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The salty tang of the sea grew stronger with each passing moment, bringing a smile to her face and bringing forth memories of the time she’d spent here with Hades and his late sister. Images of Ava frolicking in the waves played before her eyes. What a powerful sense the smell was, instantly bringing Grace’s mind to the past. Her heart beat faster with every step their mount took, and she was peeking forward to see the cottage ahead.

Ford must have felt her excitement, his arms tightening around her waist. “What is it?” he asked in her ear.

Grace turned toward him. “We are almost there.”

Just as she said it, a little stone cottage, its walls overrun by ivy, appeared behind the bend.

She guided her horse toward the front garden’s rickety fence.

“I don’t suppose you have the key on you, do you?” Ford asked.

Grace whipped open her cloak, revealing her trusted chatelaine, which, among other things, had several keys hanging from it.

Ford raised a brow. “Truly, you’ve been carrying it around all this time?”

She chuckled and drew the ends of the cloak back together. “Of course not. I am just jesting. I don’t have the key. But…” She started walking away from him and said the rest over her shoulder, “I know where to get one. Wait here.”

She rounded the house and found the key under the rose bush behind a small boulder. Good thing Hades still kept it there. She opened the gate and after settling the horse into a small stable, led Ford inside the house.

It was just as she remembered it. Small but cozy, neat, and clean. Hades had a local family look after the house and the garden once every couple of weeks, and it seemed like they kept the house in good shape. They knew that Hades was going to visit soon, too. Grace didn’t know when exactly, but he was bound to return from his trip sometime soon. And she was certain he would spend a few days here before returning to London.

“What is this place?” Ford asked. He had managed not to ask this question throughout their journey. He just trusted her to bring him to a safe place. And this was exactly what this house was to her.

A safe haven.

“It’s a… Hades bought this house a few years ago for his sister. She didn’t end up enjoying it for too long. But now he gets to enjoy it with his wife.”

He looked at her strangely. “You and Hades, you were very close, weren’t you?”

She shrugged nonchalantly. “We’ve been inseparable for years ever since we met. I used to be his advisor. Come. Let me show you the house.”

She led him to the kitchen and started inspecting all the dishes and the dry foods they had. There was some rice, tea, and herbs. Excellent. They’d need to find a market or a little shop to sustain themselves for their stay here. But it would have to wait until tomorrow.

“You were Hades’ advisor?” Ford returned the conversation to the previous topic.

“Yes,” Grace said as she unlocked the door to the larder. There was some butter in there, some cheese. Great! They’d make it through the night. “I taught him to read, to count. I made most business decisions that didn’t require intimidation and blackmail. I was his business partner and his family.”

Even if she didn’t mean it to, a hint of bitterness escaped her voice, and Ford, obviously, noticed. Because he said, “You were in love with him.”

“I was, yes. I loved him. And I hated Eloise for taking him from me. But the truth is, he was never mine. And he was right to choose her. We went through hell together. Our memories are tainted by pain and grief. He needed someone who didn’t carry the weight of our past. He needed someone who could take him away from the darkness.”

“And you don’t?”

She smirked lightly. “I am the darkness.” And then she chuckled at her own foolish words. Her tone grew more serious as she continued, “He was the first man to show me kindness. I suppose for that, I will always love him.” She paused, reflecting on her past and reconciling her past experiences. “I never realized that—how could I? I didn’t have enough insight, but now, having met plenty of people with similar life experiences, I see a pattern. People who grow up without parents, or who are taken from them young and passed around by those who see them as things or burdens—tend to cling to anyone who shows them kindness and mistake it for love.

“I was lucky to have Hades in my life. He gave me stability, kept me from harm, protected me against any man who wanted to use me. Because I was in love with him, I didn’t let any other men near me, either.” She chuckled. “By the time I realized he would never love me romantically, I had grown up. I had found my worth, my passions. I had friends who supported me. I realized I didn’t need outside affection to be whole.”

“You do not seem too over the fact that he didn’t love you back.”

She let out a strangled chuckle. “I suppose I am not. Not because I am still in love with him; I am not. I do love him and I always will—he is my family. But a part of me is resentful that he couldn’t love me back in the same way.”

“The way he loves Eloise.”

Another chuckle. “Yes.” She paused looking down at her feet. She’d never said that out loud to anyone before. She didn’t know if Ford was the right person to confide in after all they’d been through and the fact that Eloise was his sister. But the feelings she had for him were… different than what she’d felt for Hades all those years ago. The fact that he’d listened to her musing about her past feelings to Hades felt liberating. As if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. It felt comforting to freely share her innermost thoughts with him. “So, would you like some food, tea perhaps?”

Ford blinked, surprised at the abrupt change in the topic, but quickly nodded. “I would love some food.”

“Then you need to bring me some fresh water.”