The carriage ride to the ball the next day was tense and awkward. No one spoke as we jounced along the cobbled streets of Belhaven.

I stared out the window, watching the world slide by as the sky darkened.

Father cleared his throat, as if intending to speak, but he said nothing. Finally, when it felt like the weight of the silence was about to crush all of us, we reached the palace.

The four of us made our way up the marble steps to the grand front doors. Our arrival was announced by a footman as we reached the ballroom. It looked much as it had the other night, with men and women wearing exquisite dress to impress the king and queen, platters of hors d'oeuvres laid on the tables, servants in dark uniforms holding trays of bubbling drinks.

Just like before, the room smelled of warring perfume, mingled with sweat. No one seemed to mind, however, as they continued to drink and dance and chat amiably as musicians played lively music.

I did not bring my book with me this time, though I really wished I had. My father immediately saw some dignitaries and left us to go speak with them—about work, no doubt. Mother and Alice were not far behind him, probably on a search for the prince. And, once again, I found myself alone, wishing I could be anywhere else.

Sighing heavily, I stood against the wall and watched as couples danced and laughed around the room.

"You came," a familiar voice said nearby. A pleasant shiver ran up my spine as I turned to find William walking toward me. He looked hansom as he always did, wearing a dark blue waistcoat and trousers edged with gold.

"Oh, yes, I did," I said a little breathlessly. "I told you I would, didn't I?"

"You did, but I know how you loathe social events. So, I wondered anyway." A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, which made my heart flutter.

I opened my mouth to reply and then faltered.

His Highness would be ashamed to have you for a wife.

I swallowed against the lump that suddenly formed in my throat. I looked away from him quickly, my eyes burning. "I appreciate your willingness to make me feel comfortable here, Your Highness, but you should go dance with someone. Maybe my sister. I think she expects it."

He blinked at me, looking startled. "Erika, what—"

"It's Lady Lovet. That is what is proper. You may not presume to know me so well in the future."

His eyes flashed with hurt and he took a step back. "Forgive me . . . Lady Lovet. Have I done something to offend you? If I have, please tell me. I would like to right it."

I shook my head and took a step away from him to widen the distance between us. "It is nothing you've done. Though, as you might end up marrying my sister, I do not wish to complicate things further by being seen as anything more than an acquaintance to you."

A crease appeared between his brows as he seemed to try and decipher the meaning behind my words. I fought the urge to apologize to him, to explain that it wasn't because of me. "I should have liked to think we were more than acquaintances. That, perhaps, we were friends."

I would have liked to be, I wanted to say. I looked up into his eyes, the sparkling blue of sapphires. "Forgive me for leading you to think so, Your Highness."

His Adam's apple bobbed when he swallowed and neither of us spoke for a moment, unsure of what else there was to say. My chest felt tight and my eyes burned with the threat of tears. "Erika—Miss Lovet," he corrected quickly. "I know you have just said that we are no longer friends, but I would like to speak with you, perhaps in private," his eyes wandered the room as he said this and mine followed, meeting many of the gazes of men and women who seemed to be watching us interact, "to understand your sudden coldness toward me."

"Are you sure that is such a good idea, going off somewhere alone together?" Though, I wanted to. I really wanted to.

He hesitated for a moment, glancing around the room again. "I'm do not know if it is a good idea or not, but I know that people will talk regardless." He brought his eyes back to meet mine and my heart did a little flip in my chest. "I want to know what I've done to upset you. Please." The slight pleading edge to his voice nearly broke me.

Despite my misgivings, I relented. "All right, but it cannot be for long."

He offered me a small, tentative smile before turning and walking away, motioning for me to follow. I trailed after him, casting surreptitious glances around the room, hoping that, if anyone was still watching, Mother and Alice were not among them. We slipped out of the ballroom and I followed him down the hall to a door that led out into the gardens. The air was blessedly cool outside and I took deep breaths, relishing in the sweet scent of roses and flowering trees.

