Page 29 of A Curse of Hope and Shadows: Part I
She picked up the book at his bedside and pulled over a chair. “You will have to try much harder than that.”
She read to him for at least half an hour, the room slowly cooling, until his eyes started to droop, only to flicker open a second later. He rubbed his head.
“Are you all right?”
“Slight headache,” he said. “It’ll pass.”
“Too much sun, perhaps.” She placed a hand to his flushed skin, only to pull in back when his gaze met hers. That eye of his really was startlingly blue.
“Adeline?”
“Yes?”
“I like your hair.”
She snorted softly, pulling subconsciously on the curled end of her braid. “Goodnight, Dimitri. Sleep well.”
“You too,” he said, his voice little more than a whisper in the dark, and yet somehow louder than any other instruction she’d ever heard him utter.
“I hear you were out in the gardensall dayyesterday, with the young master!” Erabella exclaimed at breakfast the next morning.
“We were,” responded Adeline, helping herself to toast. “We had a lovely time.”
Erabella’s eyes widened. “Is it… is itsafeto be out there alone with him? I heard he even dismissed the gardeners.”
“Idismissed the gardeners,” Adeline said curtly. “They were being terribly rude.”
“Surely they were just worried about you?”
“The Young Lord is no danger to anyone except maybe himself.”
“But—”
Adeline could feel the threads of her temper waning. “Erabella,” she said, as calmly as she could, “he’s not a monster. Have you ever actually spoken to him?”
“No, but—”
“I have.”
Across the table, Posey folded her arms. “You hardly know him.”
“Well, you certainly don’t, and you’ve had more than enough opportunity.” She slid out of her seat and went to aid Mrs Harper in readying the tray for Dimitri, ignoring Posey’s petulant glare.
The bell rang just as Dimitri’s breakfast was being finished.
“Well, well.” Mrs Minton’s mouth twitched into a smile. “Two bell calls in the space of a day. Our Young Lord is turning into quite the tyrant.”
Adeline tried not to smile back, feeling strange that she felt any kind of joy in being summoned.
“Better not keep him waiting,” said Mrs Minton. “We’ll send up breakfast when it’s ready.”
Adeline thanked her, grabbed her apron, and scurried up the steps, hurrying into Dimitri’s room. It seemed, if possible, darker than usual, and smelt… off. He wasn’t reclining on the chaise, either.
“Dimitri?” she said softly.
“Adie,” said a weak voice from beside the sink. “Is that you?”
Adeline crept closer. Dimitri’s face turned towards her, his good eye half-shut. His skin looked clammy and pale, but when she reached out to touch him, he was burning hot.
