And, gods help her, she’d enjoyed every moment.
She’d wanted more.
Even now, after he’d given her a stunning release that was most assuredly the ecstasy Khamsin had told them all about, Gabriella wanted more. Much, much more.
A knock on the door made her gasp and whirl around.
“Gabriella?” Spring’s voice. “Gabriella, are you in there? Are you all right, dearest?”
“J-just a minute!” Summer ran to her dressing room and snatched a robe off one of the hangers, pulling it on and thrusting her arms in the sleeves as she hurried to answer the door. Halfway there, she remembered the dress in the corner. “I’ll be right there!” she called as she sprinted across the room to seize it. A frantic search of the room, looking for a place to hide the gown, offered up no more options than earlier.
“Gabriella, what’s going on? Open this door!” More knocking. The knob rattled.
Summer ran back to the dressing room and shoved the dress into the corner, behind several other hanging gowns, rearranging them to hide the blue fabric.
“Gabriella!”
Summer ran for the door, tying the sash on her robe as she went. A lock of hair flopped against her cheek and she stopped in her tracks, her hands going to her hair. The neatly arranged coiffure that Dilys Merimydion had put in complete disarray. Gods! One look at that mess, and Vivi would have more questions than Gabriella was ready to deal with at the moment. She began pulling out pins, shoving them in her robe’s pocket. When all the pins were gone, her hair tumbling down her back, she ran her fingers through the mass to smooth it, took a deep breath, then opened the door.
“Vivi. What’s the matter?” She tried her best to look surprised and concerned. “Has something happened?”
Spring’s eyes narrowed and swept the room as she stepped across the threshold. “One of the servants said they’d seen you running upstairs. I was concerned.” She turned back to Summer. “I understand you ran into Sealord Merimydion in the garden.” At the sound of Dilys’s name, Summer flushed, and Spring’s eyes narrowed more. “Gabriella, be honest. Is everything all right? Did something happen?”
“H-happen?” Summer heard the faint quaver in her voice and could have kicked herself. She’d have to do better than this if she didn’t want Viviana learning every humiliating detail about Summer’s indiscretion. “Don’t be silly, Vivi. Yes, I ran into the Sealord in the garden. He tried to convince me to accept his courtship, I said no and I left. End of story.”
Viviana was no fool to be so easily duped. “If that’s all that happened, Gabriella, then why are you up here in your room, looking like you just rolled out of bed?”
Thankfully, being a recuperating invalid gave Summer the perfect excuse. “Going for that walk tired me out a lot more than I anticipated. I came back to my room to have a lie-down.”
“And you didn’t call a servant to assist you?”
“There wasn’t any need. That particular dress is easy to get on and off without assistance.” Way too easy. Dilys had managed it with one hand. She turned away, ducking her head to hide the furious blush that heated her cheeks. “What’s with the inquisition, Vivi?” She put a scowl in her voice, hoping Spring would think she’d turned away to conceal irritation rather than secrets. “You’re acting like you think I’ve done something wrong. I just wanted to be left alone! Can’t you understand that?”
“Of course.” Instantly contrite, Spring stepped behind her and wrapped an arm around Summer’s shoulders. “I was just worried, that’s all. You’re my little sister. I’ve always looked out for you.”
Summer felt like a worm. She turned and burrowed into Viviana’s arms with genuine remorse. “I’m sorry. You have always looked after me, and I love you for that. I’m being short-tempered over something that’s none of your fault.”
Spring’s hand smoothed down the length of Summer’s unbound hair. “Do you really dislike him so much?” she asked softly.
“Oh, Vivi.” All of a sudden there were tears in Summer’s eyes. She wanted to wrap her arms around Spring’s waist and sob out the whole, awful tale and ask for her sister’s guidance.
Viviana saw the tears and her spine went stiff as a pike. “Somethingdidhappen, didn’t it? What was it?What did he do?”
There was a martial light in Spring’s eyes. A snapping fury she rarely showed. Seeing it made Gabriella gulp back her confession. If Gabriella told the truth about what happened in the grotto, Spring would march straight to Wynter and demand that Dilys Merimydion be brought to account for his actions. He’d taken husbandly liberties with her body—and it wouldn’t matter to Viviana that Gabriella had not only failed to stop him, she’d urged him to hurry and begged him for more. Once Wynter—who was taking his role as male head of the family very seriously these days—found out what had happened in the grotto, he’d have Summer married to Dilys Merimydion before sunset.
“Nothing happened, Vivi,” Gabriella lied. Despite the fact that Dilys Merimydion now seemed to possess an infallible Summer-tuned truth-detector, she was an exceptional liar. Had been all her life. Even without Persuasion. She pulled herself out of Spring’s arms and wiped her eyes. “I’m just tired and not myself yet. My body may be fully healed, but I still don’t have even half the energy I did before that horrible man attacked me.”
She was also extremely good at manipulating people with emotional diversions. Like guilt. Guilt worked wonders.
Spring immediately backed off her interrogation. She blamed herself for the attack on Summer because she hadn’t insisted that Summer be accompanied at all times by a personal guard when she went to work at Khamsin’s school—a concession Summer had wheedled out of Wynter and Khamsin months ago. “Of course. How thoughtless of me.” Instantly remorseful, and full of maternal care, Vivi dropped the subject and guided Summer to a chair. “Come sit down, dearest. I’ll ring for some tea.”
She went to the embroidered, beaded bellpull near the bed and gave it three sharp yanks. A handful of minutes later, Summer’s maid showed up.
“Tea for Her Highness, Amaryllis. And some of those delightful iced cakes she loves so well.”
“You aren’t having any?” Summer asked as Amaryllis bobbed a curtsy and ducked out of the room.
“No. As you said, you’re tired, so it’s probably best I leave you to rest in peace and quiet. Besides, Autumn and I are going sailing this afternoon.
