Page 19

ALISTAIR

Elinor’s effusive sweetness charms me more with each passing minute. It’s as natural to her as honey is to bees, and it remains a mystery to me how anyone could have mistreated such a gentle, hardworking young woman.

Twice, she forgets herself and tries to help the maids with small tasks during our too-brief and overly supervised tour of the castle.

I show her the music room. She declares herself keen to learn how to play, never having had the opportunity before.

Anastacia immediately plops down at the pianoforte and begins banging on the keys with the subtlety of an ogre, casting what I assume are meant to be flirtatious glances at me as if Elinor isn’t standing right there, politely pretending to enjoy the spectacle.

Only Othmar appears to be impressed.

“I seem to recall you enjoying risqué poetry,” I say with a sidelong smile. A lovely blush paints my bride’s cheeks. “Shall we revisit Rhoesis?”

In the library, Minge squints at Elinor for a long time before finally putting two and two together.

Wisely, he doesn’t ask questions and brings us the tomes on mapping celestial bodies that Elinor wants to see.

Not ten minutes into looking at gorgeous illustrated maps and talking about the hidden fae castle, the obnoxious stepsister complains about being chilled and bored.

“How did you not murder your family in their sleep?” I mutter to my bride.

Elinor swats my arm, but there’s an edge to her laughter. “I don’t wish ill upon anyone,” she says firmly, which is rather too bad, considering. “When is the wedding to be held?”

“Tomorrow.” I am so close to making her mine, forever. Never losing my Sunshine again.

“Can’t you postpone the wedding to allow Cilla and me to have new bridesmaids’ gowns made?” Stacia whines, evidently eavesdropping on our conversation as she dogs our heels.

“There will be no delay.” I stride a little faster, instinctively trying to put more distance between us. “We will proceed with our marriage as planned. Belterre has waited long enough for me to secure the succession.”

Elinor studies my face. “Are you all right?”

“Fine, my sweet.” I brush a kiss across her knuckles. A tiny pleat forms in her brow as she stares at mine. “Let your stepsisters try to take people’s attention away from you, Sunshine. They’ll only make asses of themselves in the process.”

She smiles tightly. “You’re right. The Tremaine sisters are no bother to me now.

With you to protect me, I can rise above their antics.

” She lets her lashes drift downward, back to my hand where I still hold hers.

“Where did you get those scrapes and bruises? You didn’t have them when we left Scinder House this morning. ”

Gods damn everything, I’m not answering that question. “An accident with the horses. Come this way. I want to show you something.”

“What is it?” she asks.

“A surprise.”

“Like your observatory?” she says bluntly.

“Shh.”

“Why can’t people know?”

Because. It’s. Mine.

“I’ll explain later.” I place my hand low on her back to steer her where I want her to go. If only I could steer her away from this subject of conversation just as easily.

“Are we going to the library?”

“No. I want to show you where you’ll be living. With me. We’ll take a shortcut past the barracks if you’re comfortable with that. We can lose Stacia there.”

“Lead on,” she says with enthusiasm at the idea of losing her stepsister’s company.

I guide her through a winding rear entrance, up a set of stairs through the more workaday areas of the castle. We pass a training arena full of knights sparring. I quicken my steps. “No need to linger.”

Elinor laughs. “I’m not going to leave you for one of your knights, silly. I was only curious. They train very hard, don’t they?”

“I have a track record of losing brides to my knights,” I say, unable to keep a hint of bitterness from creeping into my tone. “I won’t take chances with you.”

“There is no danger of that happening,” she says, tucking her hand into my elbow.

I adjust my stride to match hers. “I am going to live here at the castle. I’m sure I’ll get used to the sight of guards quickly.

I’ve been stuck in a crumbling estate with three people who despised me for most of my life, Alistair.

I only want to see what the world is like beyond the cage I’ve been trapped in. ”

That gives me pause. I never want her to feel like this is merely a gilded prison where she isn’t able to be herself. I want it to feel like her home.

I halt abruptly and pull her in for a kiss, right there in the middle of the servants’ hall. She melts against me and opens to me greedily. Artlessly.

“You can be my wings, and together we’ll soar,” she says.

“My princess poet.” A soft chuckle rumbles in my chest. Her lips are kiss-swollen. A sigh of contentment escapes me as I trace her lips with the pad of my thumb. I drop a kiss onto her forehead. She rises on tiptoes to kiss me properly. “My impatient princess.”

“I’m not a princess.”

“You will be as soon as I put a ring on this finger.” She had better get used to it.

How wondrous to have a queen who would marry me without the title.

I cannot lose this precious gem of a woman.

I press my lips to the place where a band of gold will soon sit.

Not soon enough. “Come. I’ll show you the shortcut. ”