We stopped before the marble fountain, and, with a brief look around to ensure we were alone, William turned to me. "I want to know what changed. I know you say nothing has, but something has."

His Highness would be ashamed to have you for a wife.

I pressed my lips together. "Nothing has changed. This was always how it would be. You are meant to be with Alice. That is what everyone expects of you."

"What if I do not want to marry Alice?"

"Why wouldn't you want to marry her? Everyone wants to marry her. She is everything one could want in a wife." Tears blurred my vision and I blinked them back furiously. "Mother is right. I can never hope to be as good as Alice, as graceful and poised, as beautiful, as marriageable."

His eyes widened, his lips parting in surprise. "Your own mother said that to you?"

If only he knew. "She was only telling me in the truth. In her own way, she was just trying to look out for me."

"By telling you that you'll never be as good as your sister in any way? Is that how loving mothers usually look out for their children?" He did not sound accusing, only curious, disbelieving.

I glared at him defensively. "You couldn't understand. Our relationship is complicated."

William shook his head. "I'm sure. But your mother does not see you as I do, Erika. It does not matter that you are not like your sister. In fact, I think you are better than her. In every way."

My face warmed and I looked away. "You do not have to pretend."

William was quiet for a long moment and, when he spoke, it was so softly that I thought I might have imagined it. "I would never pretend with you, Erika."

I sucked in a breath and met his eyes again. Guilt gnawed at my insides and I had to force myself to continue meeting his gaze, to not turn away in shame. "I'm sorry," I said. "I did not mean to act so coldly toward you. The thought of not seeing you anymore was one that I did not want to entertain. I do think we are friends. I just—" I did not know even how to articulate my feelings, how to explain myself. I took a deep breath and tried again. "I think I went about it the wrong way and I did not mean to hurt you. I would understand if, after the way I acted, you would like to reconsider our friendship."

His eyes sparkled as his lips curved up in a smile. "I would love to be friends."

I could not help but return his smile, my heart lifting. "I would really like that, as well."

The silence that settled over us this time was a comfortable one, a relieved one. I was very glad that, perhaps, we could still be friends, even if that was all we could be. I turned and looked back at the large doors leading into the palace. Despite the warm light emanating from them, how welcoming it looked, the thought of returning to the stifling, overcrowded ballroom filled me with dread.

I said as much to William and he grimaced. "I know what you mean. Often times, I will be dancing and laughing and drinking with everyone, all the while wishing I was anywhere else. Particularly when I am in the middle of a really interesting book and have to set it down to join the festivities."

"Is that what you were doing before tonight? Reading a good book?"

He smiled a little sheepishly. "Yes, I was."

"Do you have a favorite place to read?" I asked.

"Well, I will often read in my bedroom, but my favorite places would be the library." His eyes widened then and he leaned in, eyes sparkling with excitement. "What if we didn't go back to the ball?"

I raised an eyebrow. "What are you suggesting?"

All propriety forgotten, he took my gloved hand in his and began leading me back into the palace.

The warmth of his fingers seeped through my glove and my heart beat faster. I followed after him and he led me up the stairs, down a corridor, down another hallway. By the time we stopped in front of a set of double oak doors, my head was spinning from the twists and turns we'd taken to get there.

He pushed open one heavy oak door and my mouth fell open in awe. The room opened up before us into a massive chamber. Bookshelves lined the walls nearly to the ceiling, which was domed, painted with angels in a pale-blue sky. Books lined the shelves nearly to overflowing. In the rare space where there was not a bookshelf, there were other things. Glass cases of really old manuscripts or really famous originals, a cartography table lined with maps, a globe that looked to be so old it belonged in a museum. Against one wall, there was a grand marble fireplace with intricate designs carved into it. A set of armchairs stood before the fireplace and a squat table stood between them, piled with books and papers.

