A Dove's Tale

Chapter 189

"How inappropriate is it?"

I froze. Melanie's fingers fumbled with the fastenings at the back of my dress, and she made a small sound in her throat. I didn't dare look at Chevalier.

"It... covers everything..." I was scrambling for something else to say, but I knew it was too late. He had noticed enough to ask that question, and my inability to answer had already proven his suspicions.

I gestured for Melanie to hurry so she could leave before she gave anything away.

"Then I assume I'll find it disagreeable for another reason. Perhaps it is too tight, or the color is problematic." He paused. "Or both."

There was no hiding anything from him. I could feel Melanie's fingers trembling, and I knew she couldn't handle the pressure much longer.

"Melanie, you can go. Chevalier can help me with the rest."

The girl bolted, her brown hair streaming behind her. I chewed my lip, wondering how much to tell Chevalier, and then his fingers replaced hers at the back of my dress, and I knew I was out of time.

There was nothing else for it. I just had to tell him the truth.

Or part of it.

"You'll like it. You just won't like others seeing me in it. And how did you know, anyway?"

"None of you would discuss the dresses during the tour or dinner. Where is it?"

His tone was too flat for me to tell if he was upset, but it didn't matter. I wasn't willing to compromise this time.

"In Belle's room, and I'm not showing it to you or describing it before the wedding. She already had my dress altered so that I'd feel comfortable wearing it, and this is her wedding. I'm only wearing it for a few hours, anyway."

To my surprise, he chuckled.

He undid the last fastening and finished unlacing my corset, and I pushed my sleeves off my arms, letting the dress fall to the floor as I turned to face him. His small smirk told me he'd been playing a game with me. I couldn't be mad, though. His good mood was a nice change from him hovering around me and scrutinizing everything I did.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he dropped my corset on the floor with my dress, settling his hands on either side of my waist.

"You seem very determined," he observed.

"And you seem to know better than to try talking me out of this." I stood up on tiptoe and gave him a kiss. "So, Belle will be busy tomorrow with the final preparations for the wedding, which means we have the day to ourselves. Anything you want to do while we're here in Benitoite?"

His right hand slid under my chemise. "There is one thing."

I bit my lip coyly. "Oh?"

He leaned in to kiss me, and I closed my eyes, but he paused a hair's-breadth away from my lips. "Go swimming with you."

My eyes flew open again. I felt my entire body stiffen.

Belle had invited everybody to go swimming the next day, with a special aside that I could just lounge by the pool and socialize. She'd said pool parties were the Benitoitian version of Rhodolitian tea parties. There would be drinks and snacks, and I wouldn't be the only person not swimming—and not in a swimsuit.

And then she showed me her swimsuit.

It was a one-piece unit as tight as my red dress. I had negligees that concealed more than it did. The single piece covered the torso and groin only, with cut-outs for the legs starting at the top of the hip, straps over the shoulders that left the arms bare, and a scooping neckline which was guaranteed to show cleavage.