Page 107

Twelve days before the execution…

Victoria wore the pearl necklace on purpose. To remind William how he had treated her. To remind him of his cruelty during what was supposed to be a passionate moment between them. To remind him that she was hurt.

But so was he.

Perhaps even more than she was.

And his hurt was more frightening than hers, for when she was angry, she cried and wailed and stomped her feet, arguing with him and pushing him away, so he could move closer as if in a dance. Yet his hurt was quiet, detached—a wary, perilous calm that lingered ominously, poised to swallow them whole.

When she was hurt and angry, one could feel the passion radiating from her and crashing against William in a storm. His hurt, on the other hand, was deadly silent.

And for all the times she’d thought the opposite of love was loathing, now she was afraid it was indifference.

As she walked with her arm on his sleeve, arriving at Pembroke’s welcoming ball, she could feel the ice beneath his skin. He looked relaxed and nonchalant on the outside, but his muscles tensed and bunched beneath her touch. The moment her slippers hit the floor they became surrounded by a crowd of curious onlookers, eager to talk to the infamous couple. William took this opportunity to disengage from her and move away, eventually getting lost in the crowd.

With an inward sigh, Victoria continued smiling at the other guests, laughing at their jokes while on the inside, she was crying.

Victoria hoped that he would return, hoped that he would take her arm and lead her in a promenade around the room.

He didn’t. He continued to ignore her, deftly avoiding her every time she was near.

Ever since the night of their confrontation, William dropped Victoria off at Caroline’s early in the mornings, and he took her back to the tower late at night. Sometimes, she wondered why he bothered to drive her back and forth. But she also feared that one day, he would just leave her behind.

His cold demeanor toward her was like a lance through her heart. And no matter how many times she tried initiating a conversation, she was summarily dismissed and ignored.

She didn’t even know what sins she’d committed to be treated so badly, to be ignored so completely.

She had run their last conversation over and over in her mind, and the only thing that she could think of was that he didn’t think she could ever accept him for who he was.

But she did accept him! She was living with him, wasn’t she?

You don’t love me, don’t trust me. So, am I a toy for you to use for your pleasure?

His words rang through her mind.

How was she to prove her love to him, her trust if he refused so much as to talk to her?

And then her wise aunt’s words came to mind.

If you want to know how a man feels, you do not ask him a direct question. No, no. You watch his actions.

And perhaps her actions so far weren’t as indicative of her feelings.

Victoria recognized that it was all her fault. The closer they became during their stay, the farther she wanted to push him away because she was afraid of getting hurt again. She didn’t even give him a chance, while he clawed and scraped to get her attention and affection.

Now, she wished she could do the same for him. But he was so much better at displaying cold indifference than she was that all her overtures had ended before they even began.

But the greatest fear of all was that he wasn’t feigning this indifference. That she had finally driven him away with her immature actions.

Congratulations, Victoria!

Victoria spotted Caroline’s familiar figure across the crowded ballroom. She made her way toward her friend, eager for a distraction.

As she drew nearer, Victoria noticed Caroline’s usual delicate smile was absent, a furrow of worry creasing her brow instead. But she was nibbling her lip anxiously, which was even more telling. Caroline only did that when she was in distress.

“Caroline, is anything amiss?” Victoria asked gently once she reached her side.

Caroline started slightly, her lips curving into a weak imitation of her normal grin. She opened her mouth to respond, then closed it, before opening her mouth again and closing it once more.