with Farah, then so be it. I’ll knock him upside his head with a goblet and take that key and go home. No wait. I’ll kick him where it counts, then hit him,
then
go home.

It’s a deal.

“Geez! What took you so long! Did you give it to him? What did he say? Did he agree? Is he not coming? He’s not gonna come is he?” I bombard Ellie as she walks back in the room.

“My, my hold yer horses, child. I gave Sir Locke the letter and made sure he read it in front of me. And he so kindly accepted.”

Yes!
“Well then what the hell took you so long!?” I jump from one foot to the other, fighting between nerves and excitement. Locke doesn’t seem like the romantic type, so this dinner might very well blow up in my face.
“He made me wait while he fetched something for yer attire tonight. He insisted ye wear them with yer finest dress.” I look at Ellie, and then to whatever it is she is holding. It’s a box, and before I even ask what it is, I snatch it from her hands, ripping off the top. I gasp.

“My… my Converse.” I stare in awe at my favorite pair of shoes. “He gave me my shoes back.” Everyone has that pair. The ones you would sell your little brother for just to keep? These were mine. My dad had bought them for me as a present for making the swim team. I wore them for everything. I lift them from the box and hug them to my chest. I turn and Ellie gives me a wary look. As if she knows what’s coming, she braces herself as I lunge for her. Wrapping my arms around her, I squeeze with all my might. “Thank you, Ellie. Thank you.”

“Tis wasn’t me, Miss. Ye should thank Sir Locke.” I pull away and we catch eyes. I know she is waiting for a wet cheek kiss. “I know, but thank you for being so nice to me. Not judging me like most.”

Her eyes fight the mist, but she loses and I see the emotion spread across her face. “Ah, now look what ye done. Made me all weepy.” Before she can expect it, I slam a nice wet kiss to her cheek.

“Well, we don’t want you getting all soft on me now, do we?” I wink and pull away. Releasing her, I run back to the bed to grab my dress, doing a little skip heading to the bathroom. “Oh wait, before you go, how about the chef? Did you give my instructions to the chef?”

“Yes, Miss, I went directly to the chef. Sadly, he was fetching eggs so I left it with the kitchen staff. They assured me they would hand it off as soon as he arrived back.”

Saweet! I do a little giddy dance, excited for what I have planned.

E
llie forced me to soak half the day in a lavender oiled bath she made, claiming the oils would soak into my skin and I would smell divine. I didn’t really care, I just wanted to not smell like lake water, and also look my best when I confessed my decision to Locke.

I am now dressed and ready, waiting for Locke to arrive. I sent Ellie on her way, and she wished me luck. Then I sat and panicked, wondering why I would need luck? Does she think Locke will turn me down? My mind goes all over the place with doubt, then reassurance, then back to doubt.

Since I’m about to wear out the floorboard, I take a seat by the fire. I think about the time I first arrived till now. About the first time I saw Locke, and the way I felt. The tingles and warmth inside me at the way his eyes devoured me. It was like my body knew before I did that it belonged to him.

If someone told me a year ago, heck a
month
ago, that a silly book and a mark would determine my fate I would never believe it. But now, sitting here, in this amazing castle, in this amazing village, with more amazingness of people, is just crazy. I smile and giggle a bit to myself. And to make it all crazier, how happy I feel to be here.

Before I know it, I realize it’s well past seven.
Where the heck is he?
I get up and leave my room in search for him. After searching his own room, the ballroom, and the kitchens, I finally find him in the captain’s quarters. He is sitting behind the desk with a half empty glass of brown liquid in front of him.

“Um, did you forget how to tell time?” I ask, semi-annoyed that he isn’t injured or dying, but from the looks of it, drunk. He lifts his head from his glass, continuing to swirl the liquid, offering me his fierce stare. A look definitely different from the one he offered me earlier.