Free Ravens Deep (one) by Jane Jordan Page B

reached the garden gate, I heard a voice close behind me. Startled, I jumped and spun around to find Darius a few feet from me.
                  “I did not mean to frighten you,” he began. 
                  “Didn’t’t you say that to me yesterday?” I replied, recovering quickly from my surprise. I smiled, relieved to see it was him, although mildly annoyed that he had again caused me some alarm. I turned towards him and took in his appearance in one casual glance.  He looked pale tonight, as if unwell, which was accentuated by the shadows of darkness that had begun to loom all around us. 
                  “Where did you come from? I didn’t’t see you on the path,” I asked indignantly. He stepped closer to me and I was aware of a magnetism that seemed to draw me to him.
                  “Please forgive me, I always walk up here at this time of night,” he replied evenly, “there is only one path, but I do not wish to intrude on your privacy.”  I realized that I had offended him and he had misread my tone.
                  “No, really you are not . . . in fact, I hoped to see you again.” I said, trying to keep the eagerness out of my voice, but wanting to clear up any earlier misunderstanding.  
                  “I desired to see you again too,” he said softly, “and I did not wish you to have regret at our first encounter yesterday. I realized that may have given you some cause for concern.”
                  His comments took me aback, I wasn’t sure how to respond, and he was standing so close to me now. His eyes seemed to be playing tricks with my mind, I could hear unspoken words there, and when he did speak, I could feel his eyes belying the other conversation that was happening in my head.  He lowered his long dark eyelashes and the spell was broken.
                  This was madness, it felt as though I were going insane.
                  I collected my thoughts quickly, focused on questions and tried to distance myself from the part of my mind that had been working to understand this silent dialogue. I certainly had no regret in meeting Darius or seeing him again, in fact quite the opposite, but I pushed these thoughts away.
                  “Yesterday, I was just a little surprised,” I said warmly, “but I assume you have lived here for a while and so must know of the history of Ravens Deep,” I hesitated for a moment, “I was hoping that you might tell me what you know?” I said meeting his gaze with my own, which only made my pulse quicken once more.  I tore my eyes from him and hoped he could not sense my feelings, as I myself found them incomprehensible.
                  “If it is knowledge that you seek, then I will be happy to tell you what I know,” he
    replied and he offered me his arm, indicating that we should go and sit on the stone bench. His words and the gesture surprised me, his manner seemed so charming and intriguing. I did need to sit down somewhere as my legs felt weak, from seeing Darius again? Or more realistically from the long walk. I hesitantly looked at him. I should be resisting an emotional involvement, especially with someone I hardly knew.  But I didn’t want to resist, I wanted to get to know him much better. I smiled and graciously took his arm. We walked to the stone bench and sat down.  I was feeling intoxicated by his nearness and inexplicably I was lost for words. Undaunted by my silence, Darius turned to me.
                  “What precisely do you want to know?”
                  I made myself focus on his words rather than my feelings.  I slowly related brief details of the chain of events that had led me to Ravens Deep, and how I had found the book with the pages missing and my curious encounter with Samuel Dunklin.   
                  “Did you tell this Samuel