As soon as Addie climbed into the carriage the next day, Theo swept an arm around her waist and pulled her close to his side. "You must have made an impression on Weston, for him to invite you along once more," Theo whispered into her hair before kissing the crown of her head. "Regardless, I am glad you are here with me."

Shivers worked their way through her at the feeling of Theo so close, but Addie managed to pull away a bit, gaping at him in desperation. She did not know what Andrew had in mind for this evening, but she had little doubt since he'd invited her along that it meant her secret identity would not remain a secret much longer. And if that was the case, she loathed the idea of Theo finding out about it from anyone but herself.

She had debated all night, not allowing herself to sleep for a moment. Should she continue to keep Theo in the dark on the chance that Andrew would not tell? In the end, during the dim hours of the morning, she decided she simply wasn't willing to take that risk.

Addie opened her mouth, but her confession was lost as she glanced up at Theo once more.

His eyes were alive, watching her with a fire in them that she understood all too well. Addie's own eyes flicked over his handsome face. There was a bit of a stubble on his jawline, and she could not help but wonder what it would feel like beneath her fingertips. She marveled at him—at his hard lines and soft eyes. His name accidentally fell from her lips, and Theo drew closer.

Addie bit her lip as she realized how the word had simply slipped from her mouth.

"Don't," Theo muttered, his voice thick. "Don't do that."

She released her lip and licked it instead. Her mouth was dry.

Theo groaned softly. "Do you even realize?" he asked, his voice strained.

"What?" Addie breathed, automatically drawing closer to him.

He brushed aside her hair with a single finger so he could move in to trail his lips up her neck. "What a temptation it is to be alone with you," he answered, his breath fanning the skin just below her ear. Making her shiver.

"What is it that tempts you, Theo?" Addie managed to ask.

Theo drew back, leaving her exposed neck sadly unattended. "You do not truly wish for me to answer that question," he said lowly.

"Are you simply tempted by my secrets, Your Grace?" Addie pressed. There was no use denying it. He knew she had secrets. And soon, he would know them.

Theo shook his head, and she took a moment to admire the perfect shade of his hair. His mane. "No," he said, a tad bit forceful. "Your secrets taunt me, Addie."

She swallowed. "Is there a difference?"

His lips tugged upward as he glanced at her coyly beneath his heavy lashes. "You desire for me to explain it?"

Addie's entire being strained toward him, but she forced herself not to move closer. "I do, Theo. Explain it."

"It is my innate curiosity that is taunted by the things you continue to hide from me. However, my curiosity has nothing to do with the way you tempt me, Addie. Currently, I am not tempted by that which I do not know. I am tempted by what I do know."

"And what do you know?"

Theo's gaze dropped. It traced the edges of her lips. And then it fell even further, and Addie knew he was able to see her ragged breathing, caused by nervousness and the undeniable arousal that flooded her whenever she was near the Duke of Kingfield. Theo's eyes flicked back to her mouth before murmuring, "I know things that I should not know, Addie."

"Let us test this theory," she replied breathlessly.

Theo's head cocked to the side.

"How so?"

"I shall tell you my secrets. And we then will know for certain."

Theo blinked. It seemed to take him a moment to register what she was saying. But then he leaned in, barely breathing as he hung onto her words. "Yes. Tell me."

Addie nodded. "I fear that the duke is keeping something from you," she began deliberately.

Concern appeared on Theo's face at the startling remark.

"Andrew is one of my closest friends and mentors. What could he possibly have to keep from me?" Theo replied skeptically; however, she was touched by the continued worry in his eyes, as if despite his utter loyalty to his friend, he would believe her words. "And what does that have to do with what you are keeping from me?"

Addie could not tell if the tension that Theo radiated was due to his anticipation of her next words or if it was because Weston knew something he did not.

After taking a deep breath, she replied, "They are one and the same, Theo."

If she weren't so nervous, Addie might find Theo's confusion adorable. But as it were, she stared down at her hands, unable to look him in the face any longer. "You wish to know who I am, but I do not entirely know," Addie began. "At least, I do not know who I am now or who I will be. I only know who I was. Before."

When she paused, continuing to think of the right words for a situation this momentous, Theo interceded. "Addie," he said softly, "no one truly knows who they will be. And while some might say that the past defines us, I wish for you to know that I do not care what yours is. I only wish for you to trust me with it."

Addie sucked in at his words. But he wasn't done.

"You might not know who you are, Addie, but I do. God, you are...you are something which I do not even have words for. But I shall try. You are strong and intelligent and full of barely masked wit."

He reached a hand beneath her chin, raising it so that her eyes met his own grey ones. "And you are beautiful." With aching tenderness, Theo reached up and caressed her cheek with the pad of his thumb. There was no seduction intended in the action, just pure, kind affection. And because of this, Addie knew that she owed him the truth. This man, who had been nothing but generous in his actions toward her, deserved to know what was being kept from him.

Addie smiled ruefully. "That is very kind of you, Theo. But I am afraid it is more complex than that."

