“I’m not blackmailing you,” Camilla countered. “I’m merely suggesting a bit of a favor, something you now owe me because I granted you a favor and look how well that turned out.”
“That is a compelling argument,” Adelaide said.
Gideon smiled. “Perhaps, but I’m still not letting her use the Assassin’s Creed because she’s liable to lose a limb. What kind of a friend would I be if I was responsible for something like that?”
“I’m not going to lose a limb,” Camilla argued. “And it’s the Assassin’s Creed or no five minutes alone with Adelaide.”
Gideon’s brows drew together. “I don’t believe there needs to be a time limit to this because if you’ve forgotten, Adelaide and I are getting married next week. Frankly, there’s really not much point in even having you around to chaperone us.”
“Au contraire,” Camilla returned. “There’s every need to have me chaperone the two of you because this isnotnext week.”
Adelaide grinned. “She’s a tough negotiator, Gideon. I say you’re going to have to capitulate to her demands if you want to spend even five minutes alone with me.”
Gideon sent Adelaide a warm smile before he turned to Camilla. “Fine. I’ll teach you how to shoot the Assassin’s Creed but not until Adelaide and I get back from our holiday.”
“I better not find out you’ve decided to spend months away” was all Camilla said to that before she turned on her heel andheaded for the back room, looking over her shoulder before she reached the door. “And no stealing additional kisses.”
“It’s not stealing if I do it out in the open.”
“No kissing,” Camilla reiterated before she headed through the doorway.
“She’s very annoying,” Gideon muttered.
“But you adore her.”
“I do, but I’d adore her more if she’d given us more than five minutes.”
“We’ll have all the time in the world to be alone after next week.”
He smiled and drew her near, placing his arms around her waist. “It seems far too long to have to wait,” he murmured before he bent his head and placed his lips on hers. The world disappeared as she leaned into him, savoring the feel of his lips against hers.
Far too soon, he pulled away, but not before placing a featherlight kiss on her forehead. “Next week cannot arrive fast enough.”
She grinned. “I agree, but tell me, what are you doing here? I thought you were taking today to make additional arrangements for wherever it is we’re going on holiday after the wedding, which, I have to say, is very romantic on your part, keeping it a secret, but rather difficult for me to know how to pack for the trip.”
“Your mother was going to pack for you because she knew where we were intending to go, which was Egypt, but ... there’s been a change of plans.”
“We were going to Egypt?”
“I thought you’d enjoy traveling there because of that mummy book you were reading when you caught me in the library at the Nelsons’ dinner party. However, don’t fret that we won’t make it to Egypt. We simply have somewhere else we need to go first.”
He walked over to the wrapped box he’d brought in with him, returned to her side, handed it to her, and grinned. “Open it.”
“Is it going to explain the change in our plans?”
“You’ll see.”
With her lips curving into a grin, Adelaide untied the bow, pried the lid off, then pushed aside some paper, her eyes widening when she caught sight of a hat resting inside the box. Pulling it out, she discovered it was similar to a gentleman’s top hat, but it was done up in a deep emerald green, with a simple piece of black satin wrapped around the base, a black feather attached to the satin.
“It’s a protype I had made for you.”
Adelaide raised a hand to her throat. “Do not say there’s a gun stored inside that pops out of the top.”
“There is, but that’s not the only gift for you in the box. Look underneath the paper at the very bottom.”
Adelaide set aside the hat, which she knew even Camilla wouldn’t have an issue with because it was incredibly fashionable, and withdrew another wrapped package.
Sending him another grin, she attacked the wrapping, then blinked and blinked again when she pulled out a wig—or more specifically, a platinum wig that looked remarkably like the one Sophia had been wearing around town.
