She could tell him why she did this, and he could do what he needed to do to help her. He wasn’t going to let them force her into this.

He would do whatever it took to set her free.

He just needed to find a way to talk to her. With a plan forming in his head, he started to make his way to breakfast.

They hadn’t announced it yet.

There was still time to get her out of this.

When he joined the others in the dining room, he scanned to table to see where Amber sat, but of course, she was trapped between her cousin and that awful man.

He grimaced to himself, eyes locked on her. He was so focused, he didn’t notice Felicity approaching until she spoke to him.

“Is something wrong?” she asked, following his gaze.

“What do you think?”

“I see,” she sighed. “Do you want me to go try and get her away from them?”

Yes, Christopher wanted to scream, but he knew it was a bad time to play that card.

“Not yet,” he forced himself to say.

“But why not?”

He shook his head. “It’s a long story, but trust me on this. I don’t think she would thank us for the interruption.”

“Then maybe you should try to stop staring?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m not staring.”

“Sure, you aren’t. You are looking in her general direction with a completely normal intensity.”

He glared but followed her to sit on the other side of the table. Despite her words, Christopher couldn’t help but notice she chose a spot that left Amber in his line of sight.

“Is she all right?” Felicity asked.

He sighed. “I don’t know yet.”

“And that’s the problem?”

“I just need to talk to her.”

“And I’m sure you’ll get a chance soon. After all, I’m sure she wants to talk to you about whatever is going on too.”

He grunted, eyes still locked on her.

“Just wait until breakfast is over. Your chance will come soon enough.”

But she was wrong.

Christopher tried to catch her alone several times, but every time he got close, she slipped away.

It was starting to get frustrating. After lunch, he realized he might need some help.

CHAPTER17

“I’m so glad you’ve finally seen sense, darling,” Thomas said, patting Amber’s arm in his patronizing way.