I woke up to the sound of… nothing.
No traffic. No neighbor snow-blowing at the c***k of dawn. No phone buzzing on the nightstand with a text from my mother demanding to know my “holiday plans.”
Just quiet. And the faint crackle of a fire.
For about three seconds, I let myself think I’d overslept in my own bed. Then I rolled over and sank another six inches into fur and mattress and remembered I was in a castle where the weather had feelings and everyone thought I was royalty.
Right. That.
I lay there staring up at the ceiling beams for a second, trying to convince my body to get up. Every muscle had something to say about last night’s ball. My feet hated me. My lower back had filed a formal complaint. My brain was drinking coffee that probably did not exist here.
A knock sounded at
