She stared at Rose with her mouth hanging wide open like she’d never seen her before.
Rose’s hand tightened on my arm, but the smile she presented to the world was light and airy.
“Yes,” she said a bit breathless, “We met back in Paris, and well, when he asked me to marry him, I couldn’t say no.”
A small snort of amusement broke from me, and her grip tightened once more. I could practically hear the admonishment.
“You didn’t say-” the blond said, green eyes wide.
There it was. The connection that linked them. Though her eyes could never be the brilliant green of Rose’s, I could see the resemblance to Ruby. This was another Bailey. I should have asked just how many there were because they seemed to be popping up from everywhere.
“We wanted it to be a surprise, didn’t we, darling?” Rose asked, smiling sweetly up at me.
God, I was livid with her, but she was difficult not to give in to with her brilliant mind and confidence.
“Yes, we did, Sweetheart,” I said.
She wrinkled her nose at the endearment that didn’t suit her in the least. Somewhere in the crowd, Oscar’s cough permeated the otherwise stunned silence. The corner of my lip pulled up involuntarily as amusement tickled at the back of my throat. He was probably enjoying this immensely.
“Well, I believe congratulations are in order,” Edmonds called.
He appeared by my side, holding up a drink while servants scrambled to fill the hands of partygoers. Rose reached for two and handed one to me. I let my hands graze hers for a second and was immediately rewarded with a flush of her cheeks as she brought the champagne to her lips.
“Cheers to the happy couple! Two strong English houses brought together!” he said.
Echoes abounded from the room, and as I took a sip of the too-sweet liquid, Edmonds leaned into me, turning his head so no one could read his lips.
“I think you’ll find I’ve given you everything you could ever want, Captain. Before you set off on your honeymoon, perhaps we might have a conversation just you and me,” he said.
I covered my mouth with my glass and shot him a glare. Whether I was more irritated with him for using Rose or myself for misreading his motivation was hard to say. Either way, I’dmiscalculated on what drove Edmonds to action, and now Rose was bound to him.
“I have several words I’d like to say to you,” I said.
He laughed and clapped me on the back.
“As to be expected. I look forward to hearing them.”
Rose pulled her arm from mine and wrapped it around a woman who undoubtedly was her mother in a tight hug. By the time I went to say something to Edmonds, he’d already slinked off into the crowd, where he spoke to my father, who wore a small smile that made my insides crawl. Years spent hating him, and I’d thought a thousand times about what I would say to him from a prison cell. Never once did I consider I’d be standing in my ancestor’s home the first time I saw him again.
The script I’d perfected over the years now felt obsolete. More than that, he shouldn’t have been smiling. I needed to ask Rose what he said to her, but she was currently being surrounded by people wishing her well when they were really judging her. It was evident in their quick whispers to each other and the way they smirked when she wasn’t looking.
I would have gladly fed them all to Koinu, and something told me he’d be eager if it was in defense of Rose. I still didn’t understand the link Rose shared with the Mysterious Deep, but if we were going back out to sea, I needed to figure it out sooner rather than later.
“She’ll make an honest man of you yet,” Oscar said, clapping me hard enough on the back that I coughed. “Lord knows, no one says no to her once she decides, not even you.”
Someone should have told me the day I met the Bailey twins would wreak only havoc, but I was also self-aware enough to know I wouldn’t have changed it.
“Are you aware of how monumentally terrible this plan is?” I asked.
He threw back his drink and downed it in one gulp.
“Absolutely. On the positive side, now Oliver doesn’t have to duel you,” he chuckled.
Sure enough, the eldest Bailey was hugging Rose, but glaring at me. I doubted we were going to be friends any time soon. It stood to reason that Ruby and Oliver had more sense than the twins, who should have put distance between them, and I long ago.
“Maybe I should let him just so he feels a little better,” I said, dryly.
Oscar laughed. “Rose probably punches better, and you’ve survived that.”
