“They’re fine,” Theo said dismissively. “The wounds are shallow. They’ll heal.”
“And the rest of you?” She searched his face anxiously, her voice a whisper. “You were so ill, Theo. I thought you were going to die.”
He grimaced. “I think I was close to it. I’ve never experienced an illness like it. I still don’t understand it.”
“I do, a little,” Elowen said.
Theo listened soberly as she explained about the vials, the investigation she and Lady Sophia had undertaken, and what Simeon had told them on the road.
“The duke’s family will be crushed by this,” he observed once she was done.
“Yes,” Elowen agreed, her voice sad.
“Do you think Sophia’s right that her father wasn’t involved in the disasters?” Theo asked. “I had my guard make inquiries after we visited the landslide site, and I have reason to think that he was no longer sharing all the evidence with the king. Before that trip, he said he had a promising line of inquiry, but after it, that apparently dried up, which seemed suspicious to me. I had assumed he was trying to hide the embarrassing truth about his servant, but now…”
“Now it seems he was covering for Bertrand,” Elowen finished, her voice heavy. “That I can believe.”
“If it was after the landslide visit he changed his approach, then he must have recognized Bertrand’s scarf in the description from the witness. It must have been torture to begin suspecting his own son. Unless he was involved all along, in which case it would only be the fear of exposure plaguing him.”
“I don’t think he was involved,” Elowen said. “I can’t believe it of him.”
“Well, either way, his standing will suffer,” Theo observed. “And perhaps it deserves to, frankly. I’ve never met someone as dangerously indulged as Bertrand, and we’ve seen the consequences with our own eyes.”
“Yes.” Elowen’s exquisite face wrinkled in a frown. “He should never have been given half the license he was, by any of us.”
“Bertrand is the least of my concerns now,” Theo said. “It seems Cassius was right about the threat from the continent, and it’s terrifying to think their magic craft is advanced so far beyond ours.”
“It is,” Elowen agreed. “If there’s another war, it won’t bode well.”
Theo leaned forward, taking one of her slim hands in both of his. “But we’ll be so much stronger together. And…” He hesitated. “And I hope our kingdoms will stand together, although I don’t mean to pressure you.”
“Theo.” She laid her other hand over his, her touch light but determined. “Surely you know by now.”
She swallowed, seeming nervous, and he searched her eyes seriously.
“Theo, you said before that you wanted to win me before we set our wedding date.”
“I meant win your heart,” he said quickly. “I didn’t mean to make you into a competition, or—”
“I understand.” She cut him off with a laugh. “What I’m trying to say is that you’ve already won me. If it was up to me, we’d get married tomorrow.”
Theo’s breath caught, fire surging up through his veins at the look in her eyes. For a long moment, they just stared at each other. Then he looked to the side, observing with approval the presence of curtains on the carriage windows. He pulled them both closed with purposeful movements before shifting onto the opposite seat, beside Elowen. She was blushing adorably, her eyes shy as they looked up into his.
He lowered his face so that his mouth hovered over her ear. “In case you think I’m only capable of passion when my mind isaddled by mysterious magical ailments,” he murmured, his lips brushing the shape of her ear and eliciting a pleasant shiver, “I’m going to kiss you now.”
Elowen raised her face to his in a silent invitation, and Theo at last pressed his lips against the soft, irresistible ones that had been haunting his dreams. Elowen returned his kiss with an eagerness he would never have expected from the demure face she’d shown him when they first met, and a low growl of approval escaped him. The movement of their lips was perfectly in sync, and the sensation was bliss. One of her hands was splayed against his chest, and her hair had come loose enough to flow freely over the fingers he’d slipped under it so he could cradle her head.
Without breaking the kiss, Theo snaked an arm around Elowen’s waist, tucking her against him where she fit like they were made for each other.
Maybe they were. Not long ago, he’d thought sentiment like that ridiculous, but he’d been wrong about so many things, why not this, too?
“Elowen.” He pulled back, his breathing uneven. “I’m so sorry.”
“What for?” she asked, sounding dazed. “If you’re apologizing for your kissing abilities, trust me, you don’t need to.”
Theo’s chuckle rumbled in his chest. “I’m glad you feel that way, my love, since my kisses will be reserved for you alone until the day I die.”
She laid a contented head against his chest. “They’d better be.”
