Page 112 of The Rebel and the Rose
‘Don’t look at me like that,’ she snapped. ‘Like I’m some kind of maddened fool.’
He huffed a sigh. ‘That’s what love does, Sera. It makes fools of us.’
She flung the cushion.
He took the hit.
‘You’re wrong. And I’ll prove it to you.’ Throwing one last withering look over her shoulder, she grabbed a change of clothes, stomped into the bathroom and slammed the door.
When Sera emerged from the bathroom Val was awake. Theo was perched on the bed beside her, speaking in hushed tones. Prickling at their sheepish looks, Sera went to shrug on her boots.
‘I’m going out to find Ransom.’ Theo opened his mouth to respond but she went on quickly, ‘I know what you think you saw, but there’s an explanation for it.’
‘Hey, I get it,’ said Val, blowing a curl from her eye. ‘Caruso ditched me too,andhe owes me three whiskeys and a pack of cigarillos.’
‘I wasnotditched.’ Sera grabbed the gaudy skull ring and held it up. ‘Ransom made a choice last night. And he chose me. Us. This. He was going to give Andreas a chance.’
Val and Theo exchanged a loaded look.
‘Ugh. Forget it.’ Sera pocketed the ring and stormed off.
Outside, the streets of Marvale were eerily quiet. Crows perched along the roofs, watching as she went to check on their horse and carriage.
They were gone.
Doubt crept in.
She shoved it down, walking to the bend in the road and then down the main street, where the wind grew cold and biting and the sound of weeping wafted from the dark alleys. There was something unpleasant about Marvale in the harsh morning light, a sense that the fanciful mirage of yesterday had faded, and what remained now were bouquets of rotting rose petals, the acrid scent of vomit and a lingering sense of regret. The few people she spotted looked strangely desolate, their glassy eyes filled with a kind of sadness that made her own heart ache.
Or maybe that was a result of another dawning reality… Ransom Hale was no longer in Marvale. And neither were his Daggers. A fact confirmed by the innkeeper at the Paramour who said they had all paid up in full before leaving an hour ago.
Why, then, had Ransom left his things behind? Dufort’s ring, his journal, his satchel… Was he really in such a hurry to get away? Or was he afraid of saying goodbye to her again? Having to admit that he had sold her a false promise before yanking it out from under her feet.
It belatedly occurred to Sera that he might have gone to find Andreas. To meet the prince – and judge him – for himself. The thought sent her back out onto the street. With renewed hope, she headed in the direction of the red mills.
She had barely made it halfway there when a carriage trundled down the street, pulling to a stop beside her.
Andreas ducked his head out of the window.
His eyes lit up when he saw her, the sunlight bouncing off his hair. Unlike Marvale, the prince held up well in the morning. He seemed to shine, even as the village around him dimmed.
‘Where are you off to?’ he asked, with the casual nature of a friend.
Sera hesitated a beat. ‘I’m looking for Ransom.’
And clearly wasting my time.
‘Ah, your Dagger.’
‘I don’t suppose he’s made an attempt on your life in the last hour?’ She was only half joking.
Andreas’s chuckle warmed the air between them. ‘If he did, he was entirely unsuccessful.’
Sera summoned a wan smile. It was a foolish thought in the first place. The simplest explanation was probably the truest. Ransom and the others really were gone. She blew out a breath, feeling like a colossal fool.
The prince’s eyes darted, no doubt reading the shadows on her face. ‘Do you want to go for a ride? There’s much to talk about.’
It was certainly a better offer than wandering around Marvale like a lost fool, searching for a man who clearly didn’twant to be found. And anyway, wasn’t that why she had come here in the first place? Her questions about Ransom Hale would keep. Her magic had waited long enough.
