“Ask me anything,” she said. “And I will answer you. If I do not, or you think that I am lying, I will drink the water.”
He scoffed. “That is absurd.”
“It is not absurd,” she said. “I want us to get to know one another, Caspian. Ineedus to. And if you do not understand why, or believe me…” She sighed and looked at him pleadingly, all feigned outrage and determination fading. “Hopefully, this proves to you that I am taking this seriously.”
His brow was furrowed as he looked at her. And for once, she could see exactly what was on his mind. He believed her, and he saw how serious she was being. What was more, he almost looked impressed by it.
“Fine, if you insist.” He straightened, his expression turned flat, and then he cocked a single eyebrow at her. “What has become of your friend, Miss Rosaline?”
Thalia’s eyes widened. “Wh – what?”
“You heard me,” he said with a satisfied smirk. “What has become of Miss Rosaline? I have heard whisperings of her andyour brother vanishing but so far I am unable to find out the particulars.”
Thalia balked at the question, and then she cursed herself silently for walking right into a trap that she had set herself.
While it was not a huge secret that Rosaline and Laurent had run off together, that they were now married certainly was. And although word would soon get out, which would likely see a scandal follow, Thalia did not think it was her place to be the cause.
She began to sweat under the Duke’s probing stare. She began to fidget. His eyes flicked to the glass of water and eggs, the smirk still there. No doubt, he assumed that she would never dream of drinking it.
Nor had I meant to…
“I… that is not…”
“Not what?” he pounced. “A question you wish to answer?”
“It is a question that I cannot answer,” she said.
He nodded, appearing satisfied. “You see, it is not so easy when the shoe is on the other foot, is it? Perhaps next time, you will consider this before – what are you doing?”
Thalia did not hesitate. What she did was pick up the glass of water and eggs, bring it to her lips, and swallow every last drop in a single mouthful.
The texture of the drink made her wretch. And the way those eggs slid down her gullet and settled in her stomach made her squirm and grimace. But she did not complain. Nor did she give any indication that it might have been one of the most disgusting experiences in her life.
“There,” she said as she put down the empty glass. “As promised.”
Caspian was dumbstruck as he looked at her. No effort made to hide his surprise, no attempts to mask what he was feeling. His mouth hung open, his eyes were wide, and there was a slight curl of disgust on his lips.
“That was… you did not have to…”
“I said that I would,” she cut over him.
“Are you feeling well?” He almost sounded worried. “Sick, I mean? Do we need to…” He half made to stand, looking to the valet for help. “Should I send for someone? A doctor?”
Caspian’s reaction was by far the most surprising development of the morning. While it was not exaggerated, it spoke to a level of concern that he held for her. That his first thought was not tojudge her, but to make sure that she was not sick from the eggs and water.
Despite herself, Thalia smiled. “I am quite well, thank you.”
The morning did not go nearly how she had planned, but that did not mean it was an abject failure. After all, the aim was to get to know the Duke better, and she had undoubtedly done that.
He was still dispassionate and cold, emotionally removed, and stubborn to a fault. But he was also more caring than she realized. It was subtle, but there was more there than Thalia had known, and that, she decided, was what mattered. That, she knew, was why this plan of hers might just work.
Chapter Nine
“Can I help you with anything?”
Thalia started at the question, having not seen who it was asked by. She had been far too distracted, busy skimming the spines of the hundreds of books that lined the shelves in front of her.
“Oh!” she jumped and turned around, clutching at her chest in fright.
