Page 88 of The Lady Glass
“What is it?”
She sniffed and let out a short laugh. “A note from my father:To my zlatícko, my greatest treasure.I love you.” She lifted her eyes to meet his, smiling through her streaming tears.
There was a treasure, and she was it.
He moved to her side, wrapping an arm around her and tucking her close. “What a gift this is for you.”
She laid her head against him, putting the square of paper to her heart. “The vase represented so much to me, but these last words mean infinitely more.”
“I’m glad you found it. Lewis must have searched the vase thoroughly. I wonder if you would have discovered your father’s note had you not sacrificed your vase.”
She wiped her tears off her cheeks with her hand. “What is that scripture? ‘Beauty for ashes’? It’s hard to believe something soprecious came from all of this.”
He was amazed that she was not as broken as her crystal, having lost so much. He ran his hand down her jaw and tipped up her chin, bringing her face temptingly close to his own. “I’ve seen you with ashes on your cheeks, and there is nothing more beautiful. Perhaps the struggle makes the good in life that much more divine.” He was thinking of himself now, thinking of losing Lewis, his uncle, and all the soldiers in the war. Theresia meant so much more to him now than any person ever could. This exquisite person in his arms had softened his heartaches with her presence and enlivened his soul with her smile.
He bent down and rested his forehead on hers, wanting to comfort her and needing to be comforted himself. “I have to tell the others about Lewis,” he whispered. “Will you stay with me?”
“I can’t.”
Her breath teased his lips, but her words hurt. “Please?”
“Your parents were supposed to announce your engagement tonight, weren’t they?”
Rolland pulled back a few inches. “How did you know?”
“Because Lady Caspar would insist on an audience.”
He could feel the tension tightening her muscles underneath his arms. “Theresia, it’s not what you think. I tried to find you.”
She shook her head. “There’s another reason. Lewis wasn’t working alone. We still have to find—”
A knock sounded at the door, jerking their attention to the door.
Rolland straightened and whispered frantically, “The person he was speaking to that day when we were in the secret passage...”
Theresia nodded, clinging to his waistcoat.
They weren’t safe yet. Lewis’s accomplice had found them.
Ignoring his racing heart, Rolland bent over and blew out the candles on the desk, pitching them into darkness. Whoever wason the other side of the door wasn’t going to be happy when they discovered Lewis dead and the vase shattered. Rolland’s only thoughts were for Theresia and her safety, but he had no perfect plan on how to save them both.
Chapter 41
Theresia was thrown behind theside of the bed, away from the broken vase, and cushioned only by Rolland’s protective arms. If she were not so frightened by the person on the other side of the door, and so completely overcome by Rolland’s body hovering over her own, she’d wonder how many times a woman was to be taken down by the man she loved before she should become worried.
“If he or she comes in, hide under the bed,” Rolland whispered. “Whoever it is, I think we can both imagine what they’re capable of.”
“What about you?” There was nowhere in the room capable of hiding his tall form.
Another knock sounded, cutting off any response.
They stilled as they heard the faintest sound of the latch turning. Neither one of them dared breathe.
“Lewis?” The whispered hiss was low enough that it was impossible to identify whether it came from a male or female.
Theresia tightened her grip on Rolland’s sleeve.
The door shut, and an agonizing minute passed without any sound to give away the location of Lewis’s partner. At any moment a candle would be lit, and then who knew what danger would follow?
