Page 88 of Love & Letter Charms
And I would still be there, holding fast to you.
There is nothing left for any enchantress to steal—you already have it all.
From somewhere nearby, a voice called out softly, breaking through Aurelise’s thoughts. “Kazrian?”
Kazrian tensed immediately beside Aurelise. They both looked up as the owner of the familiar voice stepped into view around the glimmerbark’s broad trunk.
“Lucie!” Aurelise exclaimed, perhaps a little too loudly. She rose swiftly to her feet and moved forward, hoping to draw attention away from Kazrian, whom she sensed was uncomfortable in Lucie’s presence. “How are you? I don’t believe I’ve seen you yet this Season. Everything was a bit of a whirlwind at the start.”
“Aurelise.” The girl smiled, her warm hazel eyes crinkling, then hesitated. “That is, Lady Aurelise. I?—”
“Oh, please, none of that ‘lady’ formality,” Aurelise insisted, feeling suddenly awkward. She couldn’t bear the thought of beingLadyAurelise to the girl with whom she’d shared so many afternoons of laughter in these very gardens over the past several Seasons.
Lucie hesitated another moment before nodding, and Aurelise noticed how she very deliberately didnotlook in Kazrian’s direction. He had also risen by now, and moved to stand beside Aurelise.
“Your grandmother sent me to find you,” Lucie said, still not looking at Kazrian.
Aurelise’s stomach dropped. “Grandmother knows we’re out here?”
“I don’t believe she’s aware ofyourpresence, my—Aurelise.” There was a clear pause as she caught herself before the formal address. “She simply requested I locate Kazrian, assuming he remained somewhere within the tea house, and I—well, I had observed him depart after—” Her cheeks colored slightly. “And then I saw him encounter you and proceed in this direction.”
“Is all well?” Kazrian asked, his voice stiffer and more formal now.
“Yes.” A warm smile broke out across Lucie’s face. “Your grandmother just received word—Lady Iris has had her baby.”
~
R,
Are you still standing at a crossroads?
That cryptic comment … It left me both frustrated and terrified, not knowing precisely what you meant by it, fearful of change and fearful of losing you, yet unable to give you what you asked for.
But now I want to.
I want to know you, see you, touch you. I want to be known.
I want to risk being drowned and find that you are still standing with me, holding fast to me, after the wave crashes over us.
Please tell me I am not too late.
Please tell me you are still … mine.
L
L,
I am always, and will only ever be, yours.
R
Chapter Twenty-Three
One advantageof fleeing across Bloomhaven in a stolen (borrowed without permission) palace carriage to untangle one’s desperately complicated feelings about not one but two gentlemen—and then receiving the delightful news of becoming an aunt—was that it had left Aurelise precious little time to properly panic about hosting her first tea.
Now, however, the hour had arrived, and with it came a swell of anxiety.
The previous evening had passed in something of a blur. She’d returned to Solstice Hall with just enough time for Marta to dress her before the dinner gong sounded, barely managing to maintain her composure through the meal while her thoughts churned like storm-tossed seas (and while she actively avoided Prince Ryden’s gaze).
