A sigh of relief had barely escaped my lips when Severine ran out of the alcove after her sister. I wasn’t so lucky the second time.
“What are you doing here?” Severine said, spitting the words at me. “Are you spying on me? Following me around, sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong?”
“No, I—”
“You’re obsessed with me! You’ve been jealous of me since we first met. Jealous that my mother is still alive, jealous that your father loved me like his own, jealous of my beauty and charm. It was only a matter of time before you tried to ruin everything for me!”
When Severine saw the vial in my hands, her eyes narrowed dangerously. She ripped the vial from my hands and stormed off, bumping my shoulder with her own so hard, I reeled back into the hedge. I managed to right myself just before she disappeared.
The entire interaction left me feeling uneasy. Not Severine’s taunts; I knew those weren’t true. But the argument, Alexandre’s tears, Severine’s desperation, and the strange liquid inside the vial . . . something was wrong. It was clear Lady Catherine wanted them to do something, and it had everything to do with whatever was inside the vial.
I shivered, suddenly cold even though I stood in a bright patch of sunlight. That glass vial held something that would alter the outcome of the competition, and I knew Lady Catherine would do anything to get what she wanted. What did she want her daughters to do? What were they plotting?
A hand landed on my shoulder, and I jumped.
Chapter Thirty-Two
“Auguste! Don’t scare me like that!” He was tall and blocked out the sun when he stood so close behind me.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. Why are you so jumpy?”
I thought about telling him what I’d overheard, but I wasn’t completely sure what I heard. And while I had no affection for Severine, I didn’t want anything to happen to Alexandre. In the end, there was nothing to tell.
“I’ve been looking for you everywhere,” Auguste said as he took my hands. I should have pulled away and put some distance between us. That would have been the sensible thing to do. But I liked the feel of his warm hands in mine. I let him take a step closer, until we were standing nearly flush against each other. My pulse jumped at his touch, but I felt secure tucked against him all the same.
“Come on, I want to show you something,” he said, guiding me into the maze of paths.
I hesitated. My desire to be with him was complicated by my reason for being at the palace. I was vying to be his brother’s bride. I couldn’t wander off alone with another boy, even if that was the dauphin’s brother. Especially if it was the dauphin’s brother.
He saw the expression on my face.
“Just listen: Now is the perfect time to be in each other’s company. Louis is on his group outing, which the majority of the court are spectating, and my father is in meetings for the next few hours. No one will notice our absence. Can’t we just live in the moment and worry about being proper and decorous later?”
Auguste wiggled the fingers of his outstretched hand at me. My own hands trembled at my sides. We were walking down a dangerous path, one that could end in pain if we weren’t careful.
But a walk through the gardens was perfectly innocent as long as I ensured that my boundaries stayed in place. Which I would do because I was careful. Auguste took my hand—a perfectly innocent gesture—and led me down the garden path.
* * *
“Is this what you wanted to show me? The water bower?” I asked as Auguste and I stood at the entrance to the Grove of the Three Fountains, our hands still clasped together.
“This is it. Do you like it? I’ve never found it particularly interesting. It’s just jets of water. They don’t even do anything interesting, not like the fountains.”
“I think it’s lovely.”
Auguste shrugged. “If you say so.”
I’m sure the water bower would bore someone who’d seen it a thousand times before, but I’d never seen anything like it. Jets on both sides of the path sent water shooting up into the air, higher than I could reach even if I jumped. The water arced over our heads and terminated in basins that ran alongside the gravel walkway. We were boxed in on all sides, as if we were traveling through a tunnel made of water, the streams the walls beside us and the vaulted ceiling above. Not a single drop fell on us as we walked, our steps slow and measured as I took my time looking around. The effect was magical, like we were entering another world. I understood why Papa and the king loved it so much.
“I’m sure you don’t want to walk this slowly,” I said.
Auguste had released my hand and was trailing a few steps behind me now, scuffing the red heels of his shoes in the dirt. I felt bad that he was so clearly bored, but I didn’t want to rush for fear of missing anything.
“You can go on ahead,” I said. “I’ll be along in a few minutes.”
“I’ve seen all this before, Cendrillon. I’m here because of you. I’d like to stay with you, if you don’t mind.”
“Actually, sir, I do mind.” I glanced at Auguste with a mock frown as I reached a hand toward the wall of water. “I really shouldn’t be associating with someone so unrefined. It simply isn’t proper.”
My fingers barely brushed one of the streams of water, but it was enough to send a spray spurting directly into my face. Lukewarm water ran down my throat and shot up my nose. Coughing and spluttering, I stumbled backward. Auguste smacked me on the back far too many times for the amount of water that I’d swallowed.
“Enough! Enough! I’m fine,” I said, only gasping for air a little.
“Thank heavens! I thought I’d lost you there for a minute.”
“Oh, hush.”
Strong arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me back against a chest that was rumbling suspiciously.
“Are you laughing at me?” I asked, but I couldn’t really be upset with him, not when I couldn’t control my own giggling.
“No. Not at all. Whatever gave you that idea?”
A huff of cool air brushed against the shell of my ear as Auguste snuggled me tighter to his chest and pressed his cheek against the side of my head. Suddenly, I wasn’t laughing anymore. Nor could I breathe. But I didn’t mind it. Not one bit.
“Let’s keep going. I’m tired of looking at the water bower,” I said, wriggling out of Auguste’s arms and hurrying ahead of him into the grove proper.
It had felt far too good in Auguste’s arms. Too safe. Too right. I couldn’t let myself get used to the feeling, not when it couldn’t last.