“Hi, Gen. I’ve returned to you.”
MyKieran looks at me like a phantom from my past. It’s him—and yet, it isn’t. His jawline is sharper, his nose crooked where it was once straight, and the dark brows shadowing his eyes hold a hardness they never had before. A faded scar slices across the right side of his forehead. I bring my hands to my face, knocking my mask to the ground as I stifle a cry.
Then everything around me begins to spin, the world blurring from my vision.
6
Genevieve
When I wake, I’m lying on something soft and supportive. My eyes focus on Gabriel’s and Astoria’s faces, close enough to startle me. Their masks are off, and both wear expressions marred with concern. I’m no longer outside; instead, I’m on a couch in an alcove beside the ballroom. These small sitting rooms have curtains that can be drawn, but from the light I can make out past Astoria’s head, they haven’t been.
“Slowly, Genny. Don’t sit up just yet,” Gabriel mutters when I try to lift my head from the pillow.
“What—what happened?” Memories of Kieran’s caress, of the way he called me Gen, rush back, and I force myself upright despite Gabriel’s admonishment. “Where did Kieran go?”
Astoria and Gabriel exchange a puzzled look. “Kieran?” Astoria asks, her brows knitting as she glances toward Gabe. His expression is unreadable as he gives her a slight shake of his head.
“Mr. BlackwellisKieran Greenbluff.” My words come out in a hiss, and disbelief only deepens on my siblings’ faces.
“Genny, Kieran has been dead nine years. I spent all day with Mr. Blackwell. Do you think I wouldn’t recognize my closest friend?” Gabriel’s voice is so quiet I have to strain to hear him. I glance around again, noticing the crowd just beyond us. We have an audience, and Gabriel doesn’t want our words carried to the court.
“But—but he was there. He was…” I let the words die on my tongue as I see two masked figures approaching.
It’s Mother, and behind her, Prince Leland. She lifts her mask, studying me closely. “Darling, you must be overtired. Prince Leland has offered to escort you to your rooms.”
I hesitate. We’re supposed to declare our engagement to the court tonight. I need to convince the entire kingdom—and Prince Leland’s retinue—that I’m serious about this marriage. “The engagement announcement?”
“Your health is the priority,” Leland answers with a gentle smile. “There will be another day for that.”
I nod as he places his gloved hands on my upper arms, helping me stand and offering steady support that, to others, looks like a gentleman escorting a lady—not a woman clinging to a man she hardly knows like a last refuge. I straighten my spine, despite the fact that all I want to do is collapse. I don’t make a fuss as Leland leads me toward the door, though I’d much prefer it were my father—or even Gabriel—walking me back to my apartment. I don’t know how I can face Prince Leland, not with the confusion running rampant through my mind.
The only man I ever loved, the one who broke my heart, a man I thoughtdeadall these years, has returned. And returned for me. Butthat path is closed. My duty is to my people and to Leland now. I can’t let Kieran—Mr. Blackwell—distract me from that duty.
“Your sister said you had another glass of wine. Do you think it caused you to become overset?” Leland asks as we walk the halls toward my rooms.
I shake my head. I cannot tell him that the man he believes to be a trusted friend is someone I once knew intimately.
“Do you know how I got inside?” I inquire. “The last thing I remember was walking onto the terrace to find you.”
His grip on my arm is light, offering just enough support to steady me. It’s polite and gentlemanly. “Unfortunately, I stepped away with my sister and General Pryor. I suppose Prince Gabriel found you.”
“Of course. You weren’t there.” I nod as I pull the key to my apartment from a discreet pocket hidden in the folds of my skirt. “Thank you for escorting me to my rooms.”
His eyes meet mine, two cool chips of ice, but his face is warm, his expression sincere as he asks, “May I join you in your sitting room? Just to get to know you better.”
All I want is a moment alone to sneak down to my glasshouse and calm my raging nerves. But how can I refuse him? We were supposed to grow better acquainted tonight, and with the court distracted at the ball, this may be one of the few moments we have alone together for days.
“Of course. Come in.” I open the door just enough for him to slip through, ensuring no one sees us before locking it securely behind us. A fire crackles in the grate, and a small plate of refreshments waits on the sideboard.
“Would you like anything to eat?” I offer, gesturing toward the food. I’ve had little since early afternoon, but I can’t eat now—not with my mind flashing back to Kieran’s face.
“Yes, actually—I’m famished,” Leland says, helping himself to cheeses, cured meats, and vegetables.
While Leland makes a plate, my mind drifts to Morris Blackwell. Hemusthave been Kieran. No one else has ever called me Gen. But why would he stay away from me all these years? Why did he leave me in the first place? His brief letter of farewell was so curt, so harsh, and I never understood why.
I think back to the night I brought him to this very room, not as a friend but as a lover. How he touched me with such reverence, such adoration. No one has ever treated me like that. Our whispered words of love are etched into my heart even now.
The argument we had afterwards all because I was afraid of what the court would say after Kieran asked me to marry him—shouldn’t have ended us so easily. He shouldn’t have left after one difficult moment. The way he avoided me for days afterward stung deeply, and as a young woman, I hadn’t known what to say.
