Page 63 of Love & Letter Charms
“I spoke with my grandmother while I was home,” she added. “She helped me gather my thoughts and arrange a proper plan for all that needs doing. She also reminded me that every hostess begins somewhere, and that disasters can be charming, provided one smiles through them. I now feel … marginally less panicked. And marginally more capable.”
Marginal improvement is still improvement, Spark said solemnly, which made Thimble giggle.
Speaking of improvement, she chirped, PrinceRyden has been dreadfully mopey these past two days. Quite unlike himself. No dazzling smiles, no teasing remarks, and he even declined a second helping of berry tarts at luncheon.
Aurelise blinked. “How is that an improvement?”
Well, clearly he missed you DESPERATELY, Thimble said, wings flickering with delight.We are making SPLENDID progress toward him falling in love with you!
Aurelise couldn’t help her laughter. “If he was moping, it certainly wasn’t because of me. More likely because all the attention from the other Crown Court ladies vanished when we all left to visit our families. And besides, I have no wish to be chosen, remember? And he has no intention of choosing me. I’ve already told you this.”
Denial, Spark pronounced solemnly.A most elegant method of self-deception.
Aurelise laughed again, softer this time, shaking her head. “You are both being quite ridiculous. Have you even attempted to imagine what life might be like withmeas the Crown Consort one day? I would be positively?—”
A quiet tap at the door interrupted her. She frowned, glancing at the timebloom. It was well past the hour when Marta would have retired to her own quarters. Was it perhaps Willow,coming to discuss something? The thought warmed her. She’d seen Willow earlier that day when Willow’s brother Hadrian had called upon Rowanwood House to discuss Kazrian’s ideas. They’d managed to transfer some of Aurelise’s magic into a crystal bottle, though what Kazrian intended to do with it remained somewhat mysterious.
She rose, padding across the soft carpet on bare feet, already composing a welcome for her friend. Late-night conversations had always been one of her favorite things—slipping into Rosavyn’s room, tucking themselves beneath the covers, and talking about everything and nothing until the small hours of morning.
She opened the door with a ready smile—and froze.
Prince Ryden leaned against her doorframe with casual elegance, though his state of dress suggested he’d been interrupted mid-undressing. His jacket was absent, his cravat hung loose around his neck, and his shirt was unbuttoned at the throat in a way that was positively scandalous. His dark blue hair, usually so perfectly arranged, fell in slight disarray across his forehead.
A strangled sound escaped Aurelise’s throat as she immediately crossed her arms over her chest in a desperate X, acutely aware that she stood before him in nothing but her nightgown, her hair coming undone from its braid after all her anxious fidgeting.
“Good evening, Lady Aurelise,” he said, his lips curving into that particular smile that made her pulse perform acrobatics. “It’s raining.”
She blinked, her mind struggling to process both his presence and his observation. “I—yes. I’m aware.”
“Since you’ve yet to accept my generous offer of assistance with dare number three, I thought perhaps you might be amenable to help with dare number four.”
Dare number four. Get rain-soaked on purpose.
The shock of his presence at her door—at this hour, in this state—rendered her temporarily speechless. When words finally returned, they emerged in a rush. “Did you … did you truly commit the entire list to memory?”
He shrugged, the gesture somehow elegant despite its casualness. “I possess an excellent memory for things that interest me.”
She blinked again, still struggling to reconcile his presence with reality. “Your Highness, you cannot—this is—your being here, at my door, at this hour—it is beyond all propriety!”
Though you must admit, Thimble’s voice chimed in her mind,it’s absolutely THRILLING! Like something from one of those scandalous novels Lady Olivienne hides beneath her mattress!
“Technically,” Prince Ryden said, “as this is my palace, this chamber belongs to me as well. I’m merely visiting my own property.”
“That is not—you cannot simply—that isn’t how property ownership functions!”
His grin widened. “Would you care to join me in the rain, Lady Aurelise?”
“Absolutely not!”
“Are you certain? It’s remarkably liberating, being thoroughly drenched on purpose. Quite different from those unfortunate incidents involving unexpected downpours and ruined slippers.”
“I am not going outside in the rain with you. In my nightclothes. At this hour. It would be?—”
“Daring?” he suggested, his eyes twinkling with mischief.
You should absolutely go!Thimble urged, fluttering to Aurelise’s shoulder.When will you have another opportunity like this?
You should absolutely not go, Spark countered firmly, abandoning his custard kisses to deliver his pronouncement.You’ll catch your death of cold, and then where will we be? Also, the scandal if anyone were to witness?—
