Thalia laughed. “Yes, fine, you caught me. That is exactly why I am here.”
“I knew it!”
It was once again that Thalia found herself at the Guildhall Library. And while she had been expecting to run into Octavia, even hoping to, it was certainly not the reason that she had come all this way.
Her reason for making this trip was on account of the confusion that was toiling away deep within the recess of Thalia’s conscience. It was the type of confusion that she needed answers for, and seeing as the last time she had come here, an answer was found to her problems, she hoped to get lucky a second time.
“Before we do any of that…” Thalia looked down the length of bookshelves and touched her chin in consideration. “Might you help me find a book or two?”
Octavia took Thalia’s hand. “That is my job! So, I suppose I can try my best. All you need do is tell me what you are after, and if such a book exists…” She looked about them, taking in the grandeur of the library. “I dare say we’ll have it. We better, seeing as we have everything else.”
“It is not such an easy thing to…” Thalia clicked her tongue. “The problem is, I don’t knowwhatexactly I am after.”
“Ah, a challenge. I do love those. Why don’t we start with the purpose? And go from there.” She blinked her big eyes and smiled so the gap between her front teeth showed.
Thalia hesitated, realizing suddenly the precarious nature of what she was asking… and whether she knew Octavia well enough to divulge it.
Caspian was the reason she was here, of course.What other reason could there be?It had been five days now since they spent the evening together, and while Thalia had hoped that things would become easier after that most fateful event, they had only gotten worse.
Or rather, they had stayed the same.
It was silly of Thalia, but she had expected more from Caspian after they slept together. In her mind, a moment as intimate and passionate as the one they shared was the perfect chance for him to step away from his emotionally vacant state and start treating her like a human being. Like someone whomattered.
Frustratingly, nothing had changed.
It started as soon as they finished, when he said quite simply that they would need to sleep together a few more times to make sure she was with child. Thalia had been swept up in themoment, her heart aching, her body writhing from pleasure so that it might burst! And then Caspian’s calm, cold words doused the flame and forced her back into reality.
He did not care about her. He was not falling for her. And what they had done was little more than a business transaction.
In response, Thalia tried to show him hostility, but she wasn’t certain that he even noticed. An entire day and evening of treating him like something that she had stuck to the bottom of her shoe, and he was entirely unaffected.
Worse, Thalia did not want to treat him that way. Before they slept together, Thalia was enjoying how close they were starting to become. How they spoke openly. How they spent time together freely. Dammit, it had seemed to her that hewantedthem to grow closer, that their marriage…it was starting to feel real.
Thus, a new mode of operation was needed.
Thalia could not ignore the Duke into treating her with respect. Nor could she pretend that nothing had happened between them either. She needed answers, ways to close the gap between them, and a means to show the Duke that not only was she starting to fall for him, but that it was perfectly natural for him to feel the same way about her.
Hard to do, when Caspian had the emotional availability of a pillowcase, but that was a problem she hoped to solve today. No, it was one that sheneededto solve today.
As to how she would explain such a thing to Octavia…
“I am looking for…” Thalia hesitated, only for an idea to suddenly come to mind. “A romance novel.”
“Oh!” Octavia’s eyes brightened. “My favorite!”
“But it has to be specific,” Thalia was quick to follow up. “A story where the hero is… particular, in how he behaves.”
Octavia frowned. “What does that mean? Particular how?”
“More cautious,” Thalia clarified. “He likes the heroine. Perhaps he even loves her. But he is emotionally unavailable and a little cold – not because he is bad or wicked. Rather, he is scared to show his true feelings. And the heroine, knowing this, is forced to find ways to make him show her these feelings, without it being so obvious. Does that make sense?”
“That is very…” Octavia’s frown deepened. “Very precise.”
“Too precise?”
“No, no,” Octavia ensured her. “I do love a challenge. Almost as much as I love a good romance. So, combining the two should be right up my alley, no?”
Thalia laughed. “I have nothing but faith in you.”
