How to Turn a Frog into a Prince - Bree Wolf Page 0,30

trust. Someone who would not hesitate to place his trust in her.

“And yet, he holds it against you,” Pierce remarked, pointing out how Charlaine’s failure to reveal her identity had messed up all she had hoped for. Not that he needed to!

Charlaine nodded. “It would seem he does,” she stated, a feeling of dread settling in her stomach. Still, the world was never simply dark. There was always a silver lining! Always! One only needed to look hard enough.

Yes, she had messed up the moment they had shared. Now, she needed to fix it!

And she would.

Pierce frowned as he watched a slow smile spread over her face. “What, exactly, happened between you two?”

Remembering the way they had spun across the terrace, her hands resting in Nathanial’s, the way they had laughed and talked, the way they had danced, Charlaine merely batted her lashes at Pierce in that innocent way debutantes often used and refrained from saying a single word.

The memory was hers—hers alone—and she would not share it!

“Do I need to be worried?” Pierce asked before a somewhat teasing note tinged his voice. “Do I need to call him out?”

Charlaine laughed, deeply touched by Pierce’s devotion to her. “You’re sweet to worry about me, but you need not. Mr. Caswell is a truly honorable man.” Indeed, she had been the one to kiss him. “And I assure you, it took all of my ingenuity to breach those defenses of his and see him forget his troubled past.” She sighed. “If only for a moment.”

Now, on to the next.

Pierce’s gaze swept over her face, a hint of suspicion in his dark eyes. “I assume you have plans of your own for the evening as well as the weeks beyond tonight, am I right?”

Once again, Charlaine merely smiled in reply.

“He doesn’t know yet, does he?” Pierce inquired.

Charlaine laughed. “Oh, dear goodness, of course not. The poor man would no doubt have an apoplexy.” Indeed, she would need to tread carefully. After all, she had foolishly risked his trust and lost it. Now, she would have to fight even harder to regain it, to prove herself his friend.

“And yet, you’re undeterred.” Pierce chuckled as he shook his head at her.

Charlaine sighed, remembering the moment her sister had met Peter at the market. It had been abrupt and unexpected, but if they had not acted on the surge of emotions they had felt, they would have missed out on a beautiful life together. No, Charlaine had always trusted her instincts, and they had never led her astray. “We must always fight for what we believe in,” she told him imploringly, knowing he, too, was standing at a fork in the road.

As though on cue, Charlaine spotted Caroline stepping into the entrance hall in that moment, dressed in a stunningly beautiful gown, her parents by her side, pride shining in their eyes. “I do believe your own chance for happiness has just arrived, and it would seem she’s already made a decision of her own,” she told Pierce, enjoying the way his gaze widened and he drew in a shuddering breath.

Squeezing his hand in reassurance, Charlaine cast him an encouraging smile and then stepped away, certain that Pierce was not fool enough to let Caroline slip through his fingers tonight.

As all guests turned to the entrance hall, their jaws dropping as they stared at Miss Caroline Hawkins, no longer hiding behind those thick spectacles and another one of her mousey-gray frocks, Charlaine cut her way through the crowd, eyes fixed on Nathanial Caswell.

His gaze narrowed when he saw her head in his direction. Then he quickly stepped away, moving in the opposite direction.

Charlaine stopped in her tracks as she watched him slink off, obviously determined to avoid her. “Oh, no,” she mumbled. “You’re not getting away.” Then she spun on her heel, retreated a few steps and slipped out onto the terrace.

As expected, it stretched around the large chamber to another set of double doors. They, too, stood open, allowing the air to circulate. A number of guests—those as of yet unaware of Miss Hawkins’ marvelous transformation—stood on the terrace or promenaded through the gardens. Torches had been lit here and there, illuminating the paths cutting through the lawn.

Breathing in the fresh night air, Charlaine quickly moved down toward the open doors and arrived just in time to see Nathanial push out of the crowded ballroom. His face was taut, and he looked over his shoulder as though he felt hunted. Then he proceeded across