The room was spinning. Laughter was contagious. My head was twirling. All was a blur, colors and people's voices clashing. My own laughter rose above all others as I fell back into the arms of Drake. There was a sudden gush of wind as we all stumbled outside to meet the gardens of the night. The bottle of wine in my hand was growing less and less heavy by the moment. All thought and inhibitions surrendered themselves hours ago. The only thing I was conscious of was the mere fact that James was following me, ever a constant.

"This way!" Victoria Foley called out from beyond the thicket of flowers. Gushing with more laughter, we all surged forward towards her. Drake had my hand in a fast grip to guide me on in our adventure.

"Hurry! Or we will miss it!" Victoria called out to us once more.

Drake stumbled beside me, our fascination with the leaves being dashed by a wind that heralded my skirts upwards. Everyone got a good glimpse of my stocking covered calves and heels. We all shrugged it off in good faith, our feet thundering to the edge of my Aunt's property. Looking back over my shoulder, the lights of the Castle winked at me. James was a pale silhouette in this perfect backdrop. My hunger for him surged.

Spotting the lake, we all sprang up in cheers. I kicked off my shoes and ascended into a nearby tree, Drake not far behind me. We wished to watch the fireworks from the town not too far away but in order to do so we had to wait a few more minutes.

I smashed my body into Drake's arms. James was below us, leaning silently against the tree. I forgot all about him as I stared up into Drake's eyes. He leaned down and planted a warm kiss on my lips. I gasped and bit down on his lower lip. His eyes shimmered. His fingers played with the necklace at my neck, finally turning down to glance at it.

"What's this?"

I swallowed. "It's a husband necklace. My sister gave it to me…"

"And is it working?"

"I'm not sure." I settled even further into his arms.

"You know, my cousin, as much as I have been warned against it…I have fallen in love with you."

"I thought," I mumbled between a kiss, "that you haven't been caught by a female yet."

"I lied."

"You could be lying now."

He chuckled and turned his attentions to the scene before him. Losing myself once more, I felt the lovely heat of Drake's arms around me and—for a small while—I forgot all about James.

The sound of a kiss is not unrecognizable to those who have received one. James had, in fact, kissed Anne. So the sounds of kissing that rained from the tree above him were telltale signs that he was losing the only thing he had wanted. It was expected, of course, that someday she would find someone to love other than him. But, as James came to think of the future, what would he do when she did? What would he do if Caroline's obsession never lingered over him?

He had already lost the small girl he once held a fraternal love for. He could and would never have her as a lover nor a companion. Yet now that the actual possibility of this truth was happening, he felt sick. He promised Lady de Gent he would watch over her niece, but the sound of her voice and Drake's together made him sick.

James truly believed he was to throw up.

After what had happened…after her fall….James just couldn't bring himself to the shame. James would never do anything to compromise her again. He was a pariah, a plague, a disease to her. If she fell and lost her memory again because of him….

James walked stealthily away from the scene of Caroline's new character forming. He would just admit it to himself now. His idiocy had allowed Caroline to loose half of her life. She would never remember where she really came from. That Lady de Gent was in fact Caroline's real mother and that Drake de Gent was actually some Duke in Prague. His accent was so perfect no one would be able to tell.

The shame of it all was that he had no right to tell her. Because the grand scheme of Lady de Gent's plans benefited her far more than any other. And Mary de Gent had planned and plucked things so perfectly, no one would be able to guess. Except for him and Mr. and Mrs. Gent. And Anne. The tragedy of Caroline's life was that it was as unmoral as she wished it to be. The man she was kissing right now was going to be her husband. Paid for, bought for, cared for, loved even through long letters and disparaging dreams.

The Duke of Prague was Drake Noha, a man from a rich blood line and many connections to the de Gent family. A family friend, he could be called, from several years before when visiting a cousin in London when he happened upon Lord de Gent. Mary de Gent had already sent Caroline to live with her husband's sister due to her lack of health at the time. The family hit it off becoming family within that same month. When little Caroline came to visit, Drake loved her from the start. He gave Anne no attention nor her caretakers…or James.

Aunt Mary promised her to the young Drake before either of them had any sense. Drake broke the betrothal after being notified of Caroline's loss of memory due to James' jealous behavior. It was ordered to him by Caroline's Aunt to never have any intentions on marrying Caroline. He had already damaged her reputation enough.

Besides, by that time, Caroline was an entirely different person. She no longer saw James as a father figure, but as a potential mate.

The devastation of that realization had tormented him the moment she woke from her long sleep. Right beside her, he waited and—when she did finally arise—her body was only a hollow shell of its former self. Small, insecure, mysterious, little Caroline. Her deviousness in tact, she was still full of wonder. But the tenacious and flighty attention span proved that she truly could not remember herself. She could not remember anything…save for a few key manners and skills she had possessed as a child.

James heeded her family's wishes and stayed away, making the desperate attempt to marry Anne. Anne was like her sister in some aspects. Anything to have a tie to Caroline like Drake would have.

And now, watching him work his magic, James suddenly noticed how perfect they were together. Poor Henry Durmack would most likely kill himself at this news. However, there they were, practically designed for each other. It took him years to be considered an Englishman, many forgetting he was Czech. His pale skin and sharp nose made him almost a true man of England. Except for the coloring. The dark hair underneath that wig and eyes so enchanting you could swear they told your fortune.

James fiddled with his collar. The mere fact that Lady de Gent allowed a rake like Drake in her home was atrocious. Who knew if Caroline was still a virgin?

Would it really matter now that Drake is maneuvering to marry her once again?

James's jealousy surged. Wouldn't that be bloody perfect? Two perfect people finding each other, marrying each other and having perfect sex?

James shook his head. It should be him up there. It should be him taking her treasure. Does Drake even feel guilt?

I don't know for certain, James thought to himself. She could still be whole, still a virgin. It did not matter anyway. Caroline de Gent was the Duke of Prague's. They were meant for each other.

And I've got Anne…

Slipping into a bliss-less reverie, he could recall the night Caroline lost sight of her childhood and became someone different. Someone—other.