Chapter 367
Bancroft followed right behind them, climbing the stairs at a measured pace. As soon as Effie and Lyman stepped into the room, there was a loud *thud*-the door slammed shut behind them.
From the hallway came Bancroft’s anxious voice, accompanied by the sound of his fist knocking on the door. “Oh dear! What now? Looks like the wind must’ve blown the door shut.”
Lyman turned on the flashlight app on his phone and glanced toward the window. Since they rarely stayed overnight in this room, the windows and doors were only opened at scheduled times for air circulation; otherwise, everything was kept tightly closed.
There were no windows open at the moment-no draft, no airflow. There was no way a gust of wind could have slammed the door like that.
Which meant Bancroft had done it on purpose.
Just then, they heard the butler’s voice outside the door. “Sir, everything’s ready. The power won’t be coming back on before sunrise.”
Bancroft immediately shushed him, raising a finger to his lips. “Keep your voice down! They’ll hear you.”
“Alright, alright. I’ll be careful.”
Standing by the door, Effie and Lyman couldn’t help but exchange amused looks, grins tugging at their lips.
Those two old men were both a little hard of hearing. Even though they were trying to keep their voices down, to Effie and Lyman-who had perfectly normal hearing-they might as well have been shouting. Every word came through loud and clear.
Effie fanned herself with her hand. “Why is it so hot in here all of a sudden?”
She tugged at her collar, trying to cool down.
It wasn’t just her-Lyman felt it too.
He frowned. “With this weather, there’s no reason it should be so warm. I bet the old man slipped something into our drinks.”
Effie just mumbled a distracted agreement. The heat was getting to her-her
cheeks were flushed, her skin prickled, and she felt as though she might burst into flames at any moment.
“So hot…”
As her temperature climbed higher, Effie’s whole body felt
hypersensitive. Every inch of her skin seemed alive to Lyman’s nearness, and her mind grew hazier by the minute, making it impossible to think straight.
Lyman took a slow, shaky breath, struggling to keep his own desire in check. He scooped Effie up in his arms, unsteady on his feet as he carried her to the bed.
There was nothing he could do-his
mind was filled with images that definitely weren’t suitable for
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children, and Effie’s presence only stoke the fire. He felt like a starving wolf, eyes blazing, desperate to devour her whole.
Effie lost track of how many times she surrendered to the sensation. All she knew
was that tonight, she was insatiable-an endless well, longing to be filled.
When dawn finally broke, Effie slowly came to. She tried to stretch, only to discover she ached all over, as if she’d been run over by a truck.
Biting back the pain, she turned toward Lyman’s side of the bed-only to find it empty.
She reached out and felt the sheets where he’d slept. They were cold. He must have gotten up a while ago.
Effie muttered to herself, “Could’ve at least woken me up…”
That’s when she noticed a sticky note on the nightstand, written in Lyman’s bold, unmistakable
handwriting: “An important guesmet
arrive out of the blue. I have to go meet them. Make yourself at home, don’t be embarrassed. If you’re not feeling well, go stay with your grandmother-I’ll take care of everything else.”
Effie smiled to herself, feeling a gentle warmth in her chest. Even when something urgent came up, Lyman still thought of her.
She got dressed and headed downstairs. Bancroft had already gone out for his morning walk, and the house was empty-almost as if it had all been arranged for her alone.
She quickly said goodbye to the housekeeper, then slipped out the door.
After all, everything here still felt unfamiliar. Without Lyman by her side, she had no desire to linger any longer.