“Just that,” he said absently, looking distantly off into some unseen space. “The man who built this house, Arthur, nearly lost everything. He went mad because of it.”
“How?” she asked.
“There was a fire,” he said, “and half of the original house burned down. No one died, thankfully, but he went on and on about the family curse. How it had almost claimed him and his family’s life. He was so paranoid that during reconstruction, he installed secret passages throughout the manor.”
“We found some of those,” Remi confirmed with a slight nod. When they were children, they’d found plenty of hiding places all over. It made the game of hide-and-seek much more challenging.
“We did...” Ben’s brows furrowed. “But we never found the tunnels.”
“Tunnels?”
“Apparently, they’re all over the Isle.”
“Sounds like a children’s bedtime story.” She was skeptical, unsure that she could believe a series of channels existed below them. “I almost don’t believe it.”
“I do,” he said with a smile. “So did Soleil.”
Her eyes widened.
“Arthur almost lost his whole family the night of that fire.” Ben paused and rubbed his eyes, “He made an escape route in case anything happened and he couldn’t save them. I can’t say I blame him for his choices.”
“Your family has quite an interesting history,” she sighed.
“Only certain parts.” Ben nodded. “There’s no ending in any of my family’s stories where someone doesn’t die. The same is true for Arthur and Leyda.”
“What happened to Arthur?” Remi asked.
“Naturally, as is tradition in our family,” Ben started as he lifted his head and eyed her with a great deal of attention, focusing intently on the way her hair covered her chest. He licked his lips. “Arthur was shot down in the street. One day before his birthday, according to his death records. He was murdered by a man named Pattrin Gilliam. No one had ever heard of him, but it was rumored that he’d been looking for Arthur for over a decade—seeking vengeance of some kind.”
Remi gasped. “What for?”
“Money, maybe.” Ben shrugged. “But we’ll never know. Pattrin was hanged shortly after.”
“That’s terrible,” Remi said. “About Arthur, I mean.”
“He was rumored to be a scoundrel, too,” Ben winked. “Runs in our blood.”
“What about the rest of your family?” Remi asked, wrapping her arms around herself.
“Misfortune followed them throughout the years.” He shifted and rested his head back again. “They all passed away in some brutal event or another. My own grandfather died at sea shortly after my father was born.”
Remi was quiet for a moment.
“I do know one thing about Arthur that was never mentioned in any of the official family registers,” Ben said conspiratorially.
Remi sat up a little straighter, leaning into him until she was practically on top of him. He peered at her from under his lashes and smirked.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Arthur was a thief,” he whispered just loud enough for Remi to hear. “He amassed a fortune. That’s how he started the family home, and what he didn’t use, he saved. That’s the treasure, but it’s been well-hidden to this day. No one in my family has ever discovered its whereabouts.”
“Except perhaps your father,” Remi said quickly, but added, “but if it really was lost, why would he make a point to mention it in his will?”
Ben shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“Would he have done that if he didn’t know where it was?” She looked into his dark eyes, holding his gaze with her own.
“He was clever, there’s no doubt about that.” Ben ran a hand through his hair and grasped it at the back of his neck. “If we intend to find anything, we’ll need to be more clever.”
“But?”
He groaned. “That leaves us in a bit of a predicament, doesn’t it?”
“Perhaps he’s left us clues somewhere?” she offered. “Only, we haven’t found them yet.”
“Clues would be useful, yes.” He bobbed his head and paused, thinking before he spoke again. “But you must understand. Even my sister, who was twice the man my father was, couldn’t find it.”
“That is, if it exists?” Remi asked, echoing his previous skepticism. She knew there were few things he believed in, save for the string of tragedies that followed him and his family.
He chuckled. “Yes, if it exists.”
“I’ll help you find it.” Remi stood, taking the bedsheet with her.
“Of course you will.” His eyes roamed over her body as he stood to put his hands around her waist. He guided her gently to sit in his lap and folded her to his chest. “But we can worry about that later. There are more important things I want to attend to first.”
Remi gasped when he flipped her to her back, caging her between his arms and broad chest. She ran her hands up his arms to his neck, prompting him to bend lower. Their lips met with a feverish need for each other. As she deepened the kiss, Ben wrapped her up in his embrace, trapping her beneath him. Soon enough, they were tangled in the sheets and duvet, breathless.
FIRE
