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I give them all a small curtsy, if only to buy time to compose myself. “Mother,” I nod.
“Count Gregory has been kind enough to invite us to his Christmas dinner party in two weeks’ time,” she says, giving me a loaded look. “Isn’t that wonderful?”
Dread creeps through my stomach as I swallow down the discomfort rising in my throat. More time with Count Gregory? More hours spent in his company? And I’m assuming Maggie will be there, too—I’ll have to watch her interact with him, knowing he gives me the creeps.
But I paint a polite smile on my lips and turn to face the Count. “That’s very kind of you,” I say. “I’m sure it will be a wonderful evening.”
“If you and your sister are in attendance, I have no doubt it will be.” He catches my hand and lays a kiss on my fingers.
My body screams, yelling at me to pull away and maybe slap him across the face for good measure. I push the instinct down and wait for him to drop my hand, flicking my eyes to the corner where the Duke of Blythe was standing before.
He’s watching us, a dark expression in his eyes.
Is it wrong that I like it? I like knowing he’s jealous and angry and protective. I like knowing he’s watching me, and that he doesn’t like Count Gregory, either. In a room full of people who hide their true intentions and opinions as a matter of principle, it’s refreshing to see someone who’s honest.
My mother says something that I don’t quite hear, and conversation starts up between us. My eyes flit to Rhoda, who arches a brow. She saw the look on the Duke of Blythe’s face.
Leaning into my ear, she whispers, “You are going to have to tell me everything.”
I shake my head, hiding a grin behind my hand. When I glance back across the room, the Duke is giving a low bow to Prince Damon, the King’s younger brother. Prince Damon has his arm slung around Princess Dahlia, whose pastel pink hair is twisted into a complicated braid. The two look completely at ease with each other, and my heart tugs.
Just like the King and Queen, Prince Damon and Dahlia found love where they shouldn’t have.
Will I ever have what they have? What the King and Queen have?
Gulping, I turn back to my parents, the Count, and Rhoda. The royal family can do what they want—including marry for love. The only one who hasn’t found love yet is Prince Gabriel, all the way out at Westhill Castle, hiding away from royal life. He’s a recluse like the Duke, with just as many dark rumors swirling around him and his past. Maybe the two of them would get along.
“We really should be going,” my mother says, giving me a loaded look. Did she see me leave and come back with the Duke?
Who am I kidding? Of course she did. The entire guest list knows by now. They probably know how long I was away from the main ballroom down to the second. I’m sure there are rumors swirling already.
As I give Rhoda a hug goodbye, promising to talk to her during the week, I can’t quite keep the smile from my face.
I don’t care about rumors. I don’t care about gossip. Tonight was incredible. I’ll cherish the memory of it forever. A small, forbidden fantasy I didn’t even know I had came true tonight.
And maybe I’ll get to see the Duke again. Live out another fantasy. Feel like a woman once more, before my inevitable betrothal to someone like Count Gregory.
Unless… I glance in the Duke’s direction, hoping that maybe we can have something more—but he’s gone. I shake my head, pushing the thought aside. I should just cherish tonight, not hope for things that won’t happen.
10
Ada
Kiera squeals when she hears us walk through the front door, flying down the hallway toward me. She throws her arms around my waist, squeezing tight. “You met him! What’s he like?”
“Very handsome,” I answer, feeling my mother’s hawk-eyed stare on my back. The drive home was pointedly quiet, and I know she’s waiting for the right moment to ask me exactly where I disappeared to with the Duke.
“I can’t believe you met him. And he’s smiling in the picture! I’ve never seen a picture of him smiling. Not since he was a kid, anyway.” Kiera stares at her phone screen, shaking her head. “You’re amazing.”
I smile, looking over her shoulder to stare at the photo I sent her earlier. My gut clenches, remembering exactly where we were when that picture was taken.
Following Kiera back to the living room, I find Maggie asleep on the sofa. Her moon boot is still propped up on a cushion, and even in her sleep she looks elegant and put-together.
She blinks her eyes open when we enter, smiling softly. “I heard you made quite the splash.” She grins, wiping her eyes.
“News travels fast,” I say, taking a seat near her injured leg. My dress crinkles around my legs, and I remember I’m not wearing underwear. I should change.
I pull out my phone, staring at the dark screen. No text from the Duke. I try to ignore the disappointment squeezing my heart.
