Page 98 of The Girl Out of Time
A snort escaped her, and Emmeline bit her tongue. Luckily, the amorous couple seemed to be otherwise occupied. She closed her eyes, breathed deeply, and looked again at Theo, hoping that would help her calm down.
And it did, but in the strangest way.
As if that déjà vu still lingered, another memory shot up, of them pressed against the window, lit by moonlight, in the room overlooking the cliffs, back at the masquerade ball. It had been the most exciting, beautiful night of her life, in no small way thanks to Theo. Like a perfect book, that night had everything: a masquerade ball, mystery, intrigue, a sword fight, and …
Romance.
She wasn’t sure what did it: the memory of that night and Theo looking at her with those magical, silvery eyes, or perhaps simply the passage of timethat had finally worn away the layers of delusion covering her mind, but at this moment, Emmeline knew.
She was in love with him.
There was no confusion, no swimming feelings of doubt and nervousness and misplaced expectations. It had always been him. Daniel had been the dream; from the first moment she’d seen him, her fairytale-addled brain told her he looked like a prince, and therefore he had to be the prince of her fairytale. An illusion.
But Theo was real. From the day she found him on the beach, to the first time they talked; from when he told her about his mother’s locket, to the day she dragged him into Lady Scarlet’s world. He was always there, and she hadn’t realized how big a part of her life he’d become. In her made-up fantasy, he was the truest part. And if she ever found a way back to her family, he’d be the only possible thing to hold her back.
Perhaps her powers had plopped her down in this time and place randomly; perhaps her budding feelings for Leon had led her to Theo. In truth, the how and the why didn’t matter, because all the roads of her heart led back to him.
“They’re gone,” Theo said, the words almost incomprehensible to her.
“Hmm?”
He pushed the curtain aside. “We should find the clue and leave as soon as possible.”
Emmeline shook her head as the world shook around her.
She was in love with Theo. She was really, truly, in love. She knew it, as clearly as she knew the sky was blue and Lord Primrose’s horse was named Stormcloud and the second edition ofThe Heart of the Moorshad exactly 321 pages.
But she didn’t know what to do with that information.
“Theo,” she whispered, but his attention was on the writing desk.
“We believe it’s another pouch, yes?” He felt under the desk.
She wanted to scream to the sky, but she also wanted to run to him and hug him and kiss him—
“Found it!” Theo returned with a pouch, retrieved from somewhere around the bedside table. He dropped it into her hand. “Let’s go.”
“Wait.” She tugged on his sleeve. “I …” No, this wasn’t right. The timing was off; love confessions didn’t happen like this.
And besides, she still wasn’t sure if he’d forgiven her.
“You should return to the ball,” he said.
She pushed open the door and stepped out into the hallway. Theo followed so close that he brushed against the thin silk of her dress, sending a pleasant shiver all the way down to her toes. She turned to him, holding her breath.
He moved away, gesturing her to continue down the hallway. Downstairs, the foyer was empty, and she paused in front of the open door to the ballroom.
“You’re not coming?” she asked.
Theo briefly glanced towards the ballroom. “No. I should get going.”
She fiddled with the pouch they’d retrieved. “The next clue is in the British Museum,” she shot out.
He flexed his fingers, looking downward, and then said, “Tomorrow?”
She fought back a smile. With how reserved he still was, she didn’t want to appear too eager, even if her heart danced. “I’ll see you there at noon.”
He nodded and left.
