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T he morning arrived with a whisper Sera didn’t want to hear, the sky bleeding softly from purple to pink to golden hues that painted the world anew.

She stirred in the cocoon of warmth they’d created together, her cheek pressed to Alex’s chest, listening to the quiet, steady pulse of his heartbeat.

Each beat soothed the chaos that had once lived within her, each rise and fall of his chest a reminder of the night they had just shared.

The chill of the early morning air nipped at her where his shirt had slipped from her shoulders, but his arms tightened instinctively around her, chasing the cold away.

She smiled softly against his skin, her fingers brushing idle circles over his side.

I’m ruined.

I’m in love.

The world outside seemed unrecognizable, brighter somehow, as though the universe had tilted just enough to cast new light on everything.

Sera felt it in her stomach—in the peace that hummed where uncertainty once resided, in the quiet contentment that lingered beneath the storm of her emotions.

They had found something precious in each other, a connection that felt sacred, unshakable, as though it had always existed, waiting for them to discover it.

She tilted her head, her gaze locking onto Alex’s sleeping face, his features softened in repose.

He looked almost boyish in the sunlight, and the sight struck her with such tender longing that her breath caught.

He had seen her, truly seen her, and in doing so, he had uncovered something in her that felt irrevocably changed.

But the morning wasn’t just a beginning; it was also a reckoning.

Her chest tightened with the clutch of truth that daylight brought.

She couldn’t linger endlessly in this new world they had created under the cover of night; choices waited for her in the biting light of reality.

She untangled herself from Alex slowly, carefully, not wanting to wake him just yet, though the thought of leaving the comfort of his arms sent a throb of resistance through her.

Rising to sit at the edge of the makeshift bed, she gazed out at the horizon outside the alcove, the colors melting together like watercolors on wet paper.

She had to return.

Her sister, along with her maid, wouldn’t be able to hold suspicion at bay once breakfast arrived and she was still absent.

Luncheon and dinner she missed often enough once in the countryside, but never breakfast. It was a long-winded ruse, and Sera didn’t want to lie about something—someone—as wonderful as Alex.

My Alex.

She closed her eyes, inhaling deeply, letting the intoxicating mix of sea air and Alex’s presence wash over her.

She had made her decision. London called to her with promises she could no longer honor.

There were vows to break, doors to close, and truths to face.

She needed to end the engagement that had hung around her like a gilded cage, a bond that had never been real.

Somehow, she had to confess to her parents that she could no longer be the daughter they’d wished her to be.

The burden of that conversation pressed on her like an ancient artifact needing to be buried.

Yet beneath that weight was a spark of hope—new, fragile, but glowing fiercely.

For once, the future didn’t terrify her.

She turned back to Alex, her heart swelling as the early light kissed his skin.

No matter what awaited them, she knew deep in her bones they would face it together.

Her heart raced, not just from the handsomeness of him, well, that, too, but more so from the daring plan that she concocted in her mind. She would simply inform the prince of her chastity.

He would never marry her then, right?

The hardest truth was sometimes the simplest answer.

She glanced back at the horizon. She couldn’t bear the thought of marrying the prince in the first place, a man she had never met, and it was even more impossible now when her heart belonged to the man beside her.

If being compromised with Alex meant escaping that fate, then so be it.

The risk was immense, but losing Alex would be even greater.

“Sera.”

Her name. A good morning. Simple. Sera chuckled.

“We can’t stay here forever, you know,” she murmured, even though she wished otherwise.

A rustle, then, “Why not?” Alex’s voice was muffled against her hair, a lazy, contented drawl that made her smile despite feeling reluctant to leave his embrace. This alcove.

“All right. So, the pianoforte will go on that ledge.” She pointed over her head. “The bed chamber will be upstairs, no wait… there isn’t an upstairs. How about over there?”

He pretended to squint. “No, I think the pianoforte should be in the parlor. So, we can listen to the children practicing while we read at night.”

Sera gulped when she saw his smile.

Children.

Plans.

“That sounds wonderful.” As soon as I get out of the betrothal with a stranger. “So, the bed chamber shouldn’t be just above the drawing room, it would be loud.” She jested but then it wasn’t funny. This dream could become their future, but she certainly didn’t want it to be in a cave.

