Absolutely not,she wanted to snap, but the words refused to come. Her body felt foreign, head heavy and arms numb. Aurora glanced down, half expecting to see that her hands weren't her own; but they sat neatly in her lap as normal.
When she glanced back up, Lord Foley was gone. He was replaced, thankfully, by Elmore's tall and imposing form. Father and the Duke were still there, however, now apparently in the middle of an argument over...her?
Aurora tried to stand, but her legs wobbled and she collapsed back onto the step with a huff.
Father turned, already making his way towards her, but Aurora waved a hand to sayI'm all right.
The world was coming back into focus now. Slowly, yet surely, clarity came swimming back. She was perched on the steps outside her home, the lingering, acidic scent of the angel's trumpet lingering in her nose. Yet the smoke was gone.
Heat rose to Aurora's cheeks as she realized...she must have imagined Lord Foley, and possibly even the Duke. Everything that she had said, and seen, was only in her mind. Embarrassment flooded her, but it was better than saying it all out loud.
Father came to rest by her side. Aurora's head ached so badly that it was difficult to focus, but he seemed to be smiling.
"Feeling better?" he asked.
Carefully, Aurora nodded. "I'm sorry if I frightened anybody," she said softly, "I'm...not sure what happened."
Her thoughts were foggy, and everything was so unclear. The last thing Aurora remembered clearly was saying goodbye to the Duke inside, and Father telling Elmore about her illness. She had pretended to be asleep to avoid the embarrassment, but Elmore said that he could cure her.
Which much have been where the angel's trumpet came in. She had the vague idea that she'd inhaled too much smoke, because the breeze had wafted it right into her face before she had time to prepare.
Biting down on her lip, Aurora turned to glance at Elmore and the Duke. They were very real, not her imagination. At least, she assumed so.
Color flushed Aurora's cheeks as she turned away. She had confessed to the fake Lord Foley that she loved Elmore, and every word had been true. Yet...yet Elmore could never find out. Aurora didn't know what she would do if he knew the truth; she loved him, and yet Elmore didn't love her.
The thought made her head throb harder, and Aurora winced.
"I'll get you a drink," Father offered gently, "stay there and rest a moment. Perhaps you should eat, too."
The thought of food made Aurora's stomach roll, so she shook her head. Yet she didn't quite trust her voice yet, her throat felt dry...but there was no urge to cough. So, that wasn't so terrible.
Father vanished inside, and Aurora watched him go. She didn't quite trust what was real yet, but the haze had lifted from her mind and thingsfeltreal again. At the time, everything had appeared perfectly normal; but now, Aurora understood that everything had been oddly dreamlike. Unreal.
Returning, Father pressed a cold glass of water into her waiting palms. "Take slow sips," he warned, "not too much."
She did as he instructed, watching Elmore and the Duke the entire time. Then, the Duke strode over with a bright grin on his face and announced, "what I just witnessed wasmarvelous.I'm so glad that I came back — I wanted to make sure that Miss Washam was all right, but what I saw was even better."
Aurora turned wide, disbelieving eyes to the Duke. Was she still hallucinating? This was too good to be true, and her heart leapt at the news.
Of course, there always had to be a sceptic. Today it was Elmore, as he came to stand protectively in front of Aurora. She might have been annoyed, if she hadn't seen the worry flash across his features; he was so concerned for her, how could she dislike that?
"With all due respect, Your Grace, I don't think that I understand. I don't wish to sound ungrateful, but why now?"
The Duke's smile made Aurora nervous. He glanced to her and said, "after what I've seen, I'm intrigued. Lord Winters, I haveneverseen a plant do what this one has just done. I would love to know what else this angel's trumpet can do, that we don't know about yet."
Aurora muffled her frustration. He didn't care about the healing properties, but what otherunusualthings it could do? Yes, she understood curiosity — but now Aurora felt a little too much like something on display.
Father must have sensed it too, because he stood abruptly and held out his hand to the Duke. In the process, he blocked the Duke's view of Aurora. "I'm so delighted to hear that," he said brightly, "thank you so much, Your Grace."
They wandered across the lawn to talk more by his carriage — she hadn't even noticed the carriage until now. Goodness, she reallyhadsuffered some strange side effects.
Elmore settled beside her as she continued to sip the cold water. There was something in his expression that she couldn't make out. A hesitance perhaps, or even a shyness. Although he didn't quite meet Aurora's eyes, he did offer a hesitant smile.
"I'm glad that you feel better," he said softly, "I was worried for a moment. How do you feel?"
Good question. In truth, Aurora was trying not to think about it.
"My head hurts and my throat feels dry, but it's not so bad." Εven the headache was beginning to leave her. "I think I should be fine soon."