Betrothed by Wanda Wiltshire Page A

he brought the jacket to his nose and took a deep whiff.
    Hilary glanced at me, then back at Jack. ‘Jealous, Jack? Upset that you don’t smell so fine?’
    ‘Oh, Hil, I’m injured.’ Jack clasped a fist to his chest.
    ‘You promised,’ I said, glaring at him.
    His big brown eyes were all innocence. ‘What? I only commented on the odour permeating the room.’
    ‘I’m in too much of a good mood to worry about you making fun of me,’ Hilary said, smiling at him. ‘Did Amy tell you about what a good time we had last night?’
    ‘She told me about what a good time you had last night,’ Jack said with a smirk.
    I left them alone so Hilary could fill Jack in on her night with the wonderful, intelligent and amazing Kyle.
    I showered and dressed before going to the kitchen to make my friends a coffee. When I returned with their drinks, Hilary was still going on about Kyle. I could imagine Jack internally begging for mercy. I’d left them alone for almost an hour and it looked like she hadn’t even paused for breath. But Jack—maybe because her enthusiasm was so out of character—was giving her his full attention. I smiled at his willingness to do so. Despite his passion for having fun at our expense, he really was a brilliant friend. I waited for Hilary to take a breath before I interrupted.
    ‘So what do you want to do today?’ I asked.
    ‘We could visit Ruby,’ Jack suggested. ‘Hang out at Bondi afterwards.’
    ‘You wouldn’t mind?’ I asked.
    ‘Why would I?’
    ‘I dunno, time, petrol, wear and tear on your new car.’
    Jack rolled his eyes. ‘Call Ruby, see if she’s home.’
    I made the call. Ruby happily agreed to the visit.

    ‘What was this Telophy you were Googling?’ Jack asked, as he drove.
    ‘Telophy is Leif’s father. The kingdom he rules is named after him and, according to my dream prince, when my mother refused to marry him, King Telophy decided a fair punishment would be to murder her child if she decided to have one.’
    ‘But you’re still alive,’ Jack pointed out.
    I looked at him. ‘I know you can’t be taking any of this seriously.’ He said nothing. ‘Are you?’ I asked, astonished.
    ‘Well, there’s something weird going on,’ he said.
    I kept my eyes fixed on him. He wasn’t even smiling, so I carried on. ‘Anyway, Leif told me that when I was born, my parents fled Faera to escape the wrath of King Telophy. They left me here, went back there and haven’t been heard from since being captured on their return.’
    ‘Lena did say someone had been looking for you, and you did have to prove your identity with that cute little birthmark that you still refuse to show me.’ Jack paused to shoot me an accusing look. ‘Who knows, maybe there really is something to your dreams. Maybe you are from this place Faera.’
    ‘Jack, you’re suggesting that Amy’s a fairy and she’s in hiding here on Earth so as not to be executed!’
    Jack glanced at Hilary in the rear-view mirror. ‘That’s not exactly what I said, but the truth is we don’t know where Marla’s from, and apart from those dreams, there doesn’t appear to be any way of finding out.’
    ‘I wouldn’t be the only person unable to trace my birth parents.’
    ‘True, but Marla, let’s be honest—you are . . . different.’
    ‘So I have a few allergies,’ I mumbled, unable to work up a protest. He was right—I was different.
    ‘Sweetheart, you’re allergic to the whole world,’ Jack said, gently. ‘Seriously, it’s only that you have that bizarre ability to heal quickly together with a very amiable friend ready to lock lips with you when you’re in a sticky spot that you’re even alive.’
    ‘Amiable, Jack?’ I said, shooting him a grin. ‘I can see you actually read your Austen.’
    Jack barely cracked a smile as he continued. ‘Your skin, when you can see it underneath all those rashes, has a very strange gleam to it. You’re fair but you never burn or freckle, and —I’m loath