Thea backed up against the stone railing. Had her heart stopped? He stood there, the curtain swaying behind him, cutting them off from the crowd and the ballroom beyond. For six years she had imagined what she might say to him. The questions that she wanted to ask, the accusations. Why had he done it? Why had he left without a word?
Why had he lied about who he was? In some scenarios over the years, she’d punched him in the nose, or kicked him in the groin. They were satisfying little daydreams. Never had she imagined that she would turn and run. She made her way across the balcony without a word, striding towards the steps that led down to the gardens and the grass stretching beyond.
For six years she had waited for the chance to see him again, and had even known it was a possibility i
