She shuddered. "I know what he is. And he disgusts me. I have done my best to avoid his further notice, and will continue to do so. I a.s.sure you I did nothing to encourage him."

He humphed. "One look into your beautiful eyes is enough encouragement for any man... no, do not look at me like that. I believe the last thing you wanted to happen was to gain his notice."

"It frightens me to think of what would happen if you challenged him, Giles. Promise me you will not risk it."

He did not answer. "Tell me your plan."

"I don't exactly have one yet. But I have acquainted myself with many of the secret pa.s.sages riddled throughout the palace, and I hope one of them will lead me to Breden's private chamber."

His dark brows rose. "That could take years."

"Precisely. So I have enlisted the aid of Lord Longhurst's spy-"

"The lad who gave me your message?"

"Just so. I am hoping he will have more success, since he's apparently familiar with the tunnels."

"It's risky."

Cecily shrugged. "There is little about this mission that is not risky."

"And then?"

"Why, I wait for Breden to leave the palace and sneak into his rooms."

"And then?"

Faith, he was starting to annoy her. "I have no idea. I touch the scepter and dissolve into a thousand bits?"

His face turned white. "Listen to me, Cecily. You have not been trained for something like this. If the lad does find a way into the Imperial Lord's chamber, I want you to send me a message before you attempt to touch the scepter. Perhaps there is another way..."

She shook her head. "There is not, or the Rebellion would have tried it already."

"That is not the point." He leaned forward on his knees, brushed the hair back from her face. "Have you thought of how you might reach the ship once you have the scepter?"

So, Sir Robert had told him of the ship awaiting her in Bristol that would take her to Wales... if she managed to steal the scepter. But she hadn't really thought she'd accomplish the task, so hadn't given much thought to how she would reach the seaport.

And the touch of his fingers made her thoughts spin, so she said the first thing that popped into her mind. "Ellen has a boyfriend in the stables. Perhaps he will lend me a horse."

He made some kind of strangled sound and sat back. "I get the impression that you do not believe you will accomplish this task. That you are intent on becoming a martyr for the cause. Like Thomas, perhaps?"

Cecily dropped her gaze.

"I will not allow it," he continued, his voice so fierce that his sword hummed in response. "You must have a plan of escape before you attempt to take the scepter. You must not go into Breden of Dewhame's chamber alone. I must be at your side-Cecily, are you listening to me?"

She looked up at him then, at his lovely human green eyes, with those dark brows and lashes such a contrast to his elven-white hair. At his generous mouth and elegant nose and high cheekbones. The candlelight made his skin glow a honeyed gold, the mark on his face only emphasizing the perfection of the rest of him.

"And then what?" she whispered, her words almost lost in the darker recesses of the cavern. "Will you then put me on the ship and bid me farewell?"

He blinked, his mouth parting slightly. "I will keep you safe, no matter what it takes."

"I see."

"Cecily." He took her shoulders in his hands, his palms hot against her skin. "Just promise me that you will tell me the moment you find a way into the elven lord's chamber."

She set her mouth in a stubborn line. He wasn't the only one who could pretend indifference.

"Dammit, woman," he growled, and then hauled her up against him, his mouth covering hers with a fierceness that made her heart pound. Cecily melted like snow in the sun, leaning into his kiss and wrapping her arms about his neck. She buried her fingers in the wealth of his silken hair, opened her mouth to grant him inside. He did not disappoint, his tongue sweeping against hers, tangling in a silent battle. His hands pressed her body closer, arching her back and neck.

Could heaven be any more sublime than this man's kiss?

Giles broke away, his breath releasing in harsh pants. "Promise me."

She would give him the moon, if she had the power to do so. "Yes, Giles. I promise."

Again his mouth swept over hers, nibbling and sucking at her lips. He trailed a path of wet heat across her cheek to her ear, his hot breath sending shivers through her. "Thank you."

And then he set her from him and stood, pulling on his waistcoat, his coat, avoiding her gaze. "Have you spoken to the dragon?"

Cecily tried to collect herself. Blasted man. "What? I... no."

"Kalah might consent to help us, if we approach him right. Otherwise, he may be inclined to do the elven lord's bidding."

She dragged the hair back from her face and tried to calmly finger-comb some of the tangles from it. As if he hadn't twisted her emotions one way and then the other. "I'm not going near the dragon."

"He scares you, eh?" A hint of his old familiar grin touched his mouth. "That's a healthy att.i.tude, my dear. But do not worry; I will seek him out while you're exploring those tunnels. We would have no problem escaping on the back of a dragon."

