“Does she know anything?” Beatrice asked Guinevere.
Guinevere tilted her head. “I suppose she could,” she said, looking at Rose. “Do you know anything about Lord Dunham’s curse?”
The dragon started chirping again, and everyone in the room turned to Guinevere the instant she finished speaking. “So, it turns out she was surprisingly informative,” Guinevere said. “She knows the sorcerer who cursed Lord Dunham, because thesame sorcerer discarded her egg when it no longer had enough magic for him. She’s here because of him.”
Alexander’s mouth opened, then closed.
“And she said that he is coming back soon.”
“Is that what we’re waiting for?” Beatrice asked, turning to Alexander. “Why is he coming back?”
“We are to prepare for a wedding,” Alexander said. “I received a letter this morning.”
Beatrice frowned. “You received a letter this morning, and you didn’t tell me?”
“I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to tell you before you disappeared into a snowstorm,” Alexander said pointedly. “You were still in the library, so I didn't want to disturb you.”
“And I'm assuming that the wedding is not for you?” Beatrice said, her tone just as pointed. “Given that we already had one.”
“I think we could make it for us,” Alexander said, his face turning serious. He may have been sitting across from her in a room full of people, but when he spoke, it felt like she was the only one in the room. “I would love to give you a real wedding,” he continued.
“And when are we supposed to have this wedding prepared by?” Mrs. Jenkins asked practically.
“In four days' time,” Alexander said, taking a deep breath. He stood, picking up a piece of paper and walking over to hand it to Beatrice, who scanned the contents quickly.
Dunham,
I will be there in four days’ time with my daughter. I expect a wedding prepared.
Lohndrey
“You are to marry his daughter in four days?” she asked, her voice rising as she spoke the words. “But we’re already married.”
“Indeed, we are,” Alexander said.
Beatrice's mind began to race. “That's why you wanted to marry me. If you’re already married, you cannot marry his daughter. But what will he do when he finds out?” Her voice caught.
“That’s a good question,” Alexander said, his mouth closing again.
“You don't know?” Beatrice asked.
“I hope not,” Alexander said.
Beatrice pressed her lips together. The answer didn't convince her that he didn’t know more. Did he have his suspicions? But the only way for it—
No.
It couldn’t be. “Was he the cause of the fire?” she asked quietly, dreading the answer.
“Yes,” Alexander said quietly. Beatrice's heart broke for him all over again. “My father tried—I wasn’t ready for marriage,” he said, his voice choking up.
Was it the curse or the emotion?
“Your father was a good man,” Jenkins said, his voice trembling. “I am sorry that you were left alone to deal with this, all this time. I wish I had known.”
“So your father told him you weren’t ready for marriage and tried to resist, so Lohndrey started a fire?” Beatrice asked, her voice shaky. “And you don't know what he'll do this time?”
Dietrich let out a grunt of anger, glaring at Alexander. “You put her in this danger,” he said, his voice harsh. “You knew this was a possibility, and you did it anyway.”
