  &quot;What in blazes is this?!&quot; a British male voice demands loudly, dragging me out of an unusually restful slumber. Do I want to know who that is? Doesn t matter. I m awake now, and I ll have to fact him eventually.
  Wesley stands in the doorway to my chamber, irate and glaring at me.
  &quot;Whatever do you mean?&quot; I inquire sleepily as I try to stretch, only to be prevented by a warm, restraining weight around my middle. Something behind me stirs--Dmitri. That s what.
  &quot;What the…OH. Father, I swear, this isn t…what it looks like,&quot; Dmitri adds, startled awake. Don t bother, Dmitri. It s too late.
  &quot;Not what it looks like?!&quot; Wesley storms over to the bed and yanks Dmitri out of it by one arm, causing his son to yelp. I wish I could melt away into the mattress. &quot;Fie, boy, you d best have a better explanation than that for turning up in your fiancée

  Thunder rattles the glass in the windowpanes. Lightning bursts in wicked, twisted spears of light across the tempestuous rolling clouds. A howling wind buffets the Berkeley mansion, yowling in the chimneys to douse the fires in the fireplaces, rampaging at the walls and gates, penetrating through every crevice. I love this sort of weather and simply draw my cloak close around me and laugh as the maids squawk and flutter about affectedly.  Tis no small storm, raging now between Zinaida, Dmitri, and Wesley. If their tempers run high enough to affect the weather like this, and after so seemingly small an issue as what Wesley walked in on earlier, I would hate to see them all truly angry. Mayhap Zinaida also rages about what happened last night. But so far no evidence of Dmitri s rage has surfaced outside. It could be that he is better at self-control than his parents, or perhaps he has be

  &quot;What a hand of cards you have been dealt,&quot; a smooth feminine voice greets me, amusement coloring her silky tones. My eyes flutter open and I find myself on the bank of a crystal clear pond surrounded by trees that create an otherworldly place comprised of shadows and bright beams of pale morning light with tiny glinting particles swirling within them. A heavy, unnatural silence fills this place, but somehow it is not oppressive. Indeed, this place is refreshing. I have never felt so at home before. &quot;Welcome to my abode, Aerys.&quot; I rise to my feet and turn towards the voice to find a startlingly beautiful woman clad in wispy silvery-blue standing nearby.
  &quot;Thank you. Who are you?&quot; I ask. The words taste strange; my mouth is unaccustomed to speech. How long have I been here? How did I get here?
  &quot;Interesting that my identity should be the first questi

&quot;What in blazes is this?!&quot; a British male voice demands loudly, dragging me out of an unusually restful slumber. Do I want to know who that is? Doesn t matter. I m awake now, and I ll have to fact him eventually.
  Wesley stands in the doorway to my chamber, irate and glaring at me.
  &quot;Whatever do you mean?&quot; I inquire sleepily as I try to stretch, only to be prevented by a warm, restraining weight around my middle. Something behind me stirs--Dmitri. That s what.
  &quot;What the…OH. Father, I swear, this isn t…what it looks like,&quot; Dmitri adds, startled awake. Don t bother, Dmitri. It s too late.
  &quot;Not what it looks like?!&quot; Wesley storms over to the bed and yanks Dmitri out of it by one arm, causing his son to yelp. I wish I could melt away into the mattress. &quot;Fie, boy, you d best have a better explanation than that for turning up in your fiancée s bed the morning after the ball celebrating your engagement. Couldn t wait until the actual wedd

Chapter 23 Discovered