Chapter l320

Chapter 0320

Looking around, I searched for another exit. There was another door further down, but it was more barred than the first, not just latched but also wedged with a piece of wood.

Okay. So the doors were out.

Giving up on the doors, I looked along the banister instead.

There. An old oak stood nearby with long, sturdy-looking branches. If I crawled up onto the banister, I could reach out and catch one of the limbs. Then I could climb down.

It wouldn’t be the most delicate maneuver. I’d likely ruin my nightgown and my thin sl*ppers, but ruining a few pieces of delicate clothing seemed a fair trade for not freezing to death.

I used to climb trees all the time when I was a kid. This wouldn’t be any different than that, right?

Like riding a bicycle, once you learn, you never truly forgot. At least, that’s what I hoped.

I climbed up onto the banister, and reached out for the tree. I put some weight on it. It didn’t creak or cra ck. Safe, then.

Carefully, I lifted myself up onto the branch, then shimmied closer to the trunk. Once there, I began the arduous process of descending. The balcony had been on the second floor, so the ground wasn’t too far. This gave me more confidence than it should have.

I jumped down to the next lowest branch. I had not tested the weight this time.

The branch snapped in half, and down, down I fell.

I reached my hands out, desperate to cling to something. I grabbed handfuls of leaves, a few acorns, but nothing to stop my fall.

“Hey!” someone called from the ground.

I braced myself.

A loud thud sounded. Someone said, “Oof.”

The ground was a lot softer than I thought it would be.

I opened my eyes and found myself on top of Julian.

Quickly, I rushed up to my feet. “I’m so sorry!”

“Are you alright?” he asked, each word a pained grunt. “I’m fine,” I said. “And you?”

+15 BONUS

Groaning, he pushed himself onto his feet. I grabbed him by the elbow to help him up. “I’ll live,” he said, and dusted away some of the grass from his backside.

“What were you doing out here?” I asked him. No one else was around, not even Brian. And Julian was still wearing his day’s clothes, like he hadn’t gone to bed yet.

“Sometimes I like to walk and clear my head,” he said. He looked up. “Piper, why were you in that tree?”

“Oh,” I said and pointed to the second floor. “I had gotten accidentally locked on the balcony.”

Julian frowned at me. “Why in the world were you on the balcony at this time of night?”

“I’d gotten a note…” My cheeks began to burn. The embarrassment that had dissipated with the fall returned tenfold. Of course, of all people, Julian would be the one to rescue me.

If I told him the truth, he’d never let me live it down. But why lie would I even tell? He’s see right through it. T

“It said to meet someone there at midnight…”

“And you thought it would be Nicholas.” He crossed his arms.

I nodded.

His gaze narrowed. “Who was it really?”

“Joyce,” I said.

His eyes widened a little. “My brother Joyce?”

“I don’t know any others…”

Julian looked troubled. It was unusual, even I knew that. Julian seemed to know more than me.

“We should go,” he said and took hold of my arm. “Now.”

His urgency seemed unwarranted.

“Back to my room? I don’t think anyone’s awake yet.”

“Not to your room,” Julian said. “To find Nicholas.”

I nearly tripped, but Julian’s hold on my arm kept me upright. “Nicholas? Why?”

Julian’s frown seemed permanent. “I have a very bad feeling.”