Alexandra

Chapter Thirty-Three

Alexandra felt queasy as she watched the last of their guests' carriages roll out of the quadrangle. "Why do I think they're all going to gather at the end of the road and have a good gossip?"

"Because they will," Juliana said.

"The repercussions have begun already." Alexandra turned to follow her siblings back inside. "They didn't even stay long enough to finish breakfast."

"That's only because it was stone-cold," Corinna said, sitting on an old, ornate treasure chest.

"No, it wasn't." Tired and shaky, Alexandra lowered herself to one of the walnut hall chairs. "No one wants to associate with us. Dear heavens. What am I going to do?"

"You're going to marry Tristan tomorrow." Griffin sat on the third step of the staircase, leaning forward with his elbows on his spread knees, his hands dangling between them. "And you're going to be happy. I demand it."

"How can I be happy when the rest of you will be miserable?" A single tear rolled down her cheek.

An expression of outrage stole over his face. He sat up straighter. "You're marrying the man you claim to love. There's no crying allowed. You hear me?"

"She's not crying for herself," Juliana said, moving to pat Alexandra on the shoulder. "She's crying for us."

"I'm not crying," Alexandra said, swiping at the rogue tear with a frustrated motion.

In truth, she wasn't sure why she was crying. She was a quivering bundle of emotions. One moment she was elated to be marrying Tris, the next racked with guilt that it meant making pariahs out of her siblings. She was more than disgusted with her failure to keep her resolution for even a single night. And she was humiliated beyond belief—absolutely mortified that half of society had seen a man come out of her bedroom.

"Why did I let him stay in my room?" Why had she asked him to stay in her room? "I'm mutton-headed."

"You're seventeen!" Juliana returned loyally. "And you're human."

"I'm sorry." Alexandra gave a long, wretched sniff. "I've ruined all your lives."

"Good gracious," Griffin said. "Cheer up, will you? You don't see any of us crying."

"We're thrilled for you," Juliana put in.

Alexandra looked around at all the grim faces. "Indeed."

"We are," Corinna insisted. "We're just a little...shocked. You've always been the good sister."

"Well, I've been changing, in case you haven't noticed. It seems my transformation is now complete. From a paragon of traditional femininity to an utter tart, and all inside of a single summer."

"No one thinks you're a tart," Juliana said.

Corinna nodded. "A little fast, perhaps, but—"

"She's about to be a married matron," Juliana interrupted, glaring at her younger sister. "There's nothing fast about that. Griffin, you did exactly the right thing."

"Thank you," he said dryly.

Alexandra sighed. "There was no right thing."

"Does Tristan really sleepwalk?" Corinna asked her brother.

He nodded. "All of his life." His jaw clenched. "I'm going to kill him."

Alexandra jumped up. "You wouldn't dare!"