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“And you can be my seductive lady of intrigue,” he said, trying to get her to loosen up so she could enjoy the evening.”
“Intrigue, huh?”
He nodded, anxious to see her in the gown. He’d never bought clothes for a woman before. And now he wanted to see if his hard work had paid off. “You’d better hurry. You don’t want to be late for the ball.”
“But what about the note?”
He frowned. Maybe she needed a dose of reality. “You know how you accused your father of being all caught up in the past?” When she nodded, he added, “Well, you’re getting just as caught up in this note. It’s not healthy.”
Her gaze narrowed. “You don’t understand—”
“I do understand. Just remember who has stood by you through all of this. I want you to know the truth, but I also want you to realize that there’s more to life than that note, than the past. Tonight we go to the ball. And tomorrow we will work on solving the message. Agreed?”
She didn’t say anything.
“Annabelle?”
“Fine. Agreed.”
Knock. Knock.
When Annabelle opened the door, Mrs. Chambers stood there. Her silver hair was twisted and pinned up. Her expression was vacant, not allowing anyone to see her thoughts about finding Annabelle in Grayson’s room. Not that he cared what anyone thought.
The woman said, “Ma’am, I came to help you dress for the ball.”
“I’ll be right there.”
“Yes, Ma’am. I’ll wait for you in your room.” The woman turned and walked away.
Annabelle waited a moment before she said, “Do you think she overheard us talking about the note?”
He had absolutely no idea, but he knew that Annabelle was already stressed. “I don’t think we were loud enough for her to hear us through the door.” He moved to her side and brushed his fingers over her cheek. “Just give me tonight and I’ll give you my undivided attention tomorrow.”
She stepped closer. “Does that mean no laptop?”
He readily nodded, which was quite odd for him. Normally he felt most at ease when his fingers were flying over the keyboard typing code or answering emails. His hands wrapped around Annabelle’s waist. But tonight, his hands felt much better right here.
“No laptop.” He leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to her lips.
When he pulled back, her eyes were still closed. They fluttered open. The confusion about why he’d pulled away so quickly was reflected in them.
“There will be more of that later.” He had no doubts. “But first you need to change. It wouldn’t do for Cinderella to be late to the ball.”
“When you put it that way, you have a deal.” She lifted up on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his lips.
Before he could pull her close again, she stepped out of his reach. A naughty smile lit up her face. “We have a ball to attend.”
He sighed. Suddenly the ball didn’t sound like that great an idea, but Annabelle was already out the door. He shook his head. This evening was going to be far more complicated than he ever imagined. Because there was more to those kisses than either of them was willing to admit.
And yet this evening was going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. A ball attended by a king and a duke. And Grayson would have the most beautiful woman in his arms...all night long.
* * *
The answer could wait.
Now that the moment of truth was almost here, Annabelle wasn’t so sure she was doing the right thing. What if she learned something bad about her mother?
Annabelle’s stomach quivered with nerves. What exactly had her mother gotten herself mixed up in? Did her father secretly know? What if all this time he’d been trying to protect her mother’s memory? The thought sent a chill down Annabelle’s spine.
