5
" He’s not a bad choice, Elsie. He’s titled, wealthy, and virile.”
Elsie’s cheeks heated. “Did you say virile?”
Ogden smirked. “It’s hard not to notice.”
She covered her face with both hands, hiding her embarrassment.
Until another realization hit her, making her stomach drop.
“Oh no,” she whispered.
Ogden tensed. “What’s wrong?”
Slowly, she dropped her hands from her face and lifted her eyes. “If I marry him…”
Ogden leaned closer.
“My name will be Elsie Kelsey,” she finished, mortified.
Oh, how the Wright sisters would love that. "
― Charlie N. Holmberg , Spellmaker (Spellbreaker Duology, #2)
15
" Do you think I did this just to save you? That I’m some gallant prince from a fairy tale, selflessly trying to save the young maiden from certain doom? No. I did not expect your arrest or this magistrate’s games. They merely sped up the process. And I have spent hour after blasted hour, day after day, trying to find a way to convince you that I am genuine in my affections, but it’s like throwing darts at a stone wall.”
Elsie simply shook her head at his attempts to reassure her, too miserable to examine them closely.
“Am I so untrustworthy?” he asked, and he might as well have stabbed her though the heart with a kitchen knife. “Do my actions seem so completely false to you?”
“No.” A tear slid down her cheek. “It’s not you. You are wonderful and perfect. You have been nothing but wonderful and perfect. But I’m a regret waiting to happen.” She fumbled to open her reticule, seeking a handkerchief. “I only want to save you, Bacchus. I only want you to be happy.”
“You are a foolish woman.”
She nodded, found her handkerchief. Looked up to apologize. “I—”
But Bacchus was there, so close to her, risen off his seat. She barely had time to register his closeness before his hand slipped around her neck and he gruffly pulled her toward him, his lips finding hers. "
― Charlie N. Holmberg , Spellmaker (Spellbreaker Duology, #2)
18
" I’ve been contacted by the duke. He wants to talk, but—” the pencil paused for a moment— I’d prefer to have you with me. I do not believe the duke or anyone in his household intends me harm. Nor do I think there will be any nonsense with spells. But I’ve not yet sorted through my feelings regarding the revelation about the siphoning spell, and I believe your presence will help me remain steady.
Elsie’s heart softened like better. Help him remain steady. Smiling, she reached for the pencil, but it moved again, and she stayed her hand.
He wishes to see me tonight. I do not expect you to rearrange your plans for this. I’m prepared to reschedule. I believe he will do as I wish; if the duchess’s letters are to be believed, Isaiah feels guilty for the part he has played in this. I am happy to provide transport—”
Elsie grabbed the pencil and wrenched it out of Bacchus’s invisible hand. She felt the moment he let go, and beneath his half-finished sentence, she wrote, Of course I’ll come, you great lummox. You don’t need to beg me. What more important thing could I possibly have to do?
She set the pencil down and waited. A few seconds passed before it rose and tilted, nub pressing to the paper.
Lummox?
She chuckled. It’s a term of endearment.
The pencil jerked in her hand—Bacchus had started writing before she could set it down. Then you find me endearing. "
― Charlie N. Holmberg , Spellmaker (Spellbreaker Duology, #2)
