Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

chapter thirteen.

chapter thirteen / dirty rotten scoundrels
❛ slow motion double vision in rose blush ❜

( fun tip! this chapter is 1000x better
while listening to pas de deux from
the nutcracker by tchaikovsky. )

Eulalie had melted back into her bed after locking the door behind Kaz despite feeling silly doing it. He could very well pick the lock and have his way, but Eulalie shook off the thought. The talk about Maeve had made her feel sick. And though sleep wasn't an escape from it, Eulalie tried her best to get through the night.

On the day of the ball, the sun finally scorched its way through the clouds. The delicate twittering from the sanderlings and the hoarse storm petrels awoke Eulalie. It was like nature knew that it was time to come out of mourning. All of the peace would pause for a moment as Eulalie pulled her dressing gown on and tore down the hall, bursting into the bathroom where Cecily was in the bath.

Cecily gave a startled yelp as Eulalie began to undress. "The bathroom is occupied, Eulalie."

"I'm aware."

Eulalie let out a low hiss of pain as her back burned. She slipped her nightgown off her shoulders, holding the neckline over her chest. Standing in front of the mirror, Eulalie twisted her hair up and spotted something on her back. A set of red marks raked down her spine, almost as if she had been scratched.

"Would you look at this?" she turned, showing Cecily her naked back. "What does it look like to you? I can't see it very well in the mirror."

Cecily leaned forward in the bath to get a closer look at her sister's back. Her fingertips on Eulalie's skin were cold, pushing at the tender spot. "You scratched yourself," she remarked flatly.

"But I didn't."

"What?" Cecily returned to the warmth of the bath as the sound of the water rolled over on itself and collided with the porcelain.

"I didn't scratch myself."

Cecily turned back to Eulalie, her face deadpan. "It must have been Rhiannon, then."