“Vic.” Sophia placed a hand on the subtle indent at the small of her back. She fought against the urge to push the comforter lower and seek a little comfort of her own. Only the bright slant of light through the dormer window and another teeth-rattling ring stopped her. “Your phone is ringing.”

“I don’t have a phone with me.” Vic rolled over, all golden and glorious in her bare-chested grogginess. “It’s yours.”

The sharp sound struck again, and Sophia pressed her thumb to the bridge of her nose. “I wouldn’t choose that ringtone even if someone held a gun to my head.”

Vic sat up, eyes still squinting against the light as she swivelled her head to survey the room. The ring sounded again, and her face went pale. “It’s the room phone. Oh god, Brogan.”

Vic sprang from the bed and snatched the receiver. “Hello?”

“Oh shite, it’s you, you’re okay.” Vic sighed heavily. “Yes, but after last night I feared . . . never mind. Are you offering room service?”

The slight smile that had started to curl her lips faded, and Sophia scooted to the edge of the bed, trying to hear what Brogan said.

“Right, well.” Vic grimaced. “Archie? The castle? We can . . . Oh blimey, the gardens too?”

Sophia’s stomach tightened. Whatever it was wasn’t great. All the tension she’d drained from Vic’s beautiful shoulders last night returned.

“I’m sorry you’ve all been—” Vic rubbed a hand over her face. “No, I’m sure they’ll do. We’ll be right down.”

Vic dropped the phone back onto its cradle and turned to face Sophia, her expression tight.

“What is it?”

She shook her head and sat back on the edge of the bed. “Let’s try this again. Good morning.”

“Good morning,” Sophia managed as the buzz of tension hovered around them.

“You were amazing last night.” Vic kissed her softly on the mouth. “You are always amazing, but last night was something I will cherish always. I hope you—”

“Vic, you’re scaring me,” Sophia interrupted. As much as she agreed with her assessment of the previous night, something felt horribly off this morning, and she didn’t want anything sugar-coated for her. “What’s going on? Who was on the phone?”

“Brogan,” Vic said calmly. “She made it safely home last night, as did the rest of the lifeboat crew, but she was awoken after what I can only imagine felt like a very short hour of sleep by a call from her brother.”

“Which one? Doesn’t she have, like, seventeen of them?”

Vic managed a weak smile. “Archie first, and then Charlie.”

“Oh good,” Sophia said sarcastically as the two names stood out in her mind. “The two who work for your family.”