Page 28 of Love Letters & Lemon Drops

He smiles widely and gets to his feet, offering me his hand. I slip mine into it, enjoying the touch and instantly having a reminder of how good it felt for him to touch me elsewhere.

I'm glad the banquet hall is already warm, because it hides my blush as I think about that.

Arthur gives me a look that makes it seem as if he knows what I'm thinking. And maybe he does. There's a chance he's thinking about it too.

Instead of saying anything about it, he leads me down to the middle of the room so we can take our place for the next dance. No one pays us any attention, as if it's normal for one of the royals to be taking part. Which I suppose it must be, Veronica is already here dancing.

A bout of nerves springs to life inside me as the music starts and I realise I'm actually going to have to dance while not knowing the steps. It's so different from anything I've done before. My experience of dancing has been at formal balls, including the one where I met Arthur. This kind of dancing is something the commoners do in Someil, but none of the nobility here in Falhaven seem to care.

The caller starts shouting out moves, and I realise I know some of them, but I'm not all that good at them.

"I need to spin you," Arthur says over the music, taking my hand and guiding me under his arm. It's not the same as when doing this during a formal dance, but I enjoy it, even if I stumble from trying to move so fast into the next move.

"I'm not very good at this," I tell him.

"You're doing great," he assures me, hopping around me like the dance asks him to do.

Even if I'm not sure I'm dancing the way I'm supposed to, I can feel the wide smile on my face, and know that my enjoyment is echoed on Arthur's face too.

I stumble through the next move, and he reaches out to steady me, a calming presence that I want to have around me more. Which isn't something I need to fantasise about, it's my reality.

Chapter 14

I check the instructions in the letter Arthur sent me and turn the corner, heading down to the Falhaven Castle kitchens. I've no idea why he's asked me to meet him here, but it's fun to have him send me a letter and know that I'll be able to see him almost immediately after.

He's standing in front of a large wooden door when I turn the next corner, and I find myself smiling despite not knowing what he has planned. I suppose I don't really need to know, so long as we're spending time together, I don't mind.

I check around to make sure no one is looking and lean in to kiss him. He returns it immediately, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me closer.

"You came," he murmurs against my lips.

"You did ask me to," I say, holding up the letter.

"You might have decided that you didn't want to," he points out. "Or your aunt could insist on chaperoning you now that she caught me in your sitting room."

I laugh. "I think she's relieved about anything that's taking me outside the rooms for that reason alone. I told her I wasmeeting you and she said she would take the opportunity to sleep. If my parents wanted me to actually be chaperoned, they should have sent someone younger." And who cared more. Though maybe part of it is that there's nothing that can go wrong now. We'll be married within a week anyway.

"Fair enough. So, are you ready?"

"I can't say yes, I don't know what we're doing," I remind him.

"I'll show you." He holds out his hand and I slip mine into it, enjoying how warm and comforting it feels, even after a short amount of time physically in the same space as one another.

He pushes open the door, revealing the kitchens behind it. Loud noises and shouts come from all around as Artie leads me inside, and I step closer to him, a little on edge about being here. This is something that would never have been allowed in Someil. My parents would have had servants bar my entrance, but Artie seems fairly at home, especially as he heads through the main kitchen and into what appears to be a smaller one.

"Are you sure we're allowed in here?" I ask.

Artie nods. "Evie said we could use it."

I frown. "What does your sister have to do with the kitchens?"

"Oh, well, this is her kitchen. Kind of. It's actually an extension of the pastry kitchen, but it's only used for big events, so most of the time, it's just Evie using it."

"I didn't realise."

He shrugs. "She loves baking. No one really questions it because it keeps her out of the way."

"Even the kitchen staff?"

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