How to Turn a Frog into a Prince - Bree Wolf Page 0,74

she turned and hurried after the girls.

For a long moment, Nathanial remained where he was, staring after her, her words echoing in his mind. I’ll not do it again. Indeed, here was a promise he could not help but detest. What on earth was he to do now? How could he remain her friend when…?

Brutal honesty, she had promised him and asked for the same in return. Nathanial had been doubtful at first, but then he had found that he could trust her after all. That she was a genuinely good person, that she said what was on her mind, that she did not lie, that she had no hidden agenda.

Indeed, brutal honesty would require him to tell her how he felt when he looked at her now. But what would happen then?

The thought was more terrifying than any he’d ever known. He could not lose her. He simply could not!

But then he would have to lie.

Hanging his head, Nathanial walked up the small slope toward the house.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Friends and Only Friends

After breakfast the next morning, Charlaine felt an almost desperate need to be alone. Her thoughts ran rampant, her heart picking up its pace whenever her mind drifted back to the kiss she had stolen without thought. It had been an impulse, a sudden desire, and she had acted upon it without considering Nathanial’s position in this.

Indeed, after their almost-kiss in the stables, Charlaine had not been able to stop imagining what could have been. She had tossed and turned all night, wishing she could know what it felt like to be kissed by him.

Now.

For although they had already shared a kiss at the masquerade, they had barely known each other then. They had been strangers, and Charlaine could not help but wonder what it would feel like now. Now, that they were friends. Now, that they knew each other as well as they did. Now, that she felt for him, cared for him.

Oh, she cared for him more than any man she had ever known! There was something utterly sweet and caring about him despite the bitterness that often clung to his voice. When he laughed, his eyes lit up in such a compelling way that Charlaine wanted to hug him. He was kind and decent and considerate. He looked out for her. He stood his ground when he needed to, but he also granted her the freedom she treasured. He respected her, and she loved him for it. Oh, how she loved him for it!

Footsteps echoed up the corridor as Charlaine passed by the drawing room doors. She looked over her shoulder and spotted Emma, hurrying to catch up with her. “Is something wrong?” she asked as the other woman drew closer. “Are the girls all right?”

“They’re fine,” Emma assured her as she glanced up and down the corridor. Then she pushed open the door to the drawing room at her back and waved Charlaine inside. “Hurry! Before they find us.”

“They?” Charlaine frowned as she stepped into the dim room and watched Emma close the door. “What’s going on?”

“The girls are looking for you,” Emma told her as she stepped forward, her eyes watchful but eager somehow as though words lingered at the tip of her tongue, desperate to be sent out into the world. “However, I wanted to speak with you before you ran off with them again.” She inhaled a deep breath, and the corners of her mouth drew upward.

“What is going on?”

Emma chuckled. “I overheard Daphne and Susan talking this morning.” Her brows rose as though Charlaine should be aware of what she was referring to. “They mentioned…a kiss.” Her brows rose even higher.

Charlaine bit her lip, equally shocked and relieved to be confronted about this. “Yes, I kissed him.” She covered her face with her hands. “I shouldn’t have, but I wanted to.”

“You kissed who?” came a most intrigued voice from behind them.

Both women flinched and spun around, shocked to find Caroline rising into a seated position on the settee. “What are you doing here?” Charlaine asked as her eyes slid over Caroline’s pale face. “Are you well?”

“Only a little dizzy,” she replied, looking a bit green around the nose, as her hand came to rest on her belly. “And a little nauseous.”

Charlaine’s eyes widened. “You’re not…?” she stammered as she moved to sit beside Caroline. “Are you with child?”

A small smile stole onto Caroline’s face as she looked from Emma to Charlaine. “I think I am,” she whispered, hope and longing clinging