I was so completely awestruck, that, for a moment, I forgot how to breathe. I had never imagined what Heaven might look like, but, right then, I was fairly certain I had found it.

I peeled my eyes away from the rows of books to look at William, who was smiling at me. "What do you think?" He asked.

I had no words. I shook my head, still in shock. "William," I said breathlessly. "This is amazing."

Amazing was such a dull word for describing the magnificence of the room, but I was fairly certain there was no word in the world that could have truly described the library.

His grin widened. "I knew you would like it."

I stepped into the room and scanned all of the shelves. I did not even know which shelf to start on. "Thank you for showing me this," I said earnestly. "This room is truly spectacular."

"Of course," he replied. "This room does not get used nearly enough."

"Do you use it?"

"Quite often, though I am one of the only ones. That pile of books over there," he pointed to the stack on the little table between the chairs. "That's what I have been working on. Those are all the books I intend to read. Of course, hopefully one day I can read every book in here."

"That will take you an incredibly long time."

"I'm a fast reader."

I scanned the shelves again. There were books on every topic I could imagine, some in different languages.

"Do you know when this library was built?" I asked, almost expecting he wouldn't.

He surprised me, yet again. "It was built in the early 15th century by a man named Dante Castello. He poured his whole life into this room and it certainly paid off. Well, I think it did."

I smiled and picked a book of of the shelf. Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare. "I know that at some point we will have to return to the ball, but I might stay here and read for a time, if that is all right with you."

"I was hoping you might say that." He strode over to the chair before the fireplace and picked up the topmost book and began to read.

Feeling more at home in this very room than I ever did in my own house, I took the seat beside him and began to read, as well.

We sat there in comfortable silence for some time, just reading. It was wonderful.

I did not know how long we were there, but I had gotten quite a ways into the book, before remembering myself and our situation.

"Oh, goodness," I said, shutting the book. "How long have we been away?"

William looked up at me from his own book and blinked several times, considering. "I haven't a clue."

I went to return the book back to its shelf, but William waved me off. "You should keep it."

I looked at him, puzzled. "But this is your book, surely you'll want to read it?"

"I've read it many times and I am the only one. I want you to have it." His face tinged pink as he said it.

I smiled, holding the book tightly to me. "Thank you," I said. I felt this warmth inside me, a happy, pleasant feeling, that I could not quite explain.

We left the library and I felt like I had been transported out of a storybook and back into reality. It was quite a jarring transition. With a last, longing look behind me, I followed William back the way we'd come, until we reached the ballroom once again.

The music was still going and people were still laughing and dancing, as though we had never left at all.

"I really enjoyed spending time with you, Erika, but I must go see to my parents." He gestured toward the dais, where his father and mother were sitting, watching the celebration.

I nodded quickly. "Yes, of course. I enjoyed our time together, as well, but I must go find my mother."

Neither of us moved.

He leaned in slightly and I caught a faint scent of citrus from him. "Would you want to meet again tomorrow?"

My heart began to race and my face warmed. "Yes, that would be lovely."

"How about tomorrow evening? Around eight o'clock, perhaps?"

I nodded. "Tomorrow at eight, then."

Our conversation concluded and, still, neither of us moved.

I knew I needed to go find my mother, but I just wanted to stay here with him. And then, I did something that surprised us both, I think. I stood up on my toes and kissed his cheek. He looked at me, surprised, for a long moment, his face bright red, and then he bowed, rather awkwardly, and tripped over his feet.

My own face burned as I laughed at his reaction. He smiled bashfully and kissed my hand before disappearing into the crowd.

I stared at the place he had been only a moment before, my heart pounding loudly in my chest. I could not believe I had done that. It was not something I could have ever pictured myself doing. And then, I smiled, pleased—and a bit shocked—that I had been so bold as to kiss his cheek. I stepped into the midst of the laughing and dancing, feeling as though it might be easier to be one of them tonight.