"Whatever it is, I have already told you that I will do anything to help you," he responded in earnest before dropping his hand.

Addie took another deep breath as he continued to look at her expectantly. "Theo, I am—"

She broke off, shaking her head; the words did not wish to dislodge from her throat. Addie found she could no longer handle the intensity in which Theo was staring at her and turned to gaze out the window of the carriage instead. Raising one hand, she began to fiddle with the pins in her hair, plucking them out one by one. They fell into her lap, and her wig began to loosen.

"What?" she heard Theo ask anxiously. "Who are you?"

As the last pin dropped out of her hair, Addie looked back at her duke. "Princess Adelaide."

Much to her annoyance, Theo rolled his eyes. "Do not switch topics, Addie."

She gave her head the tiniest shake and waited for him to straighten his gaze again. When he met her heavy stare, she said, "I am not, Theo. I am not switching topics."

Addie saw in his eyes the moment he came to understand what she was trying to say. And it was then that Addie went on to say quietly, "Theo, my real name is Caterin. Caterin Adelaide. And my father was King William IV." With a quick tug, she slid her wig off, revealing golden locks. They cascaded down around her shoulders, a definite contrast to the tight bun she usually wore.

"No," Theo said breathlessly. His hands fell away from hers slowly as he sat back in apparent awe. "No, I don't believe you."

"Yes," Addie replied, succinct. "Andrew recognized me the moment he saw me. I am certain he will reveal as much to you tonight, but I wished for you to hear it from me."

"So the story you told me about your family, about your father being a professor..."

"Was false," Addie uttered, cutting in. "And I have never worked for, or met, the Featherbys."

Theo ran a hand through his golden hair.

"After the carriage accident, I—I ran. Simply ran." Addie glanced down. Saying those words aloud was nearly worse than admitting who she was. Addie was ashamed of the truth of it. She had left her family. She had left her kingdom.

"I wandered to an inn where I met a man by the name of Mr. Redding, an actor of sorts. He did not know who I was, but for some reason, he helped me create this new life of mine. The Featherbys were a family from his hometown. As was a nice man who was a professor at Cambridge."

"An inn?" She saw Theo's eyes grow wide, then narrow. His face grew a shade darker and redder in a deep flush. "My god. You're telling the truth," he breathed.

Addie almost chuckled, but there was something about his expression that held her back.

"I—I compromised you," Theo added, almost to himself.

Addie considered him with wide eyes, and her stomach did a distasteful flip. "I thought you did not care for propriety, Theo," she accused with a hefty glare.

He seemed to flounder for words before choking out, "Addie...you are royalty."

She flinched. "And before I was merely a servant, so I suppose it did not matter."

But Theo didn't appear the least bit apologetic for his callous implication. Ignoring her, he asked, "Why? Why do this?"

She was tight-lipped as she spoke, irritated by his response. "I knew I would not be safe if it were discovered that I had lived, so I hid. Amongst those who are seen but never noticed. Somewhere I could still be in touch with the aristocracy, to hear the whispered gossip."

"That is not what I meant, Addie." His eyes shot daggers at her from across the carriage, and his voice was breathless as he said, "Why did you not tell me? You knew I was on your side."

Addie sighed deeply. "I was not ready for anyone to know of my identity, Theo. But then you took me to see Andrew. I never realized it was him who you referred to all those times you had spoken about your friend. And he advised against telling you the truth, at least for now. Andrew worried you would not continue treating me as just a maid."

Theo threw her a glance that showed his displeasure. "I have never truly treated you as a maid," he said acidly. "You've been more than that to me from the beginning."

"I know," Addie all but whispered in response. Until this moment, Addie had remained strong in her convictions and her words. To her, they proved that she had made the right choices. But now, she gazed up at him with pleading eyes and felt rather small. "You must know that I wished to tell you many times, Theo," she said.

His eyes revealed pools of hurt, and it pained Addie to see despite herself. Knots tightened in her stomach.

"You should have," he said simply. "If I had known what was on the line, I would have been more careful. I would have kept this secret for you," he threw back at her.

Addie's eyebrows raised in disbelief and opposition. "Even from Andrew?" she asked.

Theo's furrowed brow gave him away immediately, but he took a moment to respond. He directed his attention out the window, not glancing at her when he said, "For you, maybe."

But they both knew that he was lying, for Theo had said himself that he owed everything to Andrew, and he would not have betrayed him in such a way.

The carriage drew to a lilting stop outside of the duke's home. Addie situated her wig back on her head with an efficiency she had developed over the years. While she did so, Theo stared at her with cool regard.

The door was swung open by the footman, and Theo rose from the carriage first to offer her his hand in assistance. When their hands met, the touch burned through Addie, just as it did every time they came together. But the heat she felt did not appear to affect Theo in such a way, because when she looked up at him, his eyes were flat and unfeeling.

And if Addie's stomach was tight before, it dropped completely when he gave her a slight bow and offered his arm to her while murmuring, "Your Highness."