Cecily grimaced. Perhaps not, but she doubted she'd ever find the courage to climb up on a dragon's back in the first place. Not that she'd ever admit it. "He is our enemy, just as much as the elven lord is."

"The dragons are a mystery to us, limited by some enchantment set upon them by the scepters, but they have helped more than hindered the Rebellion in the past. I will try to seek Kalah out in his tower tomorrow night."

Cecily smoothed her hair, divided it for plaiting, but it proved difficult without a mirror.

"Allow me." Giles dropped down behind her and took the black strands from her, his gentle touch making her scalp tingle. She closed her eyes while he took his time fixing her hair, remembering all the times he'd helped her with the ch.o.r.e when they had journeyed together.

"Then will you meet me here again tomorrow night," she asked, "after you speak with the dragon?"

His fingers stilled a moment. "That might be too dangerous."

Cecily wiggled until he began to plait again. "I think not. I have already told Ellen I have taken a lover, and if we are seen, I doubt anyone will suspect anything other than a tryst."

"Ellen is another servant to Longhurst? What about the boy? What is he called?"

"Jimson. He is Ellen's brother."

"Aye, Jimson. Since you have already taken the lad into your confidence, we can send messages to each other through him. Send him to me tomorrow evening, and I will return him to you with a message about Kalah, and a plan for our escape if the dragon cannot be persuaded to help us."

"But why? It would be so much easier-"

He gave a final tug to her braid and stood. "When I spoke of danger, I did not mean..." And then he put some distance between them again, back into the shadows. He lowered his head, hiding beneath the thick fall of his hair. "It is dangerous for me to be near you, Cecily. It is obvious that I cannot keep from touching you whenever we are together, and I do not want to give you false hope. It is my weakness, not yours, and I'm sorry for it. But I see no other way."

"You are being ridiculous." She tried to keep the irritation from her voice, but he tried her patience, he truly did.

"You will not think so when your neighbors shun you because of the man you married. When women whisper behind your back and children taunt you because you married a monster. And then you will start to blame me. And pity will turn to hatred. I do not want that."

Cecily rose, smoothing her skirts. "Not all people are so concerned with appearances, Giles. Just you."

He glanced up, his mouth twisted. "You think so? I had to fight over a dozen men just to get accepted into an army that drafts young boys. I sleep in the weapons shed, because not a single man will allow me in their barracks. Even my old friends from the village will not speak to me now."

"You have seen them? They are here?"

"Aye, including your Will, if that's what you're wondering."

Cecily hadn't thought of Will in so long. It felt as if she hadn't seen him in years. She had changed so much from the girl who had once thought to marry him. Who had thought she'd be content with a life devoid of pa.s.sion and excitement. "It is good to know they are safe, and still alive, that is all."

Giles gave her a skeptical look and shrugged. "If you would like to meet with Will, I can arrange it."

"I can't imagine that we would have anything to say to one another."

Some of the tension drained from his shoulders. Cecily stepped toward him, laid a hand on his chest. "I am sorry for the way you are being treated. The world is full of the blind, Giles. Yet I truly believe somewhere there is a place for us to be happy together."

"Then you have more faith than I do, Cecily." He stepped away from her hand, picked up the candle, and without another word started back toward the sound of the falls.

Cecily pulled her cloak back over her shoulders and followed, cursing herself for the futile conversation. For a moment, she had felt as if they had resumed some of their previous closeness, but she had forgotten that words did not work with Giles. She could not argue him into a future with her. Seduce him, perhaps. But that would be difficult if they could not meet.

Her mind schemed with ways in which she might allow that to happen while they made their way out of the falls. The water doused the candle as they ducked outside, and Giles disappeared beneath the fanlike tree with nary a good-bye, leaving Cecily to make her way alone to the palace.

But she did not doubt for a moment that Giles followed her somewhere in the shadows, making sure she made it back inside safely.

Cecily put the last st.i.tch in Lady Longhurst's elaborate new gown. She had spent the entire day sewing the dress, for the lady insisted she be allowed to wear it tonight. And truly, it had turned out quite lovely, with layers of lace cascading down the full skirt, down the pleated back. Pearls decorated the hem of each layer, and completely covered the stomacher that would be worn with it.

Cecily vowed to wear a dress just like this one when she married Giles. She had only to figure out how she might make that marriage come about.

"But I have not given up," she whispered.

Ellen poked her head around the doorway of the small parlor. "Merciful heavens, Lucy, is it done yet? I've finished with her ladyship's hair and she's demanding the gown."

Cecily gathered up the yards of fabric and handed it to Ellen. "Do you need my help in dressing her?"

