Page 91 of A Touch of Charm
“Yes,” Alex said.
“And as soon as you don’t feel her close to you, you already miss her?” Thea pressed on.
Alex nodded.
“Even if she’s only in the next room?”
Alex nodded again.
“Colors, scents, and even the sounds in the world are better when she’s near and fade to shades of fog when she’s not?”
“Exactly.” But when Alex spoke the words, his eyes locked with Thea.
“Oh no!” Stan joined Thea on the settee. “Do you feel like that about Andre?”
Thea saw her father’s eyes in both brothers, but it wasn’t him. The young men looking at her were the same who’d taught her how to climb the tree to get over the palace walls, the same who brought her honey cake and half-fermented wine after bedtime, the same who left their books out so she could learn about subjects that her tutors didn’t deem fit for a girl.
“Yes, Andre means everything to me,” she admitted.
And when she did, it was as if a boulder had rolled off her lungs because she could breathe easier.
“So when you said you’re not that innocent, you meant—” Stan barely managed to speak it, he was the youngest of the brothers, but she was his little sister, after all.
“We didn’t.”
But I want to.
Stan cringed but remained silent.
Alex—and that was a genuine surprise—didn’t jump out of his chair to scream about how she’d ruined her life. Instead, he melted into the cushions like he’d stolen something valuable.
“I did,” Alex mumbled. “In Cornwall.”
“It’s not a problem for you, Alex.” Stan rubbed his forehead and sank onto the settee, lifting a hand to rub Thea’s back. “For a girl, it’s rather a complication.”
“I wanted to save myself for my bride, but that was before I knew—”
“Then you understand that I want to marry Andre.” Thea decided that honesty in this situation may not be the best policy, but it was her only chance.
“You’re betrothed to Prince Ralph.” Alex and Stan said it at the same time and in the same tone.
“She can’t break the engagement,” Stan said.
“She can’t marry him either. Not now,” Alex added.
“What if we don’t tell?” Stan pursed his lips.
“I don’t wish to marry anyone besides Andre.”
“Tell me more about him?” Alex asked Stan.
“He’s a doctor. He is specialized as an orthopedist but when he touches people… for example, when he touched my ankle the day I was injured—” Thea replied before Stan could say a word.
“You were injured?” Alex cried out.
“It’s why I called you. We’re in grave danger.” Stan rubbed his face with both hands.
“And Andre rescued me.”
