“I can’t,” he said with a small chuckle. “I can’t keep silent about how I feel, Aurelia. Perhaps I am to keep silent in my unhappiness of my arrangement, but I will not deny the joy I felt the day I found you. How could I ever regret the beautiful, golden-haired woman who thinks nothing of taking her clothes off to swim, who wears dresses resembling sunlight and climbs out of windows to escape from my servants? You have a mind, a soul, and a wild spirit . . . all of which I truly admire, Aurelia.”
“Please,” I said again, wanting him to stop. My fingers clenched around the fabric of my dress. I could not endure to hear his feelings, knowing I’d never be able to love him openly; I’d never be whole enough for him. I would never belong to him, for he would be bound to another.
“You know n
