Page 103 of A Tempest of Shadows

“Then let the past go and focus on being happy,” Scarlet said.

“I have to tell him the truth.”

“Why?”

Sputtering sounds came out as I tried to form an answer, but Scarlet held up her hand to stop me before I spoke again.

“I love you, Lery. You’re my best friend, always have been and always will be. I know you love him, but you’re right, this can’t go anywhere between you. So why do you have to tell him? If you tell him, he can use it against you in the future.

“This is going to end. I’m sorry to say that, but it is. His father won’t allow anything more than what this is, and while Ryker won’t have to marry another, he’ll never be allowed to marry you. If his father knew who you were, he would have probably ended it by now.”

The truth of her words made me recoil like she’d slapped me in the face. I already knew all these things; I’d said them to myself many, many times, but hearing them from her made me realize I’d still been retaining some hope that maybe I was wrong and we could somehow, miraculously, end up together.

“I’m so sorry,” Scarlet gushed. “I’m not saying this to upset you; it’s all stuff you’ve already told me, but I’m trying to put a new perspective on it. If this is going to end, then why does your secret have to be exposed?”

My head spun as I tried to process her words, but while my heart told me Ryker should know the truth, my head said she had a logical argument. Or maybe it was one I wanted to grasp to justify my actions.

Scarlet leaned forward and rested her hand on top of mine. “I know the guilt is eating you alive, but it’s better to deal with that than to end up in a prison cell or with your head chopped off. How much longer do you think this can last between you?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted.

“Then ride it out until the end. Have fun while you still can, because there is so little joy left in this realm. If you’ve found it, don’t give it up until you have to, and don’t let guilt ruin it.”

I didn’t speak for a few seconds as I tried to process what she was saying. Then, I threw myself into her arms; she laughed and hugged me back.

“And for fuck’s sake, don’t be a complete moron and get yourself killed,” she said. “I wouldn’t know what to do without you.”

I laughed as we squeezed each other. Leave it to Scarlet to somehow make this mess not seem as bad.

“So,” Scarlet said when we untangled from each other, “you have to tell me about the sex. Is it fantastic?”

“I’m not talking about that.”

“That good, huh?”

I grinned at her. “Better.”

Scarlet fanned herself with her hand. “Oh my.”

I laughed, and we shifted our attention back to the weeds. Soon, the plants would be tall enough to block the sun from the weeds, but they still required our help.

Scarlet peppered me with questions as we worked, and we laughed while the sun crept higher in the sky. I wiped the sweat from my brow as the jingle of a harness drew my attention.

Beside me, Scarlet sat back on her heels, and we watched to see who was coming down the road. Even though Ryker always rode bareback and said he’d be gone for a few days, my heart soared.

Maybe he’s returned early.

Rising, I wiped my dirty hands on the apron covering my lightweight brown pants and pale green shirt as the sound drew closer. When carriage wheels rattled over the road, my hope deflated. Ryker never arrived in a carriage.

Convinced it was only a passing traveler, I was about to shift my attention back to weeding when the carriage rounded a bend, and the duke’s insignia came into view on the side of the vehicle. The red and yellow shield with a phoenix in the middle made me gulp. I glanced at Scarlet as she rose beside me and her hand found mine as the carriage halted in front of the manor.

CHAPTER EIGHTY-SEVEN

Ellery

From a few hundred feet away, my mother emerged from the rows of plants and strode up the hill toward the road. I started after her, intending to call her back, but Scarlet jerked on my hand when I stepped forward.

“This might not be about you,” Scarlet hissed. “If he didn’t know who you were when he saw you in his son’s bed, then don’t show yourself now.”