“I don’t care where I’ll sleep as long as I have you in my arms.”

She sighed and cradled his gorgeous face.

He looked sleepy and so disheveled that she was proud to see the effect she had on him.

There was a raw, boyish vulnerability about him that left her concerned about his heart, which she didn’t want to break if she couldn’t get out of the betrothal.

But she would if she was so thoroughly ruined, wouldn’t she?

Sera bit her lip. “I don’t want to steal some moments with you; I want a lifetime.”

“Why can’t we stay here a moment longer?” A complaint.

“Only a moment. Because the world will notice if we go missing.” She tilted her head to meet his gaze. “And eventually, they’ll come looking.”

“We could run away.” He propped himself up on one elbow. “I hear the Americas are lovely this time of year.”

Sera raised an eyebrow. “Do I strike you as a woman who would survive a single day without tea and a proper bath?”

“They have luxurious baths. And lovely mountains. The oceans. I’ve been to Boston and farther north.”

“Would you truly be able to do that to your family?” She couldn’t. She might be willful, rebellious, and even reckless, but she loved her family.

A sigh. “No.” Those dark eyes met hers. “Now that I’ve—” He cleared his throat. “Now that I’ve found you, Sera. With you… I hope you can meet them.”

This wasn’t going to be simpler than the betrothal, just different. “Let’s go to Boston after all. It will be hard but—”

“You’d adapt,” he teased. “I’d ensure your survival, of course. Hunt, gather, protect you from wild bears.”

“Because wild bears are absolutely the first thing I think of when imagining the American wilderness.”

Alex laughed, low and infectious, but the glint in his eyes turned serious. “If I decided I could leave my family, if I said I meant it—running away together—would you come with me?”

Her breath hitched. Run away with him? It sounded perfect. But it wouldn’t solve problems. And she could never cut ties with her family in such a definite way. “Don’t ask me that,” she whispered, poking his chest.

He grinned. “Why not? Scared of your answer?”

“Yes, because I might just say yes.” The temptation… It didn’t whisper how easy it would be; it practically hollered.

“I know.”

Sera nodded. “We can’t run, Alex. We both have obligations—messy, inconvenient obligations. But that doesn’t mean…” She hesitated, searching for the right words. “That doesn’t mean the choices we make won’t be worth it.”

His grin returned. “Agreed. It will only make our reunion sweeter.”

“I like that. Reunion.”

“Promise that we meet in London,” he pressed on.

Her eyes widened. Yes! “Promise.”

“Very well, love. Vauxhall Gardens. Midnight. One week from now, the 30th.”

“We’ll have to be careful,” Sera murmured. “If anyone sees us…” She might be dragged off by her parents to who knew where.

“We will be,” he assured her, his hand brushing hers. “And even if something happens, I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Her heart twisted. This man… She loved him. By some miracle, in such a short time, she loved him. The thought terrified her as much as it thrilled her. “Then Vauxhall Gardens. Beneath the oak tree filled with lanterns—there is only one. Midnight. Eight days from now.”

“I’ll be there,” he promised, his eyes locking onto hers.

“And if you’re not,” she warned, trying to keep her tone light, “I’ll hunt you down and make you regret it.”

“I wouldn’t dream of missing it, my love.”

Sera nodded. It was time to say goodbye until they reunited in London.

Eight days.

Just eight days, and they would be together again.

Nothing could go wrong anymore.

*

Two days later

The drawing room of Charlene’s townhouse in Mayfair smelled faintly of roses and beeswax polish. A comforting, familiar scent. Sera sat perched on a delicate cream satin stool, her spine too straight to be natural, her fingers twisting restlessly in her lap.

Almost as if her judgment day had arrived.

Across the room, Charlene sprawled like a cat on the chaise, one bare foot poking out from beneath her lavender muslin gown, the hem scandalously undone, but Sera felt rather tight-chested to point it out.

Maddie and Ashley, seated on the overstuffed settee, leaned in close, their faces alight with conspiratorial energy.

“So, he’s coming to London? The prince?” Ashley asked. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

“He was always so far away; I never truly worried about it,” Sera replied.

“But now that he’s coming…” Maddie curled her lips, adjusting the embroidered ribbon in her hair. “That is rather big news!”

Sera sighed. It wasn’t the only big news. “I know. I’m sorry.”