Page 19 of The Forbidden Fling

“The princess’s chambers.” Riley pointed up at one of the windows. “The princess would spend every morning looking out at the view, writing her poetry, and then reciting it to her servants in the afternoon.”

“Really? What did she write about?”

“Love. Heartbreak. Feminism. The poems she wrote either brought people together or tore them apart. She had a power through words like no one else.”

Sounds like Princesa Inês had heaps of the enigma, too.

“Didn’t she write something famous about the moon?” Ella asked. “‘Do not swear by the moon, for she changes constantly’?”

Riley’s eyebrows drew together. “I don’t think that’s one of hers…but it’s pretty.” She gave Ella a kiss on the forehead, and they linked hands, heading out the back “door”—an empty hole—to chat with some other guests.

“Shakespeare.”

Faye smelled Diana’s perfume before she appeared beside her.

“Pardon?”

Diana gazed up at the window in question. “‘O, swear not by the moon, the inconstant moon.’ It’s Shakespeare.”

Faye wet her lips and swallowed, thrown off by the woman’s sudden presence and her reciting poetry in that rich tone. “A big Shakespeare fan?”

“Not particularly.” Her mouth ticked. “But I admire that quote.”

“I’m not a Shakespeare fan either.”

Diana took a few steps, examining the structure. Her playsuit teased at the curves underneath, and Faye loved how the material fell over her figure with every step.

“Do you believe that?” Diana asked.

“Believe what?” Faye hoped she hadn’t missed something by admiring her too hard.

“That Princesa Inês acted like a Cupid of the island, using poems to unite and divide whoever she saw fit?”

She breathed in Diana’s intoxicating scent, the space between them shrinking. “It’s not as far-fetched as some things, so sure, why not?”

Diana’s eyebrow quirked. “A romantic, are we?”

Faye shifted her feet. “Perhaps.”

“It shows.” A slow smirk spread across Diana’s face, one that dripped gooey heat from Faye’s sternum into the pit of her stomach.

A rustle in the foliage interrupted her thoughts. Green and white flashed across the open doorway. A series of sharp, distressed chirps grew louder until a bundle of feathers tumbled through the space and cowered in the corner, flapping.

Faye’s heart sank. A bird flailed in the white net, its wing caught in the holes. Each frantic movement further entangled itself.

The rest of the group appeared at the doorway, and Faye jumped into protection mode. “Wait outside,” she said. “We need to give it space to calm down.” She dropped to a crouch, trying to appear less threatening, and cooed at the bird. “Hey. It’s gonna be okay. We’re going to help you take that nasty net off.”

The bird twitched, letting out another distress call that pulled at Faye’s heart. She took in the bright green feathers and orange beak. Some sort of parakeet. The net obstructed some of its head, but when it angled towards her, she caught a flash of pink, like a little pink crown. A Pink Polari parakeet.

She released a breath. To have seen one of the rare birds endemic to the island was incredible. But not like this. She inspected the net. It appeared new and clean, not like an old fishing one the bird had accidentally tangled itself up in. Someone had done this on purpose.

“What’s going on?” Riley peeked through one of the holes in the wall.

“A Pink Polari parakeet is caught in a net. Looks like it injured a wing.”

“Oh, Jesus. Let me alert the wildlife centre.” After a few steps, Riley’s walkie-talkie crackled to life, and Portuguese rolled off her tongue.

The darkness inside the structure seemed to help the bird. It sat in the corner, breathing heavily but no longer fighting against the net. Faye spotted the brown patch above the beak. A female.