"Oh, Lud, ye are such an angel! Yes, she's in such a tizzy over the ball that she can barely hold still. I never seen her ladyship so excited."

Cecily followed the girl into Lady Longhurst's dressing room, surprised to see his lordship within. Jimson stood at his side, helping the older gentleman tie his cravat.

"Ah, there you are, Lucy," said Lord Longhurst. "It seems we are in a bit of a muddle tonight, eh? My valet took a fever and it seems that her ladyship cannot decide on a choice of fans. Quite the quandary, is it not?"

Cecily returned his smile and immediately began the task of getting Lady Longhurst into the voluminous gown.

"What on earth is a quandary?" asked her ladyship, wiggling into the lace.

"A dilemma, my dear."

"Then why on earth didn't you just say so? Gracious, as if I don't have enough to task my mind without trying to decipher what you're saying. Lucy, dear, the feathers or the lacquer?" And she held up two fans, one with white swan feathers, and the other with an ocean scene painted upon it.

Cecily made a show of serious consideration. "The feathers will make the lace appear harsh in comparison, and the painting will complement the pearls in the gown. Isn't the lace rather like the spray of the ocean?"

Lady Longhurst clapped her hands. "At last! Someone who makes complete sense. You are a gift from heaven, my dear Lucy." She slipped the looped string of the fan over her lace gloves. "I shall have to wave it about frequently, so those less inspired can perceive the meaning of the costume. If only Imperial Lord Breden had not left the palace so unexpectedly this evening! Surely he would appreciate the fineness of my new gown."

Cecily shot a look to Lord Longhurst, who gave a slight nod of his bewigged head without taking his attention off his wife. "We are all saddened by the elven lord's sudden departure, dearest. But I pray you will not allow it to dampen the evening."

Her ladyship looked horrified. "I should certainly think not. Why, the expression on Lady Sherwood's face alone will make the evening a success." She lowered her voice conspiratorially. "You see, Lucy, I have kept you a bit of a secret. My dearest friend has no idea I have such a skilled mantua-maker in my service. When she sees this new gown-la! The envy!"

Cecily knotted the last tie of the stomacher. "I am pleased you are happy with the dress, my lady. But I hope your friend does not solicit my services. I rather prefer the solitude of your chambers."

Lady Longhurst patted her hand and rose. "You are such a timid thing, aren't you, dear? But do not worry, I shall allow no one to steal you away from me. Are you ready, Lord Longhurst?"

"In just a moment, my dear. I cannot seem to find my pearl stickpin. Wouldn't that complement your gown quite well?"

She gave a laugh, a spin of her lace skirts, and left the room, Ellen in tow.

Cecily started to follow when Jimson's hand on her sleeve made her turn.

His lordship studied her through his quizzing gla.s.s. "I understand that you may have some... errands to run. And because of your shy nature..." He coughed. "You have solicited my lackey to help you in that regard?"

Cecily dipped a quick curtsy. "If your lordship has no objection, I would be most obliged."

"Indeed, I have suggested to Jimson that he aid you just as faithfully as he has always served me. Is that satisfactory?"

"It is more than I could have asked for, my lord. I thank you."

"Tut, tut, none of that. The pleasure you have brought to my wife this evening deserves reward. Now then, Jimson, have you found that blasted pin?"

Jimson produced the jewelry from his pocket with a grin, and his lordship leaned down to allow the boy to affix it to the center of his lace cravat.

"Now, then," continued his lordship after he'd risen, "I should not keep my lady waiting any longer. Have a productive evening, my dears."

And he left the room in a swish of magenta silk and a clatter of diamond-buckled shoes.

Jimson collapsed on the padded bench near the standing mirror. "Lor'. I don't suppose yer going to tell me who ye really are."

Cecily tried to look innocent and then settled for a smile. "No one of great importance, I a.s.sure you."

Ellen popped her head around the door. "They've finally gone. And I'm famished. Do ye want to go with me to the kitchens, Lucy? Cook made extras of all the fancy dishes the gentry will be served at the ball tonight. We servants will have a bit of a party of our own."

Cecily's stomach growled and she considered the offer for a moment. Surely General Fletcher would be at the ball with the rest of the beau monde. But the thought that he might be lurking about the servants' quarters in wait for her made her shake her head. She had seen the look in the man's eyes when she'd used her magic. "I think I'll remain in our rooms. There's a bit of bread and cheese still on the sideboard."

Ellen grimaced. "Ye will have to get over this shyness of yers, sometime. But I won't push ye. How about if I bring ye up some supper?"