Elis woke up a few hours after. At first, she was disoriented when she realized it wasn't her own room. The sound of breathing next to her alerted her to another being. She slowly glanced around to find Royce sleeping face down. And he was naked.
"Lord," she whispered as she took in her naked body too. Suddenly she remembered everything that had occurred. Royce's mouth on her, the pleasure he had given her. When her mind was clear of both alcohol and desire, she realized just how wrong this was. And it was her fault, as she recalled Royce trying to stop it...trying to send her to her room. But she'd been too greedy, too enveloped in the feeling of the moment to care about anything. She carefully extricated herself from the bed and slipped her gown over her head. She had to leave before anyone found them. Opening the door and making sure no one was around, she tiptoed around the hallway until she reached her room. She quickly went inside.
"What have I done?"
CHAPTER 12
It wasn't until late afternoon that she saw Royce again. She had dreaded the moment, thinking of all sorts of scenarios. Even worse, he greeted her by telling her he had something to talk to her. Trembling, she just nodded, and he led her to the patio.
"What was it you wanted to talk about?" She asked, her voice not quite sounding right. She tried to mask the underlying trembling, but she only managed to sound slightly flushed.
"Did you have any problems going back to your room last night?" Royce finally asked. He wasn't meeting her eyes, looking anywhere but at her. Last night? Elis frowned. She'd only left in the morning.
"What do you mean, last night?" She asked, measuring her words carefully.
"After the champagne." Royce started, his hand scratching the back of his head. "I'm sorry I was such a bad company. I must have drunk too much. I don't even know when I fell asleep."
Elis's eyes widened at the implication. He did not remember, did he?
"Royce..." She started carefully. "What do you remember?"
Red stained his cheeks. He turned his head. "We had a few glasses of champagne and I... I was too forward with you. I am so sorry, Elis. It was the alcohol; you must believe me. I would have never acted in such a manner towards you had I been sober."
"I see..." Elis's face tightened into a forced smile. "Don't worry about it, Royce. We're friends, aren't we?"
"Of course." He agreed, and he seemed relieved at her reaction.
"I should go. Mother must be looking for me." Elis excused herself. She didn't know if her mother was looking for her or not. She could just go back to their home on their own, right? And that was exactly what she did. She left a note to her parents that she was not feeling well, and taking a maid with her, she returned home. It was only a short distance away anyway.
She couldn't bear to stay there anymore. Not when she'd done something unforgivable. And it was her fault, as she'd continued despite Royce's protests. Even he admitted he'd imbibed too much. She'd taken advantage of her dear friend. And the worst thing was that she wasn't as upset about that, as she was of his reaction. He'd told her he would have never behaved that way towards her if he had not had spirits beforehand.
Once inside her room, she took to her bed. She brought her hand to her chest, trying to regulate her heartbeats.
This was indeed the worst scenario possible. She'd lost her virtue, and she'd also realized the extent of her feelings for Royce. He was her best friend, and yet he was also... more. He was like her perfect half, and if she hadn't been so stubborn before, she'd have realized it sooner. Now she'd all but encouraged Francis - fact which Royce was very much aware of. Elis sighed deeply. She'd muddled everything, and now she could only hope to pretend nothing happened. After all, if Royce did not remember, then it didn't actually happen.
Yes, Elis resolved. She would go on as before. But as she decided that, she could not help but feel an emptiness in her heart. She'd felt Royce's skin against her own... he'd possessed her in a manner that she'd not thought possible. How did one go on pretending that that had not happened?
The following week, Francis called on her two times. He took her out riding each time. Since Francis was officially courting her now, her mother had insisted she always bring a maid with her to act as chaperone.
Royce, however, did not contact her. She kept on hoping he'd show up one morning to go riding as was their custom. Elis even woke up at dawn every day to be ready for him - just in case. But he never came.
She wanted to go to him, had to force herself not to reach out first. Not when
