Lucas stared at her in disbelief, so she stared back at him boldly. She couldn't and wouldn't take back her words.
If there was a chance he felt about her even a tenth of what she felt for him, then goddamnit, she needed to know.
A loud blast of trumpets was suddenly heard nearby. Celia knew the noise would be coming from the banquet hall, where the heralds played their instruments to announce important events.
The New Years' Day banquet was officially underway.
Which meant she needed to make her way to the hall immediately, before Tobin started wondering where she was.
Celia muttered a curse quietly.
It turned out to not be quietly enough, however, because she saw Lucas's full mouth twitch in suppressed laughter.
He'd told her once that for some odd reason, he found it irresistibly funny whenever he heard her curse out loud, which luckily wasn't very often.