The Burning Rose

35 | Mr. Bunny's Secrets

"Mother's in the lounge upstairs, and father's on the way to London. Something urgent he said."

"Did the governess leave already?"

"Fortunately," she muttered with disdain, earning a playful look from Gray. She took his hand with both of hers and flashed a sweet smile. "As requested by you, of course, that she leaves the premises before dinnertime."

The little girl had the same accent as Gray, and her proper articulation left me astounded. I couldn't even pronounce the letter L until I was eight, and before that, my name was Summer Hey.

"And how were the lessons today?"

Her face scrunched. "It was rather boring."

Gray ruffled her hair. "Let's talk about how boring it was another time, alright? I need to show Summer the house."

The little girl nodded enthusiastically before turning to me with a large smile. "My name is Clara, and it is such a pleasure to finally meet you, Summer."

I giggled. "It's such a pleasure to meet you too, Clara."

She spun around and loped gracefully towards the west side of the house. Gray took my hand, but my attention remained in the direction where Clara disappeared.

"How old is your sister?" I asked.

"She just turned eight a few days back."

"Will she be okay by herself?"

"Yeah, she's quite independent for her age."

Nodding, I smiled up at him. "Shall we then?"

Gray guided me through the living room, his eyes on me as I took in the expensive furniture and figurines that decorated the place. We walked past a white grand piano situated at the center, a large diamond chandelier hanging above it, then we continued to the end of the living room and stopped in front of a frosted glass door that opened automatically. I stepped inside the compact space. Of course, the mansion wouldn't be complete without an elevator. Gray pressed the button with the number 2 carved on it.

When the door opened again, we exited and walked down the hallway. Entering the wide door frame, my eyes landed on the woman with golden hair sitting on the couch, her back facing us. Gray squeezed my hand as we circled the couch to the front. My focus remained on the woman as I racked my brain from the familiarity of her back.

When I got a better view of her face, my breath hitched in my throat.

"Clarisse."

She looked up from the book in her hand, the shock evident in her eyes as she stared at me. "Summer, what a lovely surprise! Gray mentioned he was bringing a guest over, but he didn't tell me who it was."

"It's such a shame he didn't tell you who the guest was," I noted jokingly.

"Tell me about it," she rolled her eyes, but the soft smile stayed on her lips. "He rarely brings home any guests. It makes me wonder if he's making any friends in school."

"Mother," Gray hissed under his breath.

I laughed, shrugging. "He lacks social skills, but he's getting somewhere."

"I'm right here."

Clarisse laughed, motioning for us to take a seat on the couch. "Please, have a seat," she insisted.

Gray and I obeyed. I could feel him staring at me, the intensity burning the side of my face. I knew he was trying to decipher what I was thinking about. Clarisse remained standing in front of us with a smile. Her gaze dropped briefly to my hand twined together with Gray's, and her lips parted slightly. She probably realized that the Ogre I mentioned in our sessions was her stepson.