The rain didn’t stop the next day, and Victoria awoke to a grumble of thunder and a servant setting a long, beautifully wrapped box on her dresser. She opened the gift as she drank her morning cup of tea, taking her time with the turquoise ribbon, doing her best to pretend to herself that she wasn’t that interested in what Lukas had sent her.
But she couldn’t contain her squeal when she opened the box and found two emerald hair combs glinting up at her. They were exquisite, formed like sharp fish fins, each point accentuated with a sliver of sapphire.
She nearly upset her breakfast tray as she rushed from the table by the window to the rosewood vanity. With deft hands, she dragged one of the combs through her hair, sweeping it back before she nimbly flipped it into place.
She quickly
