She touched her hair, still tumbled from sleep, and glanced down at her dress.The ties were undone, the hem too short, her dirty boots visible.“Thank you.It was my mother’s.”
“It looks to be a fine gown.”
“It was Mother’s wedding gown.”
His eyes snapped to hers.
“I was getting sold off to Jean.I was supposed to be married—” she glanced at the sun “—three hours ago.But I detest him.He is a horrible, vain, unkind person.”She licked her lips and took a deep breath.“I love you, Riven.I would rather be here, suffering with a frog prince, than married to a human I detest.”
Riven said nothing, just stared at her.
“Well?Are you not going to reply?I just told you I love you.”
Rivenwummedand lowered himself in the water.“You should return home, Bella.There is nothing for you here.”
Chapter 17
‘Twas the most beautifulsentence ever uttered to him, by the woman he had come to love deeply, but Riven could not in good conscience repeat the words to her.
‘Twould be unfair.
‘Twould be damaging to her future.
He cared so deeply for her that he could not,would not, do anything to harm her.
A troubling quandary for sure.
She stood there, alone on the shore, just waiting for him to say something, do something, but Riven had nothing left in his soul for her.
His family had not come looking for him.
Philippe had not returned.
The enchantress intended to end his life in a week’s time, and there was no way on earth Riven would be able to clean this pond in time.
Faced with his own mortality, Riven intended to crawl out of the muck and wait on the shore until his senses left him and he became a true frog, robbing Brumenhildr of the chance to further curse him, but some deep-rooted survival instinct kicked in.He swam to the bottom and hauled out more and more junk—boots and broken utensils and old hambones and slime—until he panted with the effort.When he noticed Bella getting on Nocturne and moping off to the castle, he gave up, draping himself on this floating wagon wheel with exhaustion.
