Victoria
We ate in silence while servants drifted in and out of the dining room, their quiet footsteps filling the spaces we refused to. The awkwardness pressed heavily between Alexander and me, thicker than I ever expected it to be.
It had only been a few days since I’d left. And yet, being back here already felt… wrong. Too soon. Too intimate.
“Oh—” I blurted suddenly.
Alexander looked up at once. “Is something the matter?”
My chest tightened as my father came to mind.
“My father,” I said quickly. “I have to let him know I’m here. He must be worried sick.”
I pushed back my chair, panic urging me to stand, but Alexander’s hand closed around mine, stopping me.
“Calm down,” he said gently. “My sister has already sent word to him.”
I swallowed, nerves fluttering in my chest.
His s
