Page 63 of The Duke’s Wager

Despite the excitement on stage, Edward was still fixated on Lucy’s frozen figure. Then, as though suddenly awakened from a slumber, she moved.

It was a small motion at first. Just her hand, reaching out and grabbing the rail in front of her. Then she stood, to the ire of those around her, who shot her annoyed glances.

Edward watched quietly as Lucy and her father engaged in a conversation filled with harsh whispers.

Then, as though he had given her permission to do so, she pushed past the other people in their box and rushed away – like the music had chased her out of there, as though she needed to escape.

He knew it was far too real. She wanted to escape, and though she had managed to do so in the opera house, there was far more she needed to escape from.

Like the princess on the stage, she needed to find a way to get rid of the evil wizard who held her captive – and she could not do it alone. He wanted to go after her, had to go after her, but…

“Oh, go on then.”

Edward looked at his grandmother, surprised. Was she truly encouraging him to go after Lucy?

By the looks of it, she was. She had a small smile, and she nodded her head only once. It was all it took. He rushed to his feet and pushed past the annoyed theatergoers without so much as an apology.

With a muttered ‘thank you’ in his grandmother’s direction, Edward too left the hall.

Outside, in the foyer of the opera house, he hesitated.

Had it been stupid of him to attempt to follow her? Where would he even begin to look for her? The place was filled with halls and rooms, she could even have gone outside.

No, he decided she would not have gone outside – this would risk her father’s wrath. She must have been inside, in one of these rooms. And he would search every single one of them.

The first few rooms were empty, much to his frustration. Where would she have gone? She would have looked for silence, he knew that much.

The sound of the music coming from the hall told him that he was not far enough. She would be on the other end of the opera house, further away from the music. She would have wanted to escape it.

As though by magic, he made his way to another door, then another, and another, until finally, his hand wavered over yet another one.

The door opened slowly, and there she was. She was leaning over a discarded dressing table, her knuckles white as she gripped onto it. Her breathing was labored, as though she had run quite a long way.

She noticed him through the mirror in front of her and turned suddenly to face him.

Her eyes were no longer fraught with sadness but blazing instead with anger.

“Lucy…” Edward took a hesitant step forward, hoping that she would be willing to listen to him. She shook her head, her entire body trembling.

“Get… out…” She was out of breath, her eyes wild. “Get out, Edward! Get out and leave me alone!”

She turned away from him before seeing whether he’d obliged her request.

He should leave her be, he knew this. He had to respect her request and give her the privacy she yearned for. It would be easy. All he had to do was turn around and leave.

Instead, he took another step forward.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

She was dizzy. The entire world was spinning around her wildly and everything became fuzzy and blurry. She could not find a focal point to ground her.

To make it even worse, the corset cut into her ribs painfully. It hurt, and it was uncomfortable.

He was still in the room. She was vividly aware of this, but she could not pay him any mind. She had to focus on her lightheadedness, her weariness, the pain of her corset…

The corset. It made it difficult, near impossible, to breathe. She wanted nothing more than to tear it off and throw it to the side.

Black spots started appearing in front of her. She was not certain what it was that made it impossible for her to breathe. Was it the corset? Perhaps. Was it the reality of the opera they had just watched, that reminded her so much of her own captivated life? Possibly.