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I manage to wheeze a laugh despite how tightly they’re squeezing me. “I’m happy for me too.”
Breeda circles over my head. “I knew I was witnessing a love story in the making. Remember when I said that? Hmmm?”
I catch sight of Dante grinning over at me. “I suppose you were right all along.”
Foxglove and Evie finally let me go, but as soon as Foxglove steps back, I catch him wringing his hands, lips pulled into a grimace. When he sees me looking, he halts and hides his hands behind his back.
I narrow my eyes. “Foxglove…”
He releases a heavy sigh. “I hate to break up the buoyant mood so soon, but I suppose this is a good time to tell you…well…the press is outside your cottage right now.”
My mouth falls open. “What? How did they…”
Dante and I exchange a knowing glance.
“Damn it, Albert,” Dante mutters under his breath. “He had one job.”
I roll my eyes. We should have known better than to rely on Albert to draw attention away from our real wedding location. King Grigory may have had his share of demands regarding our nuptials, but I had conditions of my own. The primary one being a small outdoor ceremony in the Autumn Court woods close to home. No guests, only four witnesses. To divert the press from guessing our real wedding location, we spread a rumor of a large ceremony at a posh hotel in the Lunar Court. Albert was tasked with being seen coming in and out of the hotel with various pieces of evidence in tow—a wedding dress, a florist accompanied by an assortment of bouquets, and an overlarge cake.
Foxglove resumes wringing his hands. “He performed dutifully until around noon today, when I got word that Holly Abercrombie had found him. He abandoned his post at the hotel after that and is now holed up at a gentlemen’s club.”
“It’s all right,” Evie says with exaggerated enthusiasm. “You can stay at Maplehearth Palace tonight.”
“The press is there too,” Foxglove says.
Evie scoffs. “Well…then I’ll banish them. It’s my palace. I’ll set them all on fire if I must.”
“Oh, yes,” Breeda says, nodding her tiny head. “Do set them on fire. I’ll help.”
“No one’s setting anyone on fire,” I say firmly, although I can’t keep my shoulders from sinking. All I wanted was a quiet night alone with Dante. No servants. No fanfare. No crowded hotels or busy palaces.
Aspen brings his hand to his chin in contemplation. “What about the manor?”
Evie frowns, but realization sparks in her eyes. “Yes! Aedylvine Manor!”
“Aedylvine Manor,” I echo. “The mansion you gifted Prince Albert?”
“Triedto gift,” Evie corrects. “And that was only if he married you. In our new agreement, he insisted on a townhouse in Port Dellaray. Which means the manor technically belongs to you. Or it could if I move the deed around.” At my grimace, she rushes to add, “I know you don’t want a manor. You’re perfectly content at your cottage. But…you could have a summer home, couldn’t you? The press doesn’t know about it yet. Unfortunately, all the furnishings have been covered, and there’s no staff—”
“Say no more.” I look over at Dante, who nods. “We’ll take it.”
* * *
Aedylvine Manor is nestledin the Autumn Court countryside north of Maplehearth Palace. It’s some distance away, which means Dante and I have a short journey before we can finally relax as a married couple. Instead of hiring a cab, Dante insists on driving Bertha, which he somehow convinced Albert to let him keep.
As much as I disliked the vehicle at first, I don’t mind it at all right now. Dante and I sit side by side in the front seat, watching the sun set over the sprawling crimson hills surrounding the quiet road. Soon I find myself entranced by the scenery. No matter how many years I’ve lived in the Autumn Court, I don’t think I’ll ever get over its beauty.
“Stunning,” Dante says. I look over at him, finding his eyes on me.
“Me or the view?”
“You are the only view that matters,” he says with a crooked grin. “But I can see the allure of the landscape. It’s lovely here. Prettier than any fall season back in Bretton.”
I search his tone for notes of longing, for any sign that he misses the home he left behind. But there is none.
“If the scenery puts that smile on your face,” I say, reaching out to brush my fingers against his cheek, “then I suppose I can forgive Albert for failing at his job as a decoy today.”
Dante shakes his head, mirth dancing in his eyes. “We should have known better.”
