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Despite all her attempts not to, she smiled back at him and his face lit up. Even though he was carrying her down the hill, wearing clothes that were now covered in mud, James looked genuinely pleased to be there. Happiness expanded inside her, pushing the pain in her ankle to the background.
She breathed in deeply again. How could he smell so good? Then she remembered why. Pheromones.
‘You okay?’ he asked.
‘What?’
‘You frowned. How’s the pain?’
‘Oh…’ For a moment, she’d forgotten all about it. ‘Um…’ Think! She faked a sneeze.
‘Estelle?’
‘Er… I’ve been meaning to say something to you for a while now, but didn’t want to offend you.’
James’s eyes widened with shock, then he burst out laughing.
Fuck’s sake.
‘You didn’t want to offend me?’ he finally managed.
‘Yes. Because you might construe it as a personal criticism.’
‘Heaven forbid you put a stop to the endless compliments. How will my cold, dead heart survive?’
She huffed.
‘Will your words pierce my soul?’ he continued. ‘Oh, hang on, according to you, I don’t have one.’
If James hadn’t been laughing quite so much, Estelle would have felt dreadful remembering all the awful things she’d said to him.
‘Go on then,’ he said. ‘Out with it. Do I smell bad? Am I too ugly to look at?’
Just tell him! If you don’t, then the witchcraft will wear you down!
She let out another fake sneeze. ‘I need you to stop wearing your cologne around me.’
‘Why? You said you liked it.’
‘When?’
‘At the Winter Ball.’
Dammit. ‘I was, er, in shock.’ She sniffed. ‘I’m actually really allergic to it.’
One eyebrow raised. ‘In what way?’
‘Achoo.’
James snorted with laughter.
‘What? I am!’
‘If you say so.’
He opened the gate behind the livery and carried her through.
‘James! You have to stop wearing it! It’s driving me nuts,’ she hissed.
