Unveiling the Counterfeit Bride: A Steamy Regency Historical Romance by Devlin Ava

Author:Devlin, Ava
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-08-16T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

The sun had begun to set by the time they reached the city gates of Marseille. From there, it was a matter of navigating the evening market crowds, milling about on the thoroughfare between the center of the city and the residential outskirts, which slowed down the party significantly.

Peter had taken hold of Hortensia's reins, worried she would be spooked by the chaos, but their little donkey seemed far less shaken by the throng of people than the horses, and had shown them the best direction to open air at least twice. He felt a strange pride in her competency, having traveled for so long at her side, and murmured gentle praise to her when he was reasonably certain that Mathias and Isabelle could not hear him.

Isabelle had taken her dog into her lap for the final leg of their journey by land, and the donkey seemed to have grown rather fond of the little creature, frequently craning her neck and adjusting her step to keep him in her sights. Peter knew how she felt. It was difficult not to look the same way at every available opportunity.

Had he been imagining the looks she'd given him? The poor girl was in a state of upheaval, her life shattered into a series of question marks, and so he knew he should not even think it, but it was impossible not to wonder. Earlier, under that tree on the outskirts of the city, he had thought for a moment that she was going to kiss him. He had wanted her to kiss him. After all, with all the contextual barricades about them now, he certainly didn't know if it would ever be proper for him to do so again.

She had confided in him, though, and there was meaning in that. She told him things she did not wish to tell Mathias, no matter how often he made her laugh or held her attention.

Yes, jealousy was an ugly emotion. He knew that. So was impatience, and he had never been particularly good at quashing that one either.

Admittedly, his prior episodes into the sin of envy were more frequently to do with academic rivals than romantic ones.

He glanced at Mathias with a little chuckle. Guy of Gisborne indeed!

Once they had passed the old port, which was dotted with restaurants lighting their candles for the evening, the roads cleared considerably. Was it a lucky happenstance that the Oliviers lived so close to the port? Peter guessed it was not. From the road, he could not make out the Harpy's sails from the muddle of boats clustered together for at least a league out.

Here on the street, the trio was able to draw closer together, with Isabelle indicating a short stop to watch the last of the sunlight dip below the horizon.

"Do you see that island there, some ways off?" Mathias asked her, leaning close and pointing until she nodded. "Chateau d'lf," he explained, "a fortress and a prison, and recently, a formidable wartime tomb. Rather inconsiderate of them, wouldn't you say? Building something so impossible to escape.

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