Page 40 of Eliza's Cursed Dragon

I had gotten so used to the altered state of my hair, that I had nearly forgotten how ebony black it used to be. Now though, I liked the white, silvery strands in between.

“One day you’ll have to tell me if you came from Fable Forest. I swear you’re the picture of one of their princesses,” Lucy continued with her probing. Something she had done a lot lately, as if daring me to reveal part of my story. Which, given that I couldn’t speak and mostly had to really think through how to convey whatever I wanted to say with my hands, would not happen. In some ways, I was grateful that there would be no slip of the tongue.

“What about your parents? Will they be there?” Lucy kept peppering me.

I shook my head and watched her through the mirror as she struggled to keep from frowning.

“Please forgive me if I’m overstepping, I’m just trying to get to know you better, Mrs. Seymore, but are your parents dead?”

I nodded even though my heart bled for lying that my father was dead. I wished for nothing more than for him to be able to attend and to give me away, as tradition called for—another thing that Constancia had robbed us of.

I didn’t answer, instead, I gathered my skirts and stepped off the pedestal, away from the mirrors, letting the seamstress know the dress was perfect and to pack it up.

Today we would take it back with us because the wedding would be next week. A tingle moved through me. Next week!

How dreadful and endless it had sounded to live in secret and to be unable to speak for six years. And now, finally, the time had come.

So much had happened in those six years, mainly of course, meeting Edward and falling in love with him, but there had been other good times too. I liked to think that the entire ordeal had brought my brothers and me closer despite us not being able to communicate, or maybe because of it. We had turned from siblings into a unit, and I vowed that I would never allow this to change.

Then my mind drifted naturally back to Edward and a smile spread across my face at the thought of how much I loved him. He was the one. The love of my life. And next Sunday would be the happiest day of my life. I would finally talk to Edward, we would be married, my brothers would be back to their normal selves. Everything would be wonderful.

Edward

I found my love in the ballroom—an extravagance my father had insisted on having even though it had never been used. From time to time I had actually played with the thought of turning the monstrosity into a man cave, filled with pool tables, a bar, a pinball machine, and all the cool gadgets that came to mind when thinking of a man cave.

What had stopped me had been the absence of friends. It wasn’t like I could invite Jack and the crew over for a beer. Joining them at the local bar once a month was as far as I wanted our personal relationship to progress. All my friends were in New York, well, most of them, some had moved across the country wherever their chosen profession had taken them and we only occasionally spoke on the phone or texted.

They were a mix of high school and college buddies and all of them had promised to be here for the wedding. It bothered me that I hadn’t seen a single name on the invitation list that was unfamiliar to me. My princess hadn’t invited anybody from her side of her family or any friends besides Doctor Michael Pinkerton and his wife Daisy. It bothered me. It brought back all the nagging facts that I didn’t know a single thing about her other than what we had shared together over the last few years.

Soon, my heart reminded me. On Sunday you will find out everything about her. A smile played around my lips at the idea of more looking forward to talking with her all night long than making love to one another… well, not quite, but still…

I was watching her staring at herself in one of the many wall mirrors. Not in vanity. I knew her well enough to know that she didn’t have a vain bone in her body. She seemed lost in thought, and for the first time, I realized that maybe she didn’t know how to dance.

“Here you are,” I called, trying not to startle her.

The smile she bestowed on me weakened my knees and pushed all doubts from me. I might not know her name, but I knew everything about her that was important.

“You know it’s customary for the bride and groom to open the dancefloor,” I said with a smile, pulling out my phone and selecting a waltz from my playlist.

Her smile deepened as she elegantly glided toward me, holding out her hand with such grace it would have put any debutante to shame. Amazed, I put the phone in my pocket after hitting the play button and took her offered hand, pulling her against my chest.

“You smell so good,” I said, nuzzling her throat.

With a giggle, she turned in my arms like a skilled dancer. Keeping a hold of my hand, she twirled once, twice—light like a ballerina—and returned to my arms. Holding our hands up in the required pose of a waltz, she took my other arm and placed it around her waist, while placing the tips of her fingers on my shoulder. Waiting for my lead.

Hesitantly, I put one step forward, she arched her long, swanlike neck to the side to follow my lead.

She was so light on her feet and in my arms, I barely felt her. Following my lead without a break in her steps, her head moved from side to side whenever we changed direction.

Good God, would she ever cease to amaze me? She danced like a trained professional and with the grace of a princess.

“Where did you learn to dance like this?” I rasped.

Her head lifted so she could look into my eyes and what I read there left me stunned. Her pupils were so wide, they pressed most of the deep sapphire blue to the edges; they were swirling pools of emotions that laid bare all her love for me, and I swallowed.

“I love you too,” I said hoarsely, aware that once again I was left without an answer, but the promise of soon echoed in my mind and heart as we floated around the large ballroom—suddenly more than grateful for its existence.

My playlist changed from a ballroom waltz to a Viennese waltz, followed by a tango—another dance she mastered. Next to her I began to feel like a clumsy ass and realized I would have to step up my game before the wedding.

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