No, the rest of my heart argues.No, that’s not true. You know which side of him is real. You’ve seen both.
Then why did he keep this secret so long? Why did he have to wait until I gave him my body? Until I begged for the truth?
I don’t emerge from my room until close to noon, and even then I’m not sure of my feelings, or how I’m supposed to face William. Luckily, by the time I enter the common area, he’s nowhere to be seen. There’s only Daphne, who lounges on one of the kitchen cabinets. She opens her eyes when she sees me, then stretches with an adorable yawn.
“You slept a long time,” she says as she hops down to the floor. “Probably from all the moaning last night. Followed by yelling.”
I blush at her words. When I stormed out of the recreation room, I found Monty and Daphne in the kitchen. Monty was sprawled on his back over the kitchen island, smoking a cigarillo, while Daphne sipped cordial from a tiny wooden cup. Neither said a word as I stomped to my room, but the silence was enough to tell me they probably heard everything.
I grimace. “Is…anyone here?”
“Monty and William are helping set up the gala.”
Relief heaves through me. The gala doesn’t begin until this evening. Maybe I can make myself scarce until then and avoid having to face William at all. My heart plummets when I recall the last thing he said to me.
…please come back to me if you find it in your heart to want to work this out.
I do. I really do. At least…I think I do.
But I’m still so torn over how I should feel. I’m not ready to talk to him about it yet.
“Did you choose an item for the auction?” Daphne asks, stealing me from my thoughts.
Panic lances through me. I obviously can’t get rid of my annotated copy of William’s book. Or…Cassie’s book. “Oh, uh, I suppose I’ll offer a personalized copy ofThe Governess and the Fae.”
“That’s not nearly as exciting as William’s date.”
My mouth goes dry. Shit. His date. I forgot all about that. Now it sends my stomach roiling. I don’t want him to go on a date with anyone else. Even if it’s not arealdate.
Of course it won’t be a real date.
Unless William has changed his mind about me.
Unless his heart has shifted now that he’s seen my ugly side. My rage and pride.
I bite the inside of my cheek to divert myself from feeling the tightness in my lungs. A welcome distraction comes to mind. “I just remembered something I’m supposed to give you.”
I return to my room and rifle through the skirt I wore last night. It takes no small effort to force away all the memories of what happened when I last wore it. The male who lifted my hem and tortured me just shy of climax. The way he finally dragged my skirt down and let me ride him?—
I squeeze my thighs together, and my fingers finally close over what I was searching for—the two dance cards. I tuck one into the pocket of my day dress and return to Daphne.
“The event coordinator asked me to give this to you,” I say as I hand the second card over. “The charity receives funding for every space filled by a dance.”
Daphne turns the card over a few times, her furry brow knitting in curiosity. “I’ve never danced before.”
I shrug. “You don’t have to. I know you aren’t comfortable in your seelie form, and I assume the gala caters mostly to humans and seelie fae. But I wanted to give you the card just in case.”
“Hmm.” She turns the card over in her paws again.
A knock sounds at the main door. I have half a mind to hide in my room for fear of encountering William, but the caller can’t be him. He wouldn’t need to knock.
Still, I gather a deep breath before I open the door.
“Miss Danforth!” Cassie’s bright expression greets me on the other side of the threshold.
Damn. That’s almost as bad as seeing William.
She pulls her chin back with a wary look. “Did you mean to frown at me just now?”
