“First things first,” Megan said as she sat cross-legged on Ruby’s bed with a glass of wine in one hand. “Is the Langdon estate nicer than this place?”

“It’s bigger,” Elle said, sipping her own wine. “And older. There’s more history and character, but nicer? I’m not sure. It’s kind of stuffy there, to be honest. Rosemont Castle feels warmer and more inviting.”

“Interesting.”

“I think it’s because Alistair built it for Rose. There’s just something romantic about it, isn’t there?” She walked to the window and looked down at the gardens below, with the fountain splashing in the middle. Two of their guests, an older married couple, strolled by hand in hand. Elle’s breath caught. She’d been an emotional wreck ever since she found the missing jewels and couldn’t wait to talk through her feelings with her friends.

“I agree that the castle has a romantic feel to it,” Ruby said, stroking Oliver absently with her free hand. “I think that’s part of the reason our program has been so successful.”

“Speaking of the castle, remember how I told you guys about the missing jewelry Theo’s been looking for?”

“Of course,” Megan answered immediately. “I’ve been poking around everywhere looking for it. I’d love to get a peek at that stuff.”

“I found it this morning.” Elle looked down at her hands. “It was hidden inside the piano.”

“Holy shit.” Megan stared at her wide-eyed. “Did you get to see it?”

“I took the box straight to Theo and let him open it, but he showed them to me. He even put the tiara on my head.” Heat crept over her cheeks and across her chest at the memory.

“Aww man, and we missed it!” Megan pouted. “I don’t suppose you took a selfie?”

“Of course not.” Elle rolled her eyes, trying to keep the emotions at bay, the ones that had threatened to swamp her while the tiara was on her head and came creeping back whenever she thought about it. “They’re priceless family heirlooms, not costume jewelry. I was honestly terrified I’d somehow break it the whole time it was on my head.”

“Was it as beautiful as we’re imagining?” Ruby asked, looking a little starry-eyed. “Could you really tell the difference? I’ve never seen something that valuable up close, so I’ve always wondered.”

“You can tell,” Elle said softly. “It’s stunning. When the sunlight caught it just right…”

“I’m officially jealous,” Megan said. “And we still want to hear more about your trip.”

So Elle sat and told them everything, from the private jet to her tourist romp across London to the Langdon charity event. “But maybe the most important thing that happened is that I cornered Theo on the plane and showed him the spreadsheet you made, Ruby, and he agreed to consider keeping the castle. He even ran it by his family while he was there, and they didn’t seem to care one way or the other as long as it was profitable.”

“Whoa,” Megan said.

“I’m impressed.” Ruby pursed her lips thoughtfully. “I have to admit, I thought you’d been clinging to a pipe dream all this time, Elle. I never thought he’d actually change his mind.”

“I did too,” Megan admitted with a sheepish expression. “Never in a million years did I think we’d get to stay. Way to go, Elle. You’re officially a rock star.”

“Well, don’t get too excited yet,” Elle told them. “Until it’s official, anything can still happen.”

“You don’t look very happy about this,” Megan commented. “Why is that? You should be singing from the rooftops. I mean, honestly, how was this the last bit of information you gave us, instead of the first?”

Elle sighed, turning her attention to the window. “I’m just feeling sad about Theo moving back to London, I guess, and about living here without him.”

“Oh, honey.” Megan slid closer and wrapped an arm around Elle’s shoulders. “You did it, didn’t you? You fell in love with him.”

She nodded miserably. “It was inevitable, really. I knew from the first time we kissed that this thing between us was bigger and more powerful than anything I’d experienced before. It’s why I panicked last month and tried to slow things down, but really, there was no way I was getting out of this unscathed, even then.”

“What are you going to do now?” Ruby asked. “Have you told him?”

Elle shook her head. “I’m still kind of processing it myself, but I suppose the adult thing to do is to tell him. He deserves to know, in case he feels the same or it affects how he wants to handle our relationship after he moves back to London.”

“Definitely,” Megan said with a decisive nod. “I think there’s a decent chance he does, honestly. I mean, I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”

“It’s true,” Ruby agreed.

“But he was raised to think with his brain, not his heart,” Elle said. “So I don’t know how he’ll react.”

“Only one way to find out,” Megan said.

“You’re right. I’ll tell him. Sooner than later, so he has a chance to decide what he wants to do about it before he leaves.”

“Good plan. And if you need any help thinking it through or working up your courage, we’re your girls.” Megan held up her fist, and they bumped knuckles.

“Thanks.” She managed a small smile. “You guys are the best. I’m going to try not to overthink it, just wait for a moment that feels right.”

