(Aurora's POV)
"Phineas, it's going to swallow me whole."
"You'll look elegant."
I put it on because arguing with him about clothing was an exercise in futility, and because I knew perfectly well what he was actually doing. The dress hid the gentle rounding at my midsection completely. He was not subtle about being possessive, and he was especially not subtle about this.
I looked at myself in the mirror. "I look like I'm being smuggled inside a cloud."
He stood behind me and said, entirely straight-faced, "You look beautiful."
I laughed and let it go.
The Langford estate was already full when we arrived. The ballroom hummed with low conversation and the soft clink of glasses. Joyce saw me the moment I stepped through the door.
She rose from her chair and came toward me, both hands
