Beautiful Little Fools by Olivia Horrox

Beautiful Little Fools by Olivia Horrox

Author:Olivia Horrox
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bonnier Publishing Fiction
Published: 2022-08-28T00:00:00+00:00


Chapter 18

I wake later than usual and lie perfectly still in bed for a moment longer, thinking about last night. Alexander kissed me. Alexander Tremayne, the man I once called loathsome, who became one of my dearest friends, who is now … I don’t know what. Alexander Tremayne, the viscount who is expected to marry Lady Evelyn Broadwick. Last night it had all seemed perfectly simple and wonderful, but now as I stare up at the ceiling, my thoughts become more entangled. Happiness blurs into guilt, and the two swirl around in my heart until I can’t decipher one from the other.

Nina is already up and brushing her short black hair at the dressing table. I catch her looking at me in the mirror. ‘What happened to you last night?’ she asks suspiciously, placing her brush back down on the table and spinning to face me. ‘You were right behind me and then I must have fallen asleep before you made it to bed.’

‘I need to tell you something,’ I whisper, sitting up in bed and wrapping my arms around my knees.

She raises one sharply pencilled eyebrow in curiosity.

‘Alexander and I kissed last night.’

‘What?’ she whispers frantically, then tiptoes quickly across the carpet to sit at the foot of the bed, her agitated eyes searching mine to see if I am joking.

‘Really!’ I reply a little defensively. ‘Is it that surprising to you that someone might want to kiss me?’

She looks away for a beat, then balls her hand into a fist and punches me hard on the arm. ‘You bloody idiot!’ she hisses.

‘Ouch!’ I cry. ‘What was that for?’

‘You promised me you wouldn’t fall for him.’

She looks furious and I am both confused and angry by her reaction. My inability to mask my emotions lets me down once again and she softens a little, rubbing my aching arm.

‘I’m sorry, it’s just that wasn’t a very smart thing to do,’ she sighs. ‘You must have known I wouldn’t approve?’

‘I knew you wouldn’t approve, but I didn’t want to keep it from you either,’ I reply sullenly. ‘Besides, I thought you were starting to like him, to trust him even.’

‘I was starting to like him. At least he has a few interesting thoughts in his head, unlike his vapid fool of a sister.’

‘And that’s another thing!’ I interrupt. ‘What is your problem with Rose? She has been nothing but polite and welcoming to you. This can’t still be about the mishap with your painting. You had barely started it, and she has apologised. Why must you keep being so rude?’

‘Because … because she’s irritating, and she is so false. No one is really that nice. I don’t trust her. Besides, we are not talking about Rose, we are talking about Alexander and I certainly don’t trust him,’ she sighs, ‘Oh, Birdie, you’re so naive … He is supposed to marry Evelyn, remember? Or did that slip your mind?’

In the heat of the moment last night, it had slipped my mind. All



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