Page 41 of The Pureblood Daughter
Her heart, previously thumping at a steady pace, races beneath her breast.
This isn’t my room.
Back home, her room is airy and light, with pale draperies and white furniture, the floorboards blond and lovingly worn.
This room is shrouded in darkness. The four-poster stands in the middle of the room, sheer crimson fabric hanging from the carved corner posts. The ceiling soars high above her, and a chandelier with dozens of unlit candles hangs overhead. Even the blankets she’s wrapped in are different, dark and heavy, though soft like silk against her bare skin.
Gasping, Adelina realizes she’s no longer dressed. Her dress lies on a high-backed armchair across the room, and she’s wearing only a chemise.
A gentle knock sounds at the door, and she yanks the blanket up to cover herself as the door opens slowly. The viscount walks in, a gold tray in his hands, and the sight of him sends competing emotions swirling through Adelina’s mind. She’s not sure if she should be relieved or awash with shame.
“I hoped you were awake,” he says, pushing the door closed behind him. It clicks softly, and then he crosses the room and sets the tray on the bed before sitting down beside it.
“I-I just woke up,” Adelina says, her timid voice nearly getting lost in the expansive room.
Lord Rosetti lifts one corner of his mouth into a smile as he pours two cups of tea. “Thirsty?”
She takes the cup he offers her, still clutching the blanket in her other hand. His gaze flicks down momentarily, then across the room to the armchair.
“Your dress was soaked through. The maids removed it before helping you into bed. I hope I didn’t overstep.”
Adelina shakes her head and lifts the tea to her lips. It smells of licorice and honey, and the first sip sends calm radiating through her bones. Her galloping heartbeat slows to a gentle trot.
“Where am I?” she asks, finding her voice now that the aftertaste of blood has been washed from her mouth.
“My family’s manor.” The viscount takes a sip from his teacup and casts his gaze about the room. “This used to be my older sister’s room, but she’s long since married.”
“Your sister?” She blinks, remembering the two young Rosettis on their promenade through the park. “I didn’t know you had an older sister.”
“Indeed. Contessa.” He smiles warmly. “It seems we’ve still much to learn about each other.”
His green eyes find hers, and the playful warmth turns serious. His gaze brings back memories of the carriage, the kiss, the—
Adelina sets her cup on the tray before her frightful trembling can send the tea all over the bed. She clutches the blanket to her chest and takes a slow breath before asking, “What happened, my lord?”
The viscount lowers his tea, setting the cup on the tray beside hers. “Theodore, please.”
Her pulse flutters, and she nods.
“Theodore.” His name rolls over her tongue like a wave kissing the shore. She wants to say it again, to taste it in all its many forms, but first... “Tell me everything.”
Theodore looks down at his hands in his lap, then clears his throat and straightens his shoulders. “I don’t know where to begin.”
“The tonic, your voice in my head, what happened in the carriage.” Even she is surprised by the strength in her voice; the overwhelming fear is slowly yielding to anger. “I’ll not be lied to any longer.”
“I’d never lie to you, Miss Gray.”
“Adelina.”
His lips turn up slightly. “Adelina.”
The deliciousness of his tone, like chocolate melted across strawberries, makes her want to lunge across the bed and pull him against her, but she refuses the temptation.
“Very well.” He seems to collect himself before continuing. “Though I don’t know what’s in the tonic, I expect it was used to weaken you, dull your senses. From our first meeting, I expected something was not quite right. You were... different. Do you understand?” He narrows his eyes, his gaze heavy, as if begging her to grasp his meaning.
But she’s still lost.
“No. Explain yourself.”
