Free Web NovelChapter 16: My Heart Is In The Right Place
SOPHIA
"We made it," I said as we reached the stone bridge. It stretched over a wide moat filled with brackish water. It reminded me of how Penelope had shoved me over the railing of the bridge at the Willowmarch estate.
Jasmine Lake wasn’t murky or questionable as this moat water, but did it matter? Death by drowning, not to mentioning bleeding, had not been a pleasant experience. Especially with punctured lungs.
Beyond the bridge, about 100 feet away, was the center of the maze. A large wooden dias with a carved podium was surrounded by torches. On the top of the display stand glittered a large golden dome.
No doubt the prize was underneath.
"We’re nearly there, Miss Pagemoore," said Duke Stonehart. "We make a good team."
"We do," I agreed.
We smiled at each other.
"Sophia!"
We turned and saw Jace jogging toward us. Penelope was on his back, clutching his shoulders as she hung on for dear life.
Penelope’s ridiculously puffy dress was hitched around her thighs and her huge wig tilted to the side. She had apparently lost her shoes because her feet were bare. Her makeup was streaky and, quite frankly, very ugly. Her gaze was pinned on me, her lips curled into a sneer.
She smacked Jace on the head as though he were a lazy horse and yelled, "Faster!"
Jace looked like he wanted to throw her off, but he continued forward, his hands under her thighs as they ran toward us.
"They looked like a drunken turtle trying climb a slippery hill," I said.
The Duke laughed. "Indeed."
We shared a look of pure amusement and then returned our attention to Jace and Penelope.
"Stonehart!" yelled Jace. "Give me back my wife!"
"Never," whispered the Duke in my ear. "Run, Miss Pagemoore. We must get to the center before they do."
No other teams had made it this far, but I wasn’t surprised. Between the puzzles, riddles, and false clues, we had spent nigh-on two hours finding our way to the center.
Jace was sweating so much he looked like a melting candle. He was also panting, obviously straining under the weight of Penelope and her clothing. I knew from experience the dresses were quite heavy on their own. Merely wearing them at a social function was no small feat.
The duke held my hand tightly as we crossed the bridge.
When we got to the other side, we paused to view the progress of the turtle-couple.
Jace was very close to setting foot on the bridge.
But then Penelope’s wig ripped from her scalp.
It fell right in Jace’s path.
He tripped over it.
Penelope screamed as she went flying off his back, the huge skirt flipping up over her head as she rolled down the pathway.
"What on earth is she wearing under her dress?" asked Duke Stonehart. "I’ve never seen bloomers that color before."
"Those aren’t bloomers," I said. "Those are her legs."
"They are? But they’re red as a lobster. Did she paint them that color?"
"I think it’s circulation issue."
"Ah. What’s the strange jingly thing around her waist, then?"
"Metal panties?" I guessed.
Penelope had rolled to a stop. The entire lower half of her body was exposed. She was trying desperately to right the skirt, but she was trapped by all the layers.
"Chain underwear," said the Duke doubtfully. "How heavy do you think it is?"
"At least twenty pounds. Oh, you know what? It might be a chastity belt."
"They still make those?" The Duke shook his head. "Why would she wear one?"
"I doubt she would, but oh ... she rolled into the hedge." I frowned. "Why is she kicking herself? Is she insane?"
"Most likely."
Jace had landed face-first in the rocky path. His fingers twitched mere inches from the bridge.
"Are you alive?" I called out.
"It would be most convenient if he was not," said the Duke. "Widowhood is cheaper than divorce."
"I heard that," Jace called out hoarsely. He groaned as he tried to get up on his hands and knees. He wavered back and forth. And then ... oops.
He collapsed again.
And let out a pained cry. freeweɓnovel.cøm
The wig was flattened underneath him. I wondered if he might be wounded from all of the jewelry stuck inside the hair.
"I see his chest moving. He’s alive," I said.
"Unfortunate," muttered the Duke.
"Help!" yelled Penelope. Her legs flailed as she struggled with the dress. Her arms flapped at the sides of the skirt. "Help me!"
"Should we help?" asked the Duke.
"Not on your life."
He grinned at me. Then we clasped hands and ran to the dais.
"Let’s lift it together."
The Duke and I each held a side of the golden cover and lifted.
"How beautiful," I said.
The Duke took the cover and put it on the ground. We both leaned forward to study the prize.
It was a pink diamond, as big as a fat strawberry, in the shape of a heart. It glittered in the flickering lights of the torches. I’d never seen anything so lovely.
"Look," said the Duke. He picked up the heart and gently pulled.
It separated into two pieces.
"We share one heart," he said, handing me one piece.
I accepted it. "One half for me, the other for you."
"My whole heart will always be with you," he said. He took the two pieces and put them back together. "If you’ll permit me," he said. "I’ll have a jeweler make necklaces for us. We can wear them as love tokens until we’re able to be together."
"I would like that," I said.
We stared at each other for the longest time. I forgot everything for the moment. Jace, Penelope, marriage, rebirth.
There was only Nathan standing before me, a man who, for whatever reason, adored me without question.
In that moment, our gazes were only for one another, and I realized something.
I had never been kissed. I didn’t want my first kiss to be with Jace. I didn’t want my first anything to be with Jace, but that was a problem for tomorrow.
For now.
For this very second, I had only one goal.
My gaze dropped to Nathan’s mouth.
I stood up on my tippy toes.
And leaned forward...
