Page 74 of House of Roots and Ruin
Alex was going to propose.
Today.
I was absolutely certain of it.
I hurried down the halls of Chauntilalie, the massive volume of skirts flying behind me like a boat’s wake. Footmen jumped out of the way but my mind was too fixed on Dauphine’s words to take notice of their horrified, confused faces.
We’ll have much to celebrate,she’d said.
What else was I to assume that meant?
A proposal.
Of marriage.
To Alex.
A flutter of nerves drove me into an alcove, safely tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the party preparation. A quiet place where I could be alone with my thoughts. Alone with my terror.
“Marriage,” I gasped, hands trembling.
It shouldn’t have been a shock; any fool could see the trajectory of our paths. We’d begun our courtship. He’d declared his love. Dauphine had all but winked as I left her.
I pressed my forehead to the windowpane, letting its cool surface soothe my fevered thoughts.
“It’s Alex,” I reminded myself. “He’s a good man. He’s going to become agreatman.” My breath steadied and I felt a sliver of calm wedge itself under my ribs, easing its way through the rest of me. “This is what you wanted.”
I nodded.
Alex’s wife.
I stilled, meditating on the phrase, imagining what my life would look like, forever entangled with his. I pictured his face grown old, wrinkles and silver hair claiming the planes and shapes I’d grown to know so well. I saw his hand, thicker now and spotted with age, take mine, holding it with a soft fondness as we sat on a garden bench, his nose in a book, a sketchpad across my lap. Alyssums bloomed all around us.
My heart stretched, warm and bright.
This was more than a daydream.
It felt like a vision.
A prophecy.
An omen of good luck.
We would have a happy life together.
Full of peace and certainty, I opened my eyes and immediately jumped.
Alex was on the other side of the window, watching me with intense eyes. Before I could call out a greeting, he turned and walked away.
My mouth fell open as wild confusion pounded at my chest.
I blinked, wondering if I’d somehow misunderstood what I’d seen.
Alex, walking.
Unconvinced, I raced down the hall and hurried out the nearest door to the garden.
Rounding a tall hedge, I ran straight into him and wanted to laugh.
