Page 16 of The Unseen Hour

Bellamy ran a hand over his chin, scowling as he appraised me.

Swallowing down my hesitation, I reached out and placed a hand on his arm, an acceptable gesture for two newly engaged individuals.

“Having the pink flowers we keep around the estate incorporated into the ceremony would be a touching tribute to my father, and a wonderful gift from my new husband. A fitting backdrop for the joining of two noble houses.”

Bellamy smirked, and I tensed, forcing myself to keep my hand on his arm.

“It would eliminate any potential issues caused by an unexpected snow,” he mused. “And some people are wary of traveling at Wintertide, so close to the Unseen Hour. All right, if that is what my bride desires, so it shall be. Springtime.”

“Shall we discuss the details over tea?” Mother offered. Ambrose and Bellamy readily agreed.

My mother rushed off to speak to the staff about preparing tea, and my brother moved across the hall as Penny entered.

Bellamy leaned down, and his hands squeezed my own. They were sticky with sweat.

“I’m thrilled you’ve accepted my proposal, Celia.” The way his voice lingered on the syllables in my name made my skin crawl. “I’m sure you’ll be very happy with me. And I am sure you’ll please me as well.” His eyes dipped downward, and I felt a sudden desire to tug the neckline of my dress higher.

My mother announced the tea was nearly ready and beckoned us all to the sitting room. I tried to yank my hands away from Bellamy, but he held on for a few more seconds before letting go.

He followed me through the halls, and Mother didn’t meet my eyes when we swept past.

The rest of the details for the wedding were hashed out by Ambrose and Bellamy, along with Mother’s occasional input. I hardly said another word.

Instead, I sipped my tea, taking another drink any time I felt tears threatening to form.

I’d done the only thing I could—bought myself time.

There was one solution to all my problems, and a fool like Bellamy was not going to stand in the way of my happiness.

After the Unseen Hour, I’d be gone and Bellamy Bonds could find a new bride.

CHAPTER 10

DECEMBER

THE 99th YEAR

With the 99th Unseen Hour looming closer, along with my wedding if I didn’t succeed, securing the Thipp’s and the antidote was paramount.

I had feigned a stomach illness not long after the engagement, which my mother had chalked up to nerves. She’d summoned one of the physicians to visit us at Scopshaven, rather than giving in to my insistence that I could make it into town. That first attempt at snooping around the apothecary was thwarted before it began. It was a reaction I should have anticipated, but I didn’t let myself dwell on disappointment.

My guess was that our manor wouldn’t be a successful location from which to launch a plan, and I’d need to be in Fox Haven already before trying again.

I’d come up with the perfect ruse: a migraine. Mother suffered from them, and it stood to reason that I might have them as well.

The only issue was the timing and the location. If I feigned the headache at home, my brothers would simply send for a physician to be brought to me again, and I’d get no information at all, stuck in my rooms and under the watchful eye of Mother, Ambrose, and all the staff. Bram might have participated in my mischief, but it would have meant telling him my plan. I didn’t want to risk being stopped, or even worse, having him insist on joining me.

I knew what could happen if this whole scheme went wrong, and while I was determined to risk myself, I wouldn’t put the lives of anyone else I loved on the line.

I’d have to be in town, and preferably late enough in the day that only the overnight physician would be in the apothecary. Someone was always available for the ill, but if I tried my ruse in the afternoon, there would be multiple doctors or assistants running about. I stood my best chance if I only had one person to get past.

In the end I had to resort to a few tactics I wasn’t entirely proud of. I’d been skirting the rules all year, and honestly before that, but I didn’t like to draw anyone else into my troubles. I simply hadn’t figured out a way around it. I couldn’t go into town alone, and I couldn’t risk going with our own staff or my family. They wouldn’t let me out of their sight. I needed someone close enough to act as my chaperone, and lenient enough that I could manipulate the circumstances a bit.

A carriage pulled up in front of Scopshaven, and when the footman opened the door Charlotte gave a merry wave. Thomas sat across from her and lifted his hand as well.

“My sister tells me I am to take you both to the library,” he called.

The footman offered me a hand. I accepted and put my other one around my skirts, lifting them as I climbed into the carriage. Today’s ensemble was just another wave of hot pink. This one matched my eyes almost exactly.