Rose’s delicate face glowed, and Fern’s heart cracked in two. “Thank you, Fern. I don’t know what I would do without you.”
Fern paused on each step during her descent, her fingernails digging into the wooden banister as she willed her trembling knees to hold. Alex waited in the drawing room, dressed simply in a crisp tweed suit. His entire face lit up when she entered the room.
What would it be like to have someone show delight in her presence? To anticipate her arrival with glee instead of dread?
Fern looked past him to the portrait hanging above the fireplace. She had studied it during her catalog of artwork the previous day. Her family, captured when she and Rose had just turned twelve, her seated mother flanked by her husband and surrounded by daughters. Fern’s eye immediately went to her sister. Rose glowed with vitality, her beauty on display in a series of brush strokes. Fern stood by her side, slightly in her shadow, her lips flat and eyes wide. Fern remembered the day clearly, how frustrated she had been by hours of sitting still, how her mother and father lost patience. But Rose never did. She never lost patience and held her hand through the entire sitting.
I can’t betray her like this.
“You’re early,” she managed to gasp. “My father hasn’t returned yet.”
Alex closed the gap between them in three large strides, waiting until Salisbury left before taking her hand and pulling her to the far side of the room, kissing her soundly. “I couldn’t wait,” he whispered against her lips. “I needed to talk to you, to see you again.”
For a moment the world fell away and she was back in the rotunda, back where time did not exist, where there were no sisters or fathers or professors, no limits and no rules. Where they could love each other without worrying about the consequences of their actions.
She broke the kiss. There was no use in dwelling on impossible dreams.
“I can’t do this,” she said, watching his face fall.
“What? What changed your mind?”
“Rose will be down in a moment, and she fully believes you will propose. If we tell her the truth, I’ll destroy my family. Rose doesn’t deserve this. The truth is—” Her voice caught in her throat. She cleared it and tried again. “I should have told you, but at the party—”
“Fern, don’t do this,” Alex interrupted, pulling her close and stroking her back. “I know this will be difficult, but I will stand with you through it all. We both made mistakes. I should have told Rose as soon as I started having feelings for you.”
“I lied to Rose,” she said through unshed tears. “I never told her about helping you court her.”
He hesitated before responding. “You had no ill intentions.”
“But I did,” she said, pushing against his chest so she could see his eyes, the beautiful blue pools filled with love and adoration. He wouldn’t look at her so fondly when he knew the truth. “I wanted you to help me get into Oxford and I—I manipulated you, and I used your feelings for Rose—”
“You didn’t. I truly thought I wanted to be with Rose, but she wasn’t the right person for me.Youare the one for me, and nothing can change how I feel. This will hurt, but we will get through it together.”
“Alex, you’re here!” Alex and Fern jumped apart as Rose swept into the room, beaming. “Why don’t you sit?”
“I’m afraid I won’t be long. Miss Rose,” Alex started, staying on his feet as he shifted. He drew a deep breath and met her eyes. “I’m sorry, but I won’t be asking your father for your hand today.”
Rose’s expression darkened as her gaze darted between her sister and the man she hoped to marry. “What—what do you mean?”
Alex looked to Fern. Bile rose in her throat as she anticipated the pain she was about to cause. Alex’s voice was low when he spoke again. “You’ve been nothing but kind and gracious to me, and I certainly never intended to hurt you, but marrying you would be wrong.”
Stars swam in front of Fern’s eyes. She bobbled on her feet for a moment before reaching out to grab Alex’s arm. “Alex, wait—”
“I have feelings for Fern,” Alex said, the words tumbling out. “Romantic feelings. I love her. I’m so sorry, Rose.”
“For Fern?” Rose gasped, her voice barely a whisper. “I—I don’t understand. Fern?”
“We didn’t plan on it,” Alex said carefully. “We never meant to hurt you—”
“Stop,” Rose hissed. She sat down hard on the settee, as though her legs had given out before fixing her twin with a hard stare. “Fern, please. Tell me this isn’t true.” Fern could hear the desperation in Rose’s voice, for something to explain what she had just heard.
Fern’s tears fell unencumbered down her cheeks. “I’m so sorry, Rose.”
Rose shook her head, as though she were waking herself from a bad dream. “This isn’t real, it can’t be.” Her green eyes shot between Alex and Fern. “Is this some terrible joke? You can’t be serious.”
“I’m in love with Fern,” Alex said, taking Fern’s hand in his. “I’m so sorry to hurt you like this.”
Dozens of emotions passed over her twin’s features before her gaze became intense, her eyes unblinking. “All those times,” she said, slowly standing from the settee, her fists clenched at her sides and cheeks flushed as she stared at Fern. “All those times we talked about Alex, you never once said you and he…”
