ALICE
Ilook at my reflection in the mirror, angling my head to the side, wishing I had something else to wear. Of the gowns Regina ordered, this pale gray is the nicest. It has a full skirt, a fitted bodice, and a low neckline that doesn’t make me look like a garden maid—or like I’m five years old. But it’s still very plain.
Turning to the side, I press my hand to my stomach, biting my lip as I study my reflection, wondering if I will see anyone I know today. It’s possible.
In fact, it’s likely.
What will my old acquaintances think when they see me dressed like this? It doesn’t matter really, and I know it’s a vain thought. But I’m self-conscious nevertheless.
Since we’re going into the city, I wear my hair up, held into place with a black satin ribbon that falls almost to my shoulders. I have no jewelry, no brooches or other adornments.
Why didn’t I keep Grandmother’s ring with me? Why did I pack it?
Now it’s gone, lost to the goblins. Everything else was boxed up and taken to the auction house.
It’s amazing that a person’s life can change so drastically in such a short period of time. It’s a lesson you’d think I’d have learned by now, but it seems tragic things have a habit of catching me unaware.
A knock sounds at my door, making my pulse jump. That will be Brahm.
But when I answer the door, I find the marquis’s valet instead. Standing in a tailed jacket and tall hat, he bows his head. “I will be driving you and Lord Ambrose into Kellington today, miss. Is there anything you require for a more comfortable outing? It will be cold once we cross the bridge, so I’ve packed a blanket, and I believe Regina has requested the cook send you with a basket of light refreshments.”
I study him, momentarily caught off-guard by the offer. “That sounds fine. As long as we make it there and back without issue, I will be content.”
He smiles, and his eyes linger on my face in the strangest way—as if maybe it hurts to look at me. “I expect Lord Ambrose will be ready shortly.”
I nod, smiling though I’m a bit baffled by his concern. As he turns to leave, Brahm’s door opens.
The marquis pulls on his jacket as he steps out, pausing in the hall when he spots us. A quiet smile crosses his face, and he gives me a greeting nod that touches raw places in my heart. “Are you ready, Miss Alice?”
“I believe so.”
Wallen excuses himself, saying he’ll go ahead and make sure the horses have been prepared.
I am left alone with Brahm. With his eyes never leaving my face, the marquis offers his arm. His dark brown hair is perfectly combed, and there’s not a wrinkle or speck of lint upon his clothing. Everything about him proclaims power and nobility.
My gaze moves to the steel dagger at his side. It’s Fae-crafted, with the hilt wrapped in leather to protect the wielder from the metal.
“Do you expect trouble?” I ask when he catches me looking at it.
Brahm lets out a soft snort. “I always expect trouble.”
“Perhaps if I adopted your mindset, I wouldn’t be surprised by it so often.”
His arm stiffens under my fingers. Looking straight ahead, he says, “While you are with me, I won’t let trouble touch you.”
“Yes, but you have a bad habit of trying to send me away.”
Quietly amused, Brahm looks over, and our eyes meet. It’s a gaze I’m beginning to know well, one that even a mask cannot hide.
I want to ask him why he insists on hiding himself from me—ask him if he thinks I’m so unobservant that I can’t tell that he and the bandit are the same man.
It’s not because he doesn’t play his parts well—he does. Brahm is controlled and reserved. His tone is usually indifferent, and it’s always careful and cultured.
The bandit, however, is dashing. He’s familiar and comfortable. And I suspect he’s real.
I believe the bandit is Brahm’s true identity. The only way he found freedom to be himself was under a mask, and it hurts my heart just thinking about it.
What would it be like to have a mother who would execute you for the slightest misstep? To have a life so caged, you must create a different persona simply to survive?