“I think that’s the best approach,” Ruby agreed.

Megan pulled them all in for an impromptu group hug. “Now who wants to put on swimsuits and go for a dip in the hot tub?”

By the time Elle got in bed that night, she felt relaxed and happy. An evening with her best friends tended to have that effect on her. She’d find the perfect moment to tell Theo about her feelings, and maybe they could really give this long-distance thing a try. It wasn’t ideal, but as long as he owned Rosemont Castle, he could visit whenever he wanted, and with her salary here, she could probably afford to visit him from time to time too.

It could work.

She drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face, and it was still there as she went downstairs for breakfast the next morning. Her day passed in a blur, not settling until sometime after dinner. Once she’d finished work, she walked to the parlor, curious to see how the piano sounded without a box of hidden heirlooms jammed beneath its strings.

“Got a minute?”

She turned to find Theo standing in the doorway. “Of course. Hey, Modern Home and Gardens called again this morning. They wanted to know if they could interview you too while they’re here next week. What do you think?”

“I’m sure we can work something out,” he told her, leading the way toward his office.

“They’re bringing a whole team to photograph our charity ball. Tickets have been selling like crazy. We’ve only got about ten left.”

“Elle…”

His tone drew her up short. Here she was babbling about a party, and his expression was as dark as the navy blue shirt he wore. Come to think of it, when had he ever brought her to his office before? Not since that first afternoon at the castle when he’d told her…

“I sold the castle this morning.”

Elle went completely still for a long moment, staring at him out of unblinking eyes. “What?”

Theo shoved his hands into his pockets, unable to look away from her piercing stare. “It was unexpected. As you know, I hadn’t had a viable offer on the castle yet, and after talking to you last week, I was seriously considering keeping the place on.”

“So you finally got an offer, and you jumped at it…just like that?” Her words had an edge that sliced right through his best-laid plans and left him raw and exposed in a way he wasn’t sure he’d ever felt before. It sucked. And it hurt.

He forced himself to look away, his gaze landing on the contract sitting on his desk. “I hadn’t solicited potential buyers since our conversation, but the listing was still online. I figured if no one made an offer by the time your contract ended, I’d agree to keep the castle through the end of the year and see what happened.”

“Through the end of the year?” Her tone sharpened, and that edge he’d felt before sliced into him even deeper. “I thought you were considering keeping the castle permanently.”

“I don’t generally think in such definitive terms,” he hedged. “More a matter of wait and see, you know, if things were still profitable.”

“Profitable,” she repeated. Color had risen in her cheeks, and her eyes glittered with a kaleidoscope of emotions he didn’t want to name, because they all hurt, and suddenly he felt like he’d made a huge mistake, with the castle, with Elle…

“This morning I received a call from a businessman named Elliot Greenbaugh,” he told her. “He’s an old friend of the family, has visited Rosemont Castle many times. He offered a sum I couldn’t refuse. I won’t get another offer like this, Elle. I couldn’t let it pass by.”

“Profitable,” she said again, her voice gone low, almost a whisper, like a cold wind that whipped over him and blew all his good intentions right out the door.

“Dammit, Elle, I’m a businessman, and this is just a building we’re talking about here. A bunch of stone and concrete. As much as I wanted to get swept up in your vision for the castle, I can’t justify keeping it and letting it stay vacant when Mr. Greenbaugh and his family are thrilled at the prospect of moving in. It’s time to turn Rosemont Castle over to a new family.”

“It is not just a bunch of stone and concrete.” Her cheeks were so red now that she looked like she’d spent too long outside in the sun. “It’s a love letter from your grandfather to your grandmother. I’ve been over and over this with you, but you just never seem to get it. Ruby, Megan, and I did what Alistair asked, what you let us stay here to do. We created something wonderful here, something that means more to me than it probably should, and you’re still looking for a way out. Well, I’m so glad you got a nice fat wad of cash to line your already overflowing pockets.”

And with that last slice at his already damaged defenses, she stormed out the door, slamming it behind her.

“Honestly, Elle, it’s not worth crying over,” Ruby touched her back with a concerned look as Elle wiped wearily at the tear that had rolled down her cheek.

“I know.” She lifted her beer and took a hearty gulp, wishing she’d opted for something stronger. After she’d come racing up the steps, trying her damnedest to hold onto her rage and keep the other feelings at bay, they’d relocated to the bar downtown to indulge in a little pity party and plan their exit from the castle. “It’s just…”

She couldn’t bring herself to say the words out loud because they felt self-indulgent and whiny. Theo had made a business decision, the same one he’d always said he was going to make. He’d never promised her a future, at the castle or with him. But her foolish heart had attached itself, both to Rosemont Castle and to Theo, anyway. Now it felt like he’d broken it, but that was on her, because he’d never known he held any part of her heart in his hands.

