I move to the final staff of music.
“A harpy’s tune can bring death to lovers they’ve been jilted by, but they also sing to woo their mates. A song for love.”
I take a step back and study her expression as she stares at the lines of music. When she lifts her eyes, they’re brimming with tears. “Did you…have this designed for me?”
“I chose the color and the songs I wanted Madame Flora to add. She did the rest.”
“Why?”
I frown. “Why wouldn’t I? I wanted you to have something to wear to Saturday’s ball in case you didn’t have anything—”
“No. Why did you choose these songs? Why did you add them to a glamour for me?” Her voice quavers as she speaks.
I take a deep breath to steady my racing pulse. “Maybe I can’t convince you that you aren’t dangerous, but I’m hoping I can at least show you what good company you’re in. That your song truly is a gift, that you’re talented and…beautiful.”
I meant to say that her music is beautiful, but I make no move to correct myself. It stands true as spoken. When I sense the deepest core of her energetic signature, beauty is all I see. All I feel. I don’t need to glimpse her true face to know she’s completely and utterly breathtaking.
She brings a hand to her trembling lips, and it takes all my restraint not to gather her fingers in mine.
“Do you like it? You don’t have to like it. You don’t have to wear it or keep it or anything like that. If you—”
“I love it,” she says. “I love it so much. No one has ever given me something like this before.”
My stomach flips, a warm, melty feeling spreading over my chest. I desperately want to pull her close—but no. I already scared her away when I tried to kiss her. Stupid, stupid almost-kiss. “I’m glad you like it,” I say.
Her lips part, and I hold my breath for whatever she’s about to say. It takes all my control to keep my eyes from dropping to her mouth. Then, finally, she whispers, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” I rush to say and begin backing toward the door. It’s time I take my leave before I can do something stupid like kiss her hand. Or her lips. Or neck. Stupid. Idiot. “I’ll see you on Saturday.”
* * *
EMBER
Franco leaves before I can say anything more, and I’m stuck staring at the closed doors for minutes on end. With a sigh, I return to face the mirror. My breath catches as I glimpse the glamour again. Everything about it is beautiful. The color, the pattern. The necklace itself is a gorgeous piece of jewelry. But most stunning of all are the three lines of music that run along the bottom. Not only that, but the meaning behind them.
My eyes prick with tears as I recall the songs he described.
A song for new life.
A song for safety.
A song for love.
I bring my fingers to my throat where they land on the opal crescent moon. I almost wish the glamour could be hidden at will so I wouldn’t have to take the necklace off. Reluctantly, I reach to remove it, but when my hand reaches the nape of my neck, I freeze, remembering how his fingers felt brushing my skin before he secured the clasp. I close my eyes and savor the memory, recalling how I shuddered, how my eyes fluttered as I forced myself not to lean into his touch. The moment quickly melds into the one on the piano bench, blending into a fantasy of what might have been had I only…
No. I can’t be acting like this. I can’t savor this thing between us when it lives mostly in my imagination. Franco is a prince. He’s probably used to getting people gifts on a whim. It might not have meant to him what it means to me. And that’s all right. I never thought this would go anywhere. Never wanted it to go anywhere.
In four days, I’ll be on a train.
In four days, I’ll never see Franco again.
I remove the necklace and return it to the box. I stroke the velvet ribbon before covering it with the lid, then storm over to my chair where I pick up my unfinished needlework. Clara will be back soon, I’m sure, and I need to keep my hands busy to avoid thoughts better left alone. Yet, no matter how much I train my focus on every stitch, every thread, every pattern, a different pattern fills my mind. One forming three staves of music.
A song for new life.
A song for safety.
A song for love.
