People.
Surely that would help me regain some semblance of sanity.
"Head high, Lisa," Leighton murmured as he offered his hand to help me down. "You're on the arm of one of the most influential men in the area, the bastard son of a duke, at that."
My shocked face turned to him, and I knew my eyes were large as I took him in.
Bastard son of a duke?
Men sharing a woman. Those same men kissing each other. And now this. Yet another secret. At what point would all this chaos end?
The sun struck my face as I stepped down, nearly blinding me. For a moment, I had a thought to put foot down on the ground and flee away from them.
Magnus followed right behind me, his presence a dark shadow at my back. He adjusted his gloves, his expression unreadable as ever.
"Surely you might have led with that," I hissed under my breath at Leighton as he tucked my hand firmly into the crook of his arm. A deep-rooted part of me wanted to resist. Nearly did.
He looked maddeningly serene. "Sweet girl, my parentage is barely a blip in the big scheme of things, don't you think?"
My mouth snapped shut. My heart, however, hurt.
So many secrets.
When did it end?
And how was I supposed to trust them when at every turn, there was another one uncovered?
Now, however, was not the time or place to go into it.
The street bustled with chatter, market stalls lining the square. I tried to focus on normalcy. The children darting past, the butcher shouting his wares, but the choker pressed snug against my throat, a constant reminder.
"Remind me again, why are we here?" I asked, desperate to find a way to ground myself.
Leighton's hand patted mine on his arm. "We're shopping, love. A wardrobe fit for the wife of a retired war hero and the mistress of Eagle’s Rest."
"Not to mention, you still need your wedding gown," Magnus filled in.
My steps faltered. Wedding gown.
In all that had happened, I'd forgotten about wedding preparations. We hadn't even begun to discuss them.
Leighton's lips twitched, though his eyes were sharp on mine. "You should see your face, love. Relax. We'd figured with everything dropped on your shoulders of late, you'd have forgotten about it. We can get started on our plans for the wedding tomorrow, don't you think?"
We continued to stroll down the cobblestones, as I processed their words.
I hadn't agreed. Notreally.
But at this point, was there even a point in denying how much I wanted what they were promising me?
Yes. Yes, there was.
Secrets were more than enough reason.
"Come." Leighton interrupted my tempestuous thoughts, nodding toward a wide-windowed shop with gowns displayed like sugared confections. "Let's see about getting your new wardrobe and wedding gown."
Leighton led me into the shop as Magnus waved, continuing on his way down the cobblestone street.
I looked after him, and the man next to me squeezed my fingers before tugging me through the door. "He's got other errands to run, love. We'll meet up with him for lunch in a local pub."