“It feels personal,” Megan said softly. “Because you love him, and you wanted him to come through on this for you. I get it.”

“I did.” Elle swiped furiously at her eyes, because they just would not stop leaking. “And it’s so stupid of me, because he told me a million times that this is all business to him. Whatever. It was personal to Alistair. He wanted Theo to keep the damn castle. I wanted Theo to keep the damn castle.” I wanted him to keep me…

“Well, I think he’s an asshole for leading you to believe last week that he was going to keep it, and then dropping this on you today,” Ruby said very matter-of-factly, pressing a fist against the bar top in an uncharacteristic show of temper.

Elle felt her eyes widen. “I—well—”

Megan laughed into her beer. “If Ruby calls him an asshole, it must be true. I’m sorry, Elle. Men suck. Who needs them?”

“Not us,” Ruby shot back, brown eyes gleaming behind her glasses. “I’ll find us a new place. I’ll find something so awesome you’ll be glad Theo pulled the rug out from under us.”

Elle choked on a laugh. “I’m going to hold you to that.”

“I would never let you down.” Ruby lifted her fist, and Elle bumped her knuckles against Ruby’s.

“You guys are the best. You really are. Working together has been good for us.”

“Agreed.” Megan tipped her beer in their direction. “You’ll get through this. We can’t see how it’s going to play out just yet, but it’s going to turn out okay.”

“It absolutely is,” Ruby said with a determined nod of her head. “I’ll expand my search tomorrow. Maybe we need to consider taking our little adventure farther from home.”

“I’m totally fine with that,” Elle said weakly.

“And if your personal adventure involves following Theo to London, that’s okay too,” Megan said with a wink.

Elle choked on her beer. “What?”

“I mean, just because he sold the castle doesn’t mean you guys are finished. In fact, this gives you more of a chance to be with him, doesn’t it?” Megan gave her a sly look. “Because he was always going back to London, and now you have the freedom to follow.”

“I…I don’t think…” She’d purposefully never let herself entertain this fantasy, had banished it from her brain any time it had tried to manifest there.

“Just keep yourself open to the possibility when you guys have that chat where you tell him that you love him,” Megan said.

“I don’t think so.” Elle stared into the amber depths of her beer.

“You don’t know what he wants until you ask him,” Ruby said.

“I don’t even know what I want right now.” Because she was still feeling mutinously betrayed by the way he’d sold the castle, even though she knew she had no right to be.

“You’re upset. You’re hurt. Of course, you are,” Megan said. “But this is not worth ending your relationship over, not without at least discussing it with him first. Who knows how he’ll feel once he knows how you feel. It might change everything.”

“I doubt it.” She lifted her beer and gulped down the rest of it. “I don’t have much of a poker face. I haven’t hidden my feelings from him very well or even tried to.”

“He doesn’t have much experience with love, though, does he?” Ruby asked. “I mean, you said he had kind of a stiff and formal upbringing. He may be completely clueless about matters of the heart.”

“I think he knows perfectly well what he wants, and it’s London. He’s made that abundantly clear.” Elle stared glumly at the nicked and stained bar in front of her. “It’s late. We should head back, or we’re going to be a hot mess at breakfast tomorrow.”

“Not that it much matters, since we’ve only got two weeks left anyway,” Megan said with a conspiratorial wink as Ruby texted James to pick them up.

“I’m going to miss having a driver,” she said.

“And a castle to live in. Man, we’ve had it made these last few months.” Megan chugged the rest of her beer.

They paid their tab and made a group trip to the ladies’ room before heading outside to find Rosemont Castle’s shiny black Bentley already idling at the curb.

“Yep, we’re spoiled,” Megan said as they piled inside, Ruby in the front and Megan and Elle in the back.

Elle was regretting that last beer. It sloshed uncomfortably in her stomach as the car slid over the twisting, turning roads that led them back to the castle. She reached up and gripped the handle overhead, attempting to steady herself.

A flash of movement off to the side of the road caught her eye, but her reflexes were slowed by the alcohol, and she didn’t fully process the deer until she’d heard the thump, and the scream, and the squeal of tires against the pavement. The car lurched violently to the left. Trees loomed in front of them, and Elle’s brain spun out of control.

The world tilted, glass exploded in front of her eyes, and they plunged into the darkness.