“Adeline!”
With surprising speed, Ceriwyn darted across the grass and nearly toppled them both. Adeline was only glad she’d at least paused to shove her wineglass into Alun’s hand before barrelling into her. She’d barely caught her balance when Ceri pulled away, holding her by the arms and looking her over as though they’d been parted for a decade.
“You lookbeautiful,” she hushed, eyes wide with awe. “That’s not a Dhaliaan dress, is it?”
“It’s one of Imogen’s,” said Adeline, then grinned. “She made it for your brother’s first ball in Eisalaan; I was told to make an impression.”
Ceri gave a tipsy snort.
“And that you did,” she said. Then, releasing Adeline’s arms, she stepped back and fanned out her skirts. “Now, my turn. Tell me I look beautiful, too.’
Ceriwyn wore her dark hair half up, highlighting the smooth angles of her face and eyes of wine-glazed hazel. Her dress was soft and flowing, in a bright colour that might have shone sunshine yellow in the light; here in the shadows, it glowed like the moon above them, a richly embroidered bodice with glints of silver in the floral twists and vine-like swirls. Handsto her chest, Adeline gave a dramatic gasp, and Ceri beamed—then whipped around in a lopsided twirl, losing her footing at once. She stumbled sideways into Al, who immediately dropped both wineglasses to catch her by the waist and haul her upright before she could teeter into the grass. Only when the two of them had caught their breath between drunken giggles did Adeline manage to answer, through a particularly knowing smile.
“Of course you do.”
“I do what?” Ceri said, dabbing distractedly at her tears of mirth.
“You do look beautiful, Ceri,” Al clarified, still grinning down at her.
Ceri’s breath caught audibly, and Al’s eyes blew wide.
“Oh,” Ceri said, quite breathless all of a sudden. She blinked up at him. “Well. Thanks, Al.”
Alun’s face was the very picture of alarm.
“Oh, I just meant that’s what—”
He shot a helpless look at Adeline, who would have been quite pleased if Aera herself chose that moment to pick her up and spirit her away on the Winds—somewhere far enough to give these two the privacy they clearly needed.
Al swallowed and turned back to a beet-faced Ceri.
“You’re welcome,” he said quietly.
And then, at some cue Adeline was unaware of, the two of them seemed to realise they were still clinging to each other and quickly peeled apart, abruptly sober. Alun dropped to the ground and busied himself with retrieving the toppledwineglasses. Ceri shot a rather frantic look around the garden over his crouched form.
“Well, I have to find, erm—Os. Yes.”
She nodded briskly, then picked up her skirts and weaved off in the opposite direction from the throng of the party just as Alun shot to his feet.
“And I have to find more wine,” he said morosely. Adeline gave him a half-grimace, and he returned it tenfold before he wandered off the other way.
Painful,she thought.
“What on all of Adhlas wasthatabout?”
Although it had never come up, Adeline had always been under the distinct impression that—no matter how obvious it was toher—Kai had absolutely no idea how his closest friend felt about his younger sister. Which is why, at the sound of his voice behind her, the reflexive flutter in her stomach was muffled.
Bollocks.
“Oh,” she said quickly. “Bit too much wine, I think.”
“I’m not surprised,” he was saying as she turned. “They’ve been drinking it like wat—”
Kai’s voice choked off as they came face to face; his bristled jaw went slack.
And Adeline grinned.
“Like water?” she guessed.
