Disgraceful

g in front of her home very early to walk her to the market. "Magnus, what were you thinking, bringing me to the ball last night? Has it never occurred to you that your family would no

e are we going?" "The Moonlight Tower in my house." "Your house?" Ava took a halting step at once. "I'm not going with you. I will never set foot in your house ever again." "Don't worry." He smirked. "We're not going through the front door. Nobody will ever know we are there." "Magnus, I don't understand..." "We'll go through a secret passage. My house has a few ones. I'll show you this one first." "All right, perhaps nobody will know when we enter the house, but what if somebody find us there?" "No way. Nobody has set foot into the Moonlight Tower again for a long, long time. It's simply isolated." They went through the forest, crossing a pathway Magnus seemed very familiar about. The shortcut lead them to the back of Vermont Manor. There was a small gateway in the high wall surrounding the manor. It must be a back door. Seemed like the gateway had been abandoned for decades. Almost all the railings were entangled by vines. Magnus drew a key from his pocket and unlocked the gate. At first, Ava hesitated. But the back side of the manor seemed very quiet and secluded, hidden under the shadow of tall trees, far away from other parts from the building. A gracious tower stood tall before them. They entered the building through an unlocked door and climbed up the small spiral staircase. They reached the top in the perfect time. The golden flame had risen up from the horizon spreading the brilliant rays of light over the blushing sky. The land below them bathed in the shimmering golden lights. From a distance it looked like a small miniature of a village. The various cottages, the windmill, the river and the wooden bridge above it, the stony road, everything looked softly luminous in the radiant glow. "Magnus, it's ... it's magnificent, I've never seen something so magical..." She was wonderstruck at the breathtaking, picturesque scenery. It reminded her of some beautiful paintings she had seen in a gallery in London. "Have you ever seen anything as beautiful as this?" She turned to meet his unwavering gaze on her. "I have" He replied in a husky voice. "And it's even more beautiful..." "Really, what is ..." She ceased at once as his hand lifted to caress her face. "Actually I'm looking at it right now..." "Magnus, you're such a flatterer..." She turned her blushing face from him. She rested her head on his shoulder and he wrapped his arm around her. The world dwindled to the place they were standing now and there were just the two of them, lost in the beauty of heaven passing by, and she wished she could make time forever frozen still at this very moment. *** A few days later, Ava received a message from Magnus to meet at the tower in the perfect time, she knew what it meant. Sunset. He had given her another key to the back gate so she could come anytime. He had been very busy in his training recently, so they didn't often meet. She went to the tower through the back gate. At the back of the manor, it was as quiet and peaceful as usual. The shaft of afternoon sunlight through the leaves added a glorious touch to the silent beauty. She climbed up the stairs and reached the top. She was just about to step outside when a sight struck her and she nearly bolted from shock. She moved aside quickly, hiding herself behind the wall, her heart was pounding wildly. The duke was standing in the tower's balcony. She recognized his silvery locks at once. Ava felt her whole body quivering. She had to go as fast as possible. Peeking from behind the wall, she intended to rush down quickly without making any sound. Something held her still in an instant. The duke was painting on a canvas held by an easel. He seemed completely absorbed by what he was doing. The exquisite details caught her attention. He undoubtedly had an exceptional ability in this particular thing. But what made the painting so moving wasn't the perfection of the composition and balance, neither his expertise to play with the light and shades. In the most tantalizing way, it captured the glorious sense of the moment, arousing a feeling of amazement as if she was watching it in real, like he painted the spirit and soul of it. She stared in wonder. She didn't believe such a heartless creature could create something so deep and soulful like this. She glanced across his tall figure, just noticing he looked different today. He didn't wear his waistcoat and other formal attributes. He dressed casually in white shirt and light grey colored vest, his trousers was in the darker shade of his vest and his black leather boots were knee-high. His whole clothing was almost as casual as Magnus, yet he looked nothing of a country man. There was something that made him indisputably regal regardless of what he was wearing. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbow. Some ink splash stained his hand caught her eyes. He had beautiful hands. His fingers were long and slender, his skin fair and smooth. Certainly this man had never done a day of manual labor in his life. She wondered if he had callouses or scars. She totally forgot to flee, fascinated by the way his hand moved on the canvas, so delicately precise. All of a sudden, unexpectedly he turned around very quickly and caught her in the act. She gasped and hid herself behind the wall swiftly. It was too late, he already saw her. Panic struck her like lightning and she raced to the stairs in long hasty steps. Her foot almost reached down the first stair when her wrist was grabbed suddenly from behind and she was pulled back with a strong force. She nearly cried, but she held back, however it was her being the intruder here. She was forced to turned around and faced him. Fear and shock paralyzed her as she met his refined face. Her limbs got weak and if not because he kept hold of her wrist very tightly, she might have fallen down to the floor. "Trespassing is a serious misconduct." He gazed down at her under his lowering lashes. Although his voice was flat, his eyes sparked with undisguised contempt and his steely grip hurt her wrist. Even in a great anxiety, she couldn't help noticing he was devilishly handsome. In the natural light at a very close range, he looked younger than when she first saw him. His silver hair and his innate maturity belied his actual years. Towering over her, his unusual height just made her feel more intimidated. "I come by invitation." She replied beneath unsteady breath, somehow managed to keep her voice from quivering. Inside, she was scared to death. After a moment of consideration, he released his grip from her, Ava stepped back and rubbed her aching wrist. He raised an eyebrow in a scornful manner. "Really? To my knowledge, Vermont Manor is very particular about the person we invite." She braced herself to look up on him. He was positively not a man she wanted to lock gazes with. But his jewel-like blue eyes fascinated her. No one had a pair of eyes like that. It was ironic that such a beauty possessed no