"Oh" was all that she said, and she regarded Francis every now and then.
"It's getting late. I should go." Francis stood, and Royce followed suit.
"Yes, me too," he nodded towards Elis, and they moved towards the door.
"See you at the ball," she said and smiled at them both.
"All right."
Elis didn't know what to think anymore of the situation. Ever since she was a toddler, she had always wanted Francis, but when both Francis and Royce were in the room, she found herself showering Royce with all her attention, often forgetting Francis was even there. It was nagging at her, but she decided to set her worries aside. Royce was her dear friend, nothing more.
CHAPTER 10
The night of the ball quickly arrived. Elis was lost in the sea of guests. She barely saw Royce during the dance and the dinner. Because everyone was spending the night at the Crawfords estate, she didn't think it too bold of her to go to his room with a bottle of champagne she had stolen from the kitchen to celebrate. He had become an Earl. Indeed that was the reason for the celebration. She was especially peeved that she hadn't seen much of him lately.
She tiptoed through the grand hall, careful not to make any noises. It was past three in the morning, but she just had to do this for Royce, or so she told herself. As she knocked at the door, she awkwardly looked around to avoid being caught. Fortunately, Royce opened on her third knock.
"What...?" He looked at her as if he'd seen a ghost. "What are you doing here?" he asked again before pulling her inside, quickly ensuring that no one had seen them. "Do you know what time it is? You can't just come to my room alone. Your reputation would be ruined if caught," Royce told her through gritted teeth. Elis didn't mind his words, though, just as she didn't really mind her reputation. Having grown up so sheltered and the youngest daughter of the Marquis, she had never truly grasped the gravity of being alone with a man. Especially considering she'd always been alone with Royce or Francis.
"Oh, come on, Royce, you surely know how to spoil the mood. I came here to celebrate with you! We didn't get to talk, so I thought this would be nice..." Elis started off boldly, but the thought of Royce being bothered by her actions made her uncertain. He seemed to be in a particularly bad mood, and she could smell the alcohol on his breath.
"Have you been drinking Royce?" she asked, going on her tiptoes to sniff at his breath. Royce was taken aback by her proximity, so he could only nod.
"Shame on you," she stuck her finger to his chest. "Without me?" Elis joked as she waved the bottle of champagne in her hand, and Royce started laughing.
"Fine, I'll have a glass with you, no more." He motioned to the bed since there was only one chair in the room. Elis took a seat on the bed, and he brought over the chair to face her.
Royce had already been imbibing spirits for some hours before Elis had come knocking. The bottle of scotch lay on the table next to his bed half empty. That he was able to sound so coherent was a wonder. He purposely placed some distance between himself and Elis, knowing that one touch could start a domino effect. And he didn't want to make a mistake that would cost them their friendship. On the other hand, he knew he could never say no to Elis. Not because he usually couldn't deny her anything, but because he knew just how stubborn she was when she decided on something.
Elis made herself comfortable and shifted her attention to the bottle of champagne. After several attempts at opening it and Royce's unabashed amusement in the matter, she decided to let him do the honors.
"Don't you dare laugh at me. Let's see if you can do it" Elis shoved the bottle to his chest. Surely enough, Royce didn't take long to have the bottle open, without too much noise either. He opened a drawer and removed two glasses, handing her one and filling it with the golden liquid.
"So, how does it feel to be an Earl?" Elis started enthusiastically as she sipped on her drink.
"Not any differently, if I'm completely honest. I'd rather I didn't have this title." Elis continued to sip her drink but made a face at him.
"Really? You must be the only man in the world who does not want a title." She mused. Royce shrugged, trying awfully hard to maintain control of his voice and muscles. He realized that the effects of alcohol were now starting to affect him. Why did Elis have to come here just now?
Elis started talking about her new relationship with Francis, telling Royce about all the outings they had gone out together and gushing about how lucky she was that Francis was now finally paying attention to her.
"I told you I would marry him, didn't I?" she gave a soft laugh and emptied the contents of her second glass.
The more she walked about how perfect Francis was, the more Royce struggled with his own self-control.
"He kissed you, didn't he?" he asked, his voice husky, even though he already knew the answer. He had seen them.
Elis paused for a second in surprise, and then a blush sprayed all across her cheeks as she nodded.
"Did he do more...?" Royce found himself continuing, knowing fully well that her answer might break him. He had decided to be a friend to Elis, so he’d resolved to put aside his feelings and consider her well-being. But as he looked into her flushed face and imagined her and Francis, limbs entangled... it was too much.
"More?" Elis asked, confused. "What do you mean more?" Her voice was one of genuine
