Chapter Twenty-Nine

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LadyRowyn This one's for you! Thank you so much for being here since my earliest days writing on Wattpad and always being so supportive!! You've been something of a mentor for me and after every update I find myself waiting on your comment. You've been asking for this forever, and since the series is coming to an end, I thought I'd just do it. Enjoy!

THE FOUR OF THEM ENTERED THE BALLROOM TOGETHER ONCE VICTORIA had had her makeup redone and her red eyes soothed as far as they could be. The rest of the night was uneventful, and everyone was glad for it. There was music and dancing and laughter and plenty of delectable hors d'oeuvres, the guests fawned over the engaged couple, and Emmett and Victoria were more in love than ever.

At the end of the day, the guests left the castle slightly intoxicated and giggling, and the Lockharts and Ardens and St Jameses who had attended the party returned to their rooms for some much-needed rest. That is, all but Emmeline and Alexander, who retreated to the prince's private library for a late-night conversation.

"That was a splendid party, beloved, congratulations," he said as he pulled out a chair for himself.

She laughed, settling into a snug sofa beside him and pulling her feet up to tuck them under her legs. "Why, thank you. It might have been better if you hadn't hoarded all of my dances, there were plenty of guests I should have been talking to."

"Well, in that case I'm terribly sorry," he answered, equally teasing, "but I could hardly help myself. You are simply enchanting."

She laughed again, but she also started to blush then, her cheeks turning cherry red. As she gazed upon him, in the dim candlelight that they used to light the otherwise dark room, she noticed for perhaps the first time just how handsome he was, not just in terms of his sharp jaw and defined cheekbones but also in terms of the slight sparkle in his eye and the way he smiled at her. In that moment, she suddenly found herself feeling a feeling she hadn't felt for months now – since she'd last seen Peter. Her heart skipped a beat as she realised this.

They were only supposed to be friends – married but not in love. That had been the arrangement, and anything else felt strange.

And her heart...was it still owned by another?—She tried to think of Captain Peter Jamison and look away, but all she could see was her husband in front of her, and her eyes remained fixed on him. She realised that, with all the recent dramatics in her life, she had not thought of her former flame in a long time...and that in her darkest days of late she had found solace in this man in front of her. He made her laugh, he held her when she cried, and if there was anything she wanted he would go to the moon and back if it meant that she would have it. She did not know if Peter would ever have done the same for her – after all, he was never given the chance to love her as his wife, and he had chosen his career over her.

And she had never been allowed the opportunity to love Peter as she now loved this man. Peter was her suitor, but he had never been family. Her brown-haired, hazel-eyed captain had made her feel like a princess... Being married to Alexander had actually made her princess, but more than that the light-haired, blue-eyed Prince Charming before her made her feel like a queen. Was it betrayal to ever let herself love another man when she had promised her heart to Peter already...? Would it be fair to herself to never open her heart to anyone in her life, especially if she already knew that she would likely never again see Peter in her lifetime?—Should her past mean that she should never have romance in her future? Should Peter even be considered part of her past, when he was still out there, somewhere far away, perhaps still thinking of her?

Meanwhile he looked into her eyes, so green, shining in the candlelight, with her rosy cheeks illuminated by a yellow flame. She was aglow, reminiscent of an angel, and to him she was such an angel...such a blessing, with such a keen sense of humour and such a genuine heart and such a brilliant mind, with such great passion and such strong determination. He felt his breathing grow shallower and his heartbeat quicken just at the sight of her.

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