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"Excellent! As always, Mr. Scollard is a genius," Courtney exclaimed. "Further, I concur with his opinion exactly. It gives me all the more confidence in the advice I'm about to dispense."
"Which is?"
"Don't wait to tell Julian you love him. When the next opportunity arises, tell him."
"Immediately?" Aurora's jaw dropped.
"Yes. For many reasons. First, you're far too forthright to restrain yourself. Second, despite your concern to the contrary, Julian is far too arrogant to reject your declaration. He might even savor it. Either way he'll need time to adjust, to face his own feelings and come to grips with the inevitable. Believe me, it will be far easier for him to lower his walls if he's certain your love awaits on the other side."
"And how do I convince him of that?"
"That, my dear friend, is something only you can decide and only you can accomplish. But somehow I think you'll manage quite well."
"You're serious." Aurora's heart was pounding like a drum.
"Absolutely."
"Courtney, what if he…?"
"He won't."
"I have to think about this." Aurora resumed pacing. "I never imagined a man could have so much power over me. Ironic, isn't it? I just secured my freedom and now I'm bound in a more fundamental way than I was before."
"But this time it's by choice."
"Or by fate," Aurora amended, considering Mr. Scollard's words.
"Yes, fate." Courtney leaned contentedly back against the pillow, regarding her friend with a smug grin. "I suspect fate has wondrous plans for you."
"If you say so."
"Do you doubt Mr. Scollard and me?"
Aurora rolled her eyes. "All right," she decided. "I'll tell him. Heaven help me, I'll tell him."
* * *
Chapter 10
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Dawn's pale rays awakened her.
Rolling onto her back, Aurora blinked, opening her eyes to stare up at the familiar ceiling, wondering why she felt so out of sorts awakening in her own bedchamber.
The answer spilled forth like the sunlight. Julian wasn't beside her.
Propping herself on her elbows, Aurora scanned the room, confirming that her husband indeed was not there. She'd waited up half the night for him until her aching body and heavy eyelids won out and sleep had claimed her.
Perhaps that had been for the best.
She was still reeling from her conversation with Courtney, or rather, from its outcome. She'd expected many things from her friend: compassion, understanding, profound discussion. All of which she'd gotten in abundance. What she hadn't expected was the s
heer impulsiveness of Courtney's response. It was she who was the reckless one, the one who rushed impetuously into situations. Courtney was calmer, more rational, capable of weighing all the ramifications before acting. And yet, just when Aurora was facing the most overwhelming of challenges, when she'd somehow found the sensibility to restrain herself from blurting out her feelings to Julian, Courtney had urged her to do precisely that.
What's more, she'd agreed.
Had she agreed because it suited her nature to do so, or because she truly believed telling Julian was the right thing to do? Swiftly she reevaluated the reasons she'd originally conjured up for deferring her revelation: the compelling search for the black diamond, her own reticence, and, most significantly, Julian's.
