I was dumbfounded. “In the morning.”
He squeezed my hands. “Yes. It’s going to create a lot of upset . . . to put it mildly. My father and Uncle Charles. The Doyles—especially if they’re clinging to this soft promise you made them. But we’ll have the law on our side. We’ll even have the Glittering Court’s technicalities on our side. No matter how much the others complain, they won’t be able to do anything about it.”
I had a feeling that “complaining” would be putting it mildly. “You’ll be lucky if your father lets you stay on and collect any commissions. Whether it’s enough for Westhaven will be irrelevant.”
“Let me worry about Westhaven,” Cedric said adamantly. He leaned into me, his presence steady and secure. “All you have to do is get to your wedding in the morning. I know it’s not the luxury arrangement you imagined, but he’ll be good to you. You’ll be safe.”
“I don’t need luxury.” My response came as fiercely as his. “I can be a mistress of a modest household. I can be a charming companion on his arm at social gatherings. I can be his friend. I can go to his bed and—”
The words caught in my throat, and I couldn’t finish. Everything else I could do with Nicholas Adelton—but not that last one. Maybe I could have once—before Cedric—but not anymore. I couldn’t even give voice to it.
Cedric turned me so that I faced him and gently lifted the glittering mask off my face. I’d been in such a frenzy upon leaving the gala that I’d never noticed I was still wearing it. It had hidden the tears welling up in my eyes. He wiped them away and cupped my face in his hands, leaning close so that our foreheads touched. Gone was the satisfaction of his victory with Nicholas. Now there was only melancholy left—and a longing that matched my own.
“El—”
“Don’t.” I pressed a finger to his lips. “Don’t call me that. That’s not my name anymore. I’m Adelaide. This is my life now—the one that began the day I met you.”
He caught hold of my hand so that he could kiss each of my fingers. A tremor went through him, and he looked away. “You shouldn’t say that. Not when you’re getting married tomorrow.”
“Do you think that changes how I feel?” I reached out and turned his face back toward mine. “Do you think my being someone else’s wife will change anything? Don’t you know that I’d lie with you in the groves, under the light of the moon? That I’d defy the laws of gods and men for you?”
I couldn’t even say who started the kissing then. Maybe there was no true start. Maybe it was just a continuation of what we’d begun that night among the stars. Wrapped in his arms, wrapped in him, I couldn’t believe I’d somehow gone the last week without touching him. Really touching him—not those stolen brushes of fingertips and legs. I had danced with dozens of men in this month and never felt a flicker of what I felt when Cedric simply looked at me.
He shifted so that my back was pressed against the window, and I pulled him as close to me as I could. I undid the tie that held his hair back, releasing it around his face. He delicately ran his hands along where the dress exposed one shoulder and then brought his lips down to it. The heat of his mouth against my bare flesh undid me, and I arched my body against his. He pulled back abruptly, breathing ragged.
“You told me once—”
“That I planned on staying virtuous until my wedding night?” I guessed. “That’s true. It’s a principle I believe in. But, well, I have a very creative definition of ‘virtuous.’ And if this is the last night I can be with you, I plan on pushing the limits of that definition as far as they can go.”
His mouth was on mine again, filled with a demand that made me shudder. His hands slowly moved up my hips—up, up until they reached the top of the dress’s low-cut bodice. He traced the edge of the neckline and then began untying the intricate silver laces that held it all together. I’d nearly pried his suit coat off when the door to the attic landing suddenly opened.
Mira had warned me she thought someone else was using this window as an escape, but I’d never really expected to cross paths with that person.
And I’d certainly never expected it would be Clara.
Chapter 19
To say there was a lot of fallout would be something of an understatement.
I’d feared many things since coming to Adoria. I’d worried I’d be forced into a marriage I didn’t want. I’d been concerned the discovery of my identity would get me dragged back to Osfrid. And most of all, I’d always, always feared for Cedric being hung as a heretic.
But being hauled into Charles and Jasper’s office for “indecent behavior” had never crossed my mind.