Abducted [W&W Book 3]

Chapter 25

They continued on until they reached the road and then made their way back to the restaurant where they had dined. Ildri was feeling terribly guilty about the entire night. She supposed that she should have realized and she could not believe that she had been so dense as to spend time with him. To make matters worse, Charles was not quite meeting her eyes and she was very glad when she finally closed the door to her room.

Ildri's dreams were fitful and unpleasant and she was glad when the day finally dawned. The sky was covered in a veil of grey clouds and it was just gloomy enough to match Ildri's mood. She could not wait to go back to Wildwood where everything would be better. One more day.

The day dragged on and on it seemed. Ildri paced her room and felt generally dreadful about the mess that she had made of everything to do with Charles. She had quite liked his company and she hoped that she had not hurt him too much.

Really though, he would get over her. They had not known each other for long, there was no way that he could actually love her. Just like her and Ty.

Exactly.

Ildri decided that she would not sit in the bedroom for a moment longer. She might be a commoner in the royal castle, but she was still a person. A person who was tired of being idle. She jumped up from the bed and made her way straight to the door.

Even if someone did not like it, Lord Wildwood was there and they could deal with him. With that thought, she wrenched the door open.

"Ildri!"

"Charles!" she said, trying to keep the dismay and embarrassment from her voice. "Whatever are you doing here?"

Charles looked as discomforted as she was. His hand was still held in the air in a loose fist, as if she had opened the door just before he had begun to knock. She had clearly surprised him.

"I've come to fetch you to talk to Sir Geoffrey one more time, Ildri." His voice sounded subdued.

"Oh," she said carefully.

Charles spoke again and his words were sped up so much that they were also one. "I suppose I would like to talk to you as well," Charles said quickly.

"I suppose," she agreed uneasily. "Why don't we walk while we talk?"

Charles nodded and they began to move through the halls in the general direction of Sir Geoffrey's office. "I guess I just wanted to apologize," he said tentatively.

"Apologize? Whatever for?" she asked, trying to think of what he had done wrong.

"For making you uncomfortable, I suppose. I shouldn't have--"

"Of course not! I should be the one who should be apologizing, not--" Ildri began.

"Definitely not!" he said emphatically. "The responsibility was all mine, and--"

Ildri cut him off, "Let's just say that it was both your faults and call it even." She smiled a bit.

Charles smiled a bit sheepishly too. "Very well. Friends it is," he said.

"I'm really not a suitable match for you anyway," Ildri chided gently. She repeated him firmly for emphasis, "Friends."

* * * * *

Ildri felt a lot lighter by the time they reached Sir Geoffrey and Charles took his leave to work in his small office a few doors down. He had a few additional questions for Ildri. She answered them as accurately as she could even though she would have sworn she had told them the answers a thousand times before, as if they were trying to find any additional detail that might help them defeat their enemies or save Ty. It was a terrible thought if Ildri was truly their best witness.