With that thought butting up against her already frayed nerves, she wandered down the hallway to find the door to Vic’s suite slightly ajar. She followed the sound of classical music playing softly through the sitting room, but instead of turning toward the bedroom, she turned through what she’d been told was a dressing room, though she’d never seen Vic dress there, then what appeared to be an office of sorts, before pushing open the door to a bathroom with stone floors and stone walls. The space itself wasn’t cavernous, but the pristine, white soaking tub was. Thick, rich, bubbles bobbed across the entire surface, and in the middle sat Victoria, her honey-blond hair pinned up, exposing her neck and the tops of her bare shoulders. Her eyes remained closed, but the slightest trace of a smile played across her lips before she said, “How was your day, dear?”

Sophia sighed at the dreamy, intimate tone undercut by only a hint of humour. “Dreadful, but how did you know I was here?”

“I could feel your eyes on me.”

“How did you know they were my eyes?”

“Hmm.” Victoria made a happy little noise. “I’m used to having people’s eyes on me. Only yours have ever made me feel seen.”

Her breath caught as warning bells sounded. She didn’t want that responsibility, but god help her, she did want to be up against this woman right now. She sidestepped the seriousness the comment inspired and moved closer to the tub. “You started without me.”

“I was informed when you finished with wardrobe.”

“Keeping tabs on my whereabouts?”

“Always.” Vic finally opened her eyes, a brilliant flash of blue in the otherwise white and grey palette of the room. “But also, I get updates when various contingents of the film crew vacate each area of the castle, so they can be cleaned, reset, and secured as needed.”

“I’d think you’d have people to do that.”

“What’s the saying Talia keeps repeating when things go off schedule, something about monkeys?”

“Not my circus, not my monkeys.”

“Right, well this estate is my circus and all the people working here are ultimately my monkeys.” Vic smiled up at her. “Now, why are you still dry?”

“I’m not entirely,” Sophia shot back in a low voice, enjoying the split second of confusion on Vic’s beautiful features before the innuendo landed and her cheeks coloured. Then Sophia slowly untied the thick rope holding the robe to her body and shrugged it to the floor.

The blue of Vic’s irises receded around her widening pupils, and Sophia thrilled at the knowledge she still held a physical sort of power over her. Then easing into the warm water, she realised Vic wouldn’t be the only one in a bit of a stupor for long. “Bless us oh Lord for these thy gifts, which I am currently receiving.”