Estella’s POV:
“Elise…” I frowned, leaning closer.
Something was off. Under the usual scents of herbs and ink-stained parchment I always associated with her, there was definitely a male scent. My mouth split into a grin.
“Did you sneak your boyfriend in while we were gone?” I asked, and her face drained of color.
Ha! I knew it!
“Is he upstairs?”
I took a step toward the stairs. I expected her to try to stop me, but instead, she backed toward the door.
“I don’t… have a boyfriend,” she choked, and the way she said it only made me laugh. But then I noticed something strange. She looked… taller somehow. Not by much, but enough to notice the change. Her features, usually so soft and girlish, seemed sharper in the lamplight, her jaw more defined, her eyes deeper set.
“What the he
