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She had learned this technique by watching Gideon during their previous escape, though it seemed rather obvious now that she thought about it. The water would wash away their scent and obscure the hoofprints, making them much harder to follow.

Once they were far enough from their place of captivity, Gideon roused himself enough to take the reins from her hands.

“Where are we going?” Leila asked as he guided the horse northward, away from the stream and onto a deer path.

“A safe place,” he replied, his voice stronger now, his posture straighter. “The safest one I know in these parts: William’s tower.”

Chapter 20

The place Gideon called William’s Tower was indeed an actual little tower rising from the earth like something from a children’s tale. As they approached through the forest, Leila found herself surprised that this was where he was leading them.

What is this place?

It stood on the vast grounds of what must have once been a grand estate, though the main house was nowhere to be seen.

The stables were quite a distance from the tower. Leila dismounted first. The ride had been longer than she’d thought it would be, and her body was beginning to protest the events of the night.

Gideon slid down from the horse with less grace, gripping the saddle for a moment to steady himself. His face was pale in the moonlight, and she noticed the fine tremor in his hands.

After ensuring the horse was comfortable and secure, they made their way to the tower’s entrance, obscured by a tangle of flowering vines that would have hidden it completely from casual observation. Only someone who knew exactly where to look could find the narrow wooden door set deep into the stone archway.

Gideon rummaged through the stones and found a key hidden there. “I placed it there,” he explained.

Leila didn’t pry further. She was too exhausted to speak, and it was clear this was not the first time Gideon had been to this place.

When she stepped inside, she was pleasantly surprised by its size. It wasn’t a grand palace, but it was more spacious than she’d expected.

The main floor was a single room dominated by a large stone hearth that still held the ashes of a previous fire. Beside it, a neat stack of seasoned wood waited to be burned. The furniture was sparse—a heavy wooden table, a few chairs, shelves built into the walls, and a single armchair near the hearth.

The larder, however, was a revelation. Accessible through a narrow door by the hearth on the main floor, it led downstairs. Shelves lined with preserved foods made her mouth water just by looking at them.

There was stale bread that would be perfectly edible once toasted, several varieties of cheese, bottles of wine, honey, jam, and an assortment of cured meats. There were also tea and other herbs.

Leila could prepare a decent meal and fashion a nice salve for their wounds.

“The previous owner had excellent taste,” she murmured as she selected items for their first real meal in days.

“He had many talents,” Gideon replied, and there was something in his tone that made her look at him more closely. Yet, his expression remained unreadable in the flickering light.

Having grown accustomed to luxury during her years with the Cardinal—living in vast mansions with endless

rooms—she now stood in this simple tower and realized that none of that had ever felt like home.

This place did. She could truly live here.

All she needed was one bedchamber where she could rest without fear, one small closet for privacy while washing, and a kitchen to prepare simple meals with her own hands. The stocked larder was a wonderful boon, but even without it, this place would have felt like a sanctuary.

Perhaps it reminded her of their little home above the apothecary shop where her mother worked. Small but cozy, it felt just like this place.

She arranged different foods on the kitchen table while Gideon brought in water for tea. After days of imprisonment and exhaustion, however, they could hardly eat.

They merely took the edge off their hunger with bread and cheese before Gideon fell asleep in the armchair by the blazing hearth.

Letting him rest, she ventured outside to draw water from the well. It was an old structure, lined with moss-covered stones, and the water that came up in the wooden bucket was clear and cold.

She couldn’t resist drinking a few drops directly from the bucket.

She heated the well water in a large iron pot suspended over the hearth, and while it warmed, she explored the upper floor of the tower. Above the main room was what had clearly been the master bedroom, complete with a large bed frame and two heavy wooden trunks. To her delight, she discovered a small dressing chamber that contained not only a chamber pot but also a lovely copper bathtub.