Page 80 of You Only Love Twice

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"I know."

Malloryn met her gaze, looking utterly perplexed. "She knew going into this there would never be anything between us. It's the only reason I let her seduce me. I shouldn't have. I knew better than to mix business with pleasure, but I thought she understood that."

"Oh, Malloryn." Gemma sighed and tugged his coat closed, starting on the buttons on his chest. "Despite your omnipotence, you have absolutely no idea about women's hearts, do you?"

"I don't want to hurt her, but... there's not.... I don't—"

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"I know." Gemma stepped back, brushing lint off his sleeve. "Your heart died with Catherine. Isabella knew better. She's told me as much a hundred times, but it doesn't negate the fact that deep in her heart she felt something for you. She knows you have to marry Miss Hamilton, and perhaps... perhaps it’s best this ends now, before she gets her heart well and truly broken."

Logically it made sense, but her heart ached for her friend. She'd barely seen Isabella since she returned, so caught up in her own heartbreak she had scarcely given the other woman a thought. She'd try and find her tonight, once this was all over, and see if Isabella needed a shoulder to cry on.

"Go and get married," Gemma said, turning toward the door. "And be kind to your future wife, because despite the fact Miss Hamilton manipulated you into this wedding, she has a heart too."

"One would beg to differ." His voice roughened. "Which is the only reason I'm going through with this. I would never say this to her face, but in a way Adele suits my purposes. She's callous and cold, and she will never desire more from me than I am prepared to give."

Gemma shook her head. He'd never learn.

"Gemma?"

She paused with one hand on the door.

"I may have spoken hastily last night." Malloryn shifted his cravat, as if it were suddenly choking him. "It's not that I don't understand. You never knew who your parents were—Balfour took you off the streets and trained you to be a weapon, but the second I saw you, I knew there was more to you than that. There was too much compassion within you to survive as one of Balfour's Falcons. He thought it a weakness, but I saw more. Your sense of empathy was the one thing that allowed me to lure you away from him. It's what makes you so valuable to me, for I know you believe in the cause we're undertaking. I know you want to see a better London, and that gives you incentive to fight harder than any of the others I could have chosen for this role.

"It's your greatest strength—but it's also your downfall." He cleared his throat. "I won't pretend I understand it, but I know Obsidian means more to you than I can imagine. I just hope you mean enough to him."

She looked away. "I know there's no future between us."

There couldn't be.

Not with Dmitri on one side of the line, and her on the other.

"I hope there is," Malloryn murmured. "Because you're not like me, and... as much as I complain about it at times, there is a certain optimistic part of me that would like to see you happy. You deserve happiness."

"Are youactuallysaying there's a secret little romantic part of you?"

"Heaven forbid. Maybe I'm nervous. I'm babbling. Now go." He gestured to the door, his entire demeanor changing as if he'd let down his defenses and found it too overbearing to continue. Strictly business once more. "I want you to keep a close eye on the queen today. You're the last line of defense, Gemma. I've got enough guards on hand to fight off the entire army of New Catalan, but as we well know, that hasn't stopped him in the past, and you know him best."

Him.