She had her dignity to think of.
Lilah pulled her dress on without underwear. She wanted to leave, and to leave quickly. She crossed the room, pausing at the door to cast a final look in his direction.
If she had been in possession of a crystal ball, might she have paused? Might she even have reconsidered her departure and forgotten her pride?
Perhaps.
But Lilah couldn’t have known then what the future held.
She left without another word.
Two long days later, when her mind had been able to think of nothing but Will, she had finally stolen some time to return to his room. If they didn’t speak, she’d always feel that they had unfinished business.
And she’d found it empty.
Some time after making her love him all over again, Will Wright had disappeared, and Lilah was plunged into the depths of agony and despair.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Even a distraction in the form of a trip away with her new sister-in-law and beautiful little nephew couldn’t drive Will from her mind.
Where was he?
While she and Abigail spent day after day in the city palace, skirted by the capital and the ocean, Lilah’s mind was steadfastly back in the main palace.
In the disused suite of rooms she’d had him moved to.
In that bed, against that bed, on the balcony.
Had she ruined it for good?
Or had he?
“Lilah? Can I make you a tea?”
Lilah blinked, shaking her head to clear the image of Will that was burned into her brain. “No, I’m just about to go to bed.” She forced a smile to her lips. “You must be tired after this afternoon. That little master Michael gave us all a fright.”
Abi winced, her pale blonde hair shimmering as she shook her head. “I suppose I’m just not used to his tantrums.”
“If he’s anything like my brother is rumoured to have been as a child, you’ll need to get used to them,” Lilah laughed.
“That’s what Doctor R’izar said.”
“He would know,” Lilah said with a fondness in her chest for the doctor who had tended to all of their childhood injuries.
“I’m sorry I bailed on movie night,” Abi said, curling her legs beneath her on the sofa and cradling a tea in her hands. “I just couldn’t concentrate.”
Lilah’s expression was carefully neutral. “I can understand that.” She flicked at an imaginary piece of lint.
Abi seemed distracted, but Lilah was not in the most observant frame of mind. She stood and sent a vague smile in her sister-in-law’s general direction. “Good night.” She blew a kiss and strode over the tiles, her shoes clicking noisily as she went.
Lilah was not sleeping well.
She tossed and turned every night, her dreams tormented and her mind alert. That night, as the moon was full and high in the heavens, was no excuse.
She woke early, as though she had a presentiment of disaster. As she reached for her phone, it began to ring. She swiped it without checking who the caller was; after all, only a handful of people had her cell phone number.
“Hello?”