and with it my assured salvation, I choked, “You don’t have to do that.”
“I’m afraid I have to. I’ve made it my business to get a good giggle out of you.”
“What if you can’t, hmm?” I dared him, my spirits suddenly soaring higher at an alarming speed. “I warn you—I’ve been told I have no sense of humor.”
He shrugged. “And I’ve been told I’m awfully persistent—especially if I encounter a challenging problem.”
“What if it’s a lost cause?”
“I still do what I can to remedy it.”
Like my heart was a night-blooming jasmine, it began to unfold beneath the moonlight, opening in elated disbelief. I hadn’t heard anything like this from any of the men who’d been brought before me.
Could it possibly mean he’d help me if he knew my problem? Could this mean that he was the one?
Heart fluttering in my throat, I probed again, “How does remedying a lost cause work exactly?”
“That depends on the cause. But in my experience, it requires some actions most would disapprove of for ‘ethical’ reasons.”
I frowned. “How else would you fix something, if not ethically?”
“Same way I rid you of the wolf-man who looked ready to swallow you whole. By manipulating the situation, with the help of some white lies and sleight of hand. Maybe even more than that, if need be.”
This somehow didn’t sit right with me. If I believed the end justified the means, I would have done anything it took to get rid of Ada. But I hadn’t. Even now I could end up paying with my life for that principle, I still stood by it.
“I do appreciate you coming to my rescue, beyond words,” I said tightly. “And thankfully, it only needed a mild form of subterfuge to extract me from his claws. But are you saying you would resort to any questionable methods, if the situation warrants it?”
He only shrugged. “To be honest, I don’t particularly care how things are done, just as long as they get done. You can debate the rights and wrongs after the issue is settled, not before taking action.”
“Like we are now?”
“Exactly.” He leaned back against the bannister, crossing his arms, clearly closing the subject.
I was about to argue some more, then I noticed how the material of his thick coat stretched over his broad shoulders and large arms. And just like that, all my misgivings evaporated into the cold night air.
What kind of palatial sport or military training created such a physique?
Enraptured by his form, my focus strengthened by my inability to examine his face, I instinctively reached out to touch his arm. “Another guest tonight told me I looked weak. How did you manage to become so strong?”
“I hunt a lot,” he said, like it was some personal joke. “It involves a lot of running, riding, and climbing.”
“Climbing?”
“Vantage points are important when it comes to shooting things.” He waved. “Enough about me, what about you?”
“What about me?”
“You implied earlier that you had some experience with theater? Or where else would you be told the phrase, ‘break a leg?’”
“I sing,” I explained. “Though my performances have been limited to sitting rooms. I never got to sing in a theater like my instructor did. She was an opera singer in her youth.”
“I used to sing as well. It’s why mother called me—” He stopped, stiffening. Before I could wonder why, he resumed his casual stance. “How come you’ve never tried singing in a theater?”
“You must know it’s improper for a lady to pursue a career in the arts. Or in anything else for that matter. I can only sing for select company, not for the masses, not even for paying gentry and nobles in the royal theater here in Eglantine.”
“You must not be very good then.”
I couldn’t resist the urge to smack his arm. “I’ll have you know I have a classically-trained voice with perfect pitch!”
“I’m joking! Though…” He stopped again, and I made a hurried “go on” gesture. “Well, you must wonder if you’re truly any good at anything if all you have are the opinions of people who feel obliged to flatter you.”
That was the whole point of the masks tonight, so the men I met wouldn’t show me false personas as the king’s daughter. So far, they had worked, perfectly. More than ever before, what I had seen of my candidates’ true selves had been disheartening.
Except this one. From the instant he’d put himself between me and Lycaon, he’d been nothing but a surprise, showing all the traits becoming of the