Page 47
Sometimes William forgot how different their backgrounds were, and that as much as he wanted to convince himself to the contrary, she truly didn’t know much about him.
“My dear princess,” he said slowly, “while you were spending your days in a palace, dancing your troubles away, I was dancing on the streets, and by that I, of course, mean stealing.”
Victoria pursed her lips together. “You never learned how to dance.”
“I am barely ever welcome in aristocratic homes. Why would I even need to know how to dance?”
She bit her lip, watching him from between her narrowed eyes. “Then what are we supposed to do now? How do you propose we spend our time?”
He had an idea or two, but none of those ideas would be appropriate in the crowded ballroom. And their aim for today was to convince this ballroom full of people that they were indeed in love.
“I have a suggestion,” he said.
“Yes?”
“When we started courting—”
“Courting? Is that what it was?” She raised a brow.
William swallowed. “When we first met, we spent quite a few nights just enjoying each other’s company.”
“Yes, that was before I knew who you truly were,” she grumbled and took a sip of her wine, emptying the glass.
“That’s fair,” William agreed, unwilling to argue. “But since we are to pretend to be deeply in love, why not just emulate what we did when we met?”
Victoria frowned. “I do not think I follow.”
“Why not try and enjoy each other’s company?” William snatched her empty glass and placed it on a footman’s tray, then took her arm and led her around the ballroom at a sedate pace. “Perhaps even get to know each other better. You say that you didn’t truly know me back then, although I could argue differently, but let’s say that’s true. Now you have a chance to find out the truth about me.”
Victoria pursed her lips in deep thought, her gaze fixated on William. “You would answer any question I ask you truthfully?”
William leaned in, his voice a conspiratorial whisper. “Yes, but please, let’s keep them lighthearted. We wouldn’t want to raise any eyebrows.”
Her brows knitted in thought, and William could practically see her mental gears churning. She was undoubtedly weighing the questions she had for him, selecting the ones that wouldn’t lead to a heated argument. Finally, she raised her eyes to his, a calculating glint in her gaze. Her fingers absently traced the pearl necklace adorning her neck.
“Did you truly steal this?” she asked, her tone revealing a fair amount of curiosity.
William bit his lower lip. “Yes.”
“From whom?”
“A very unpleasant gentleman,” he said with a careless wave of his hand. “He didn’t deserve it.”
Victoria’s eyes widened. “You stole it from an unpleasant man and gave it to me?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Would you rather I stole it from a kind-hearted, good-natured person?”
She furrowed her brow, and after a moment gave a brief shrug. “No, I suppose you’re right. It’s better to steal from the undeserving, although I’m not sure how you determined that.”
William snorted softly. “You’ll have to trust me on that. Besides, it looks a lot better on you.”
Victoria couldn’t help but chuckle, a rosy flush gracing her cheeks. In this moment, it felt like they had returned to the early days of their acquaintance, filled with laughter and curiosity.
“How do you do it?” she asked, her gaze distant as her tongue briefly traced her upper lip. “How do you steal?”
William stopped in his tracks, cleared his throat, and looked around the room cautiously. “Would you like me to show you?”
She pursed her lips in contemplation and, to William’s surprise, nodded. “Yes, absolutely.”
