Blythe was my grandmother. Is it true? I suppose I'll have to visit my mother and sister to ask for some ancestral history.

Today, I'm going to visit Tara and ask for some answers.

She'd sworn she'd never brought anyone else into her room. The maid claimed otherwise. What would Jeffrey know about this?

My trust in Tara is still on edge. I'll ask Samson some questions in case.

...

I've come back, Journal. I've decided to pay a visit to my parents house tomorrow. I only have tonight to pack everything! I must write everything I learned today. It's quite shocking, really.

I'd left the house after Octavia jumped back into the canvas. She said she'd leave me a message when I came back.

Call me crazy, but I knew what I was doing. I stepped out of my house and stood in the middle of the unpaved road looking around.

Two carriages barely dodged me and cursed me. I saw one headed straight towards me and I waved. Instead of dodging, the horses pulled to a stop.

"YOU BLASTED NUMBSKULL- MIND THE DAMN GREASE WILL YOU?"

Sure enough, it was Jeffrey spitting fire.

"Fine morning, ain't it Jeffrey?"

"Not with you here," he huffed.

"Well... Now that you're here, I'm in need of a ride to the Wakersfields mansion."

He covered his face with his hands as I climbed into the empty wagon. "Why must I always run into this addleplate whenever I run errands here?" Jeffrey muttered to himself.

"Do you think we can stop somewhere? I have to talk with you." I asked.

"About what?" The horses began to trot.

"About... Miss Tara's past lovers."

He side-eyed me. "Why does it concern you?"

I shuffled in my seat. "It's not a huge concern, but I've always wondered what kind of people she's attracted to. I just want to know where I fit into, and-"

"Yeah yeah oK THAT'S ENOUGH! You talk too much, laddie."

"Thank you Jeffrey!" I beamed.

He stopped the carriage on the side of the dirt road next to the woods.

Jeffrey stepped off his high seat and fed the horses some apples from a sack. He then opened the carriage door and stepped inside. After closing it, he sat on the bench across from me.

"You're curious about her past lovers, aye?"

"Yes." I nodded.

He nodded too, looking away from me. "I shouldn't be saying anything, but I think I've warmed up to you."

"I'll tell you this," Jeffrey continued. "Tara's a wild spark. A spark like her can't be tamed. She's had so many lovers in the past, I couldn't even count them on both hands."

I bit my lip. "Go on."

"The lady's never had a serious relationship, s'far as I know. She's like a huntress, seducing every young man she can get."

I lowered my gaze down to my knees. If that's true, then I guess I don't mean anything to her. I'm just another deer in the forest.

"Kid, are you ok?"

I looked up. "Hm? Oh yeah. Sorry. I just never... I never saw her as someone who'd do that sort of thing."

"You're not the only one. Her father, Samson, is oblivious. He's been oblivious all this time."

"Do you know if she's brought other men recently? Besides me."

"No, you're the one she's enjoying this time. Once she gets bored of playing with you, she'll throw you away like an old rag doll and move on to the next one."

I sat staring at him, dumbfounded.

"Speaking of moving on, do you still want to visit her or go home?"

"I want to see her." I demanded.

"Ok, but you didn't hear it from me."

Jeffrey returned to his seat on the outside of the wagon.

"YA!"

The horses pulled the wagon. We arrived at the Wakersfields mansion in no more than five minutes. The rest of the trip was silent.

I snuck in through the same window. The maid inside saw me before I jumped in. She giggled with glee and pushed a chair under the window so I wouldn't fall.

I came across Tara in the Portrait Hall. She was admiring the pictures when I entered.

"Ken!" She whispered loudly, covering her mouth.

I simply stood there, unsure of what to say. Tara ran over to me, her heels clicking on the marble floor. She took my hand and led me upstairs. Out of sight, out of mind. We entered her room.

She peeked outside quickly before locking the door.

"What are you doing here?" She said breathlessly, back leaning against the door.

"I wanted to see you," I said.

Tara acted bashful, blushing and looking down. "I missed you too."

"I've heard something about you, and I hope it's not true."

"What is it?" She tilted her head.

"They say you've had countless men over. Is it true? Is love just a game to you?"

Tara stepped away from the door. "Ken..."

"Answer me. Is it true?" I gulped.

She touched my arm gently. "I'm sorry, but it's not a lie. I have had many lovers, but..."

Tara held my hands together. "You're not a game to me. There's something different about you. Trust me when I say that you mean more to me than anyone else ever did."

I held my breath. Could I trust her? She'd lied before... How was I to know she would do it again?

I exhaled. "I... I'm not sure if I should trust you."

"Let me prove it."

She tilted my face down to hers and pressed her irresistibly soft lips to mine.

My heart told me to trust her. I wanted to. But my brain warned me otherwise.

Sensing my hesitance, Tara pulled herself closer to me. The contact increased our body heat. I had a sudden urge, so I removed my coat.

She kissed me harder. I unconsciously backed up until I fell on her bed, with her landing on top of me. Neither of us bothered to get back up.

Tara's kisses began to move away from my lips. She planted kisses all over my face: on my forehead, on my cheeks, on my chin.

Her kisses went lower and lower, slowly sliding down to my neck. She began to unbutton my shirt.

I felt light and feathery. She kissed my chest, proceeding to go lower.

At that instant, I realized she really did know her way around.

"Wait," I panted. "Not there."

"I can wait," she smirked.

Tara's mouth found mine and we kissed again. I groaned against her lips. We kissed harder and harder. She moaned softly.

It was intoxicating. I'd already forgotten the reason why I visited her. All I knew in that moment was that I wanted her. And clearly she wanted me, just because she'd said so.

It was then that I realized something else. I wanted to remove her dress. My gentlemanly thoughts were beginning to fade away.

I moved my hands around her back, searching for the buttons. But it was too late, for someone knocked repeatedly on the door.

"Young lady! Open up this instant!"

Tara and I jumped up. Samson!

I tried to button up my shirt, but my fingers kept slipping from the pressure.

Tara picked up my coat from the floor. Suddenly, the door flew open and she dropped it back down.

My jaw dropped. I hadn't even finished half of my buttons when Samson came into view.

"What. The. Hell." His head shook fiercely, his face growing redder by the second.

"Father, I can explain!"

"Don't even try to. Young lad, you're coming with me."