A breath escaped from Amelia – one she realized she'd been holding since she'd asked him the question. It was an agonizing few seconds, the kinds that generated the most physical reaction possible and had you gasping for air. The moment his hand touched hers was a moment of realization for her, though it all seemed so clear looking back.

What she'd known of affection until she'd met Konstantin Fisk was largely fueled by one thing or another, whether it was sweets spiked with amortentia or a long-harbored resentment for Barnabas Skeeter that turned into outlandish attraction. After Barnabas, Amelia's dream of perhaps falling in love with an honourable man was devastatingly nonexistent. Her childhood had been fraught with mistrust and misconceptions about what sort of relationships were considered normal until she'd been taken in by her aunt and uncle. Once she'd seen such a loving relationship between two people, she began to allow herself to dream once again of finding someone that would love her as much as she loved them. Their marriage seemed so simple, so safe.

When she’d met Barnabas she knew - as much as her instincts were telling her not to - that the walls she’d built up slowly began to come down. The surprising thing was they always came down when she saw the look in his eyes that told her he was enamored with her. Whenever she left him, they still came back up.

But...with Mr. Fisk...was it just her imagination, or were those steel walls she’d built up so quickly after she’d broken it off with Barnabas quickly coming down the more she spent time with the man in front of her? And did she dare start to believe she was feeling more comfortable with them down?

Her eyes caught his as he took her hand in his - smooth, strong and steady; her cheeks flooded with color. She suddenly felt incredibly shy under his gaze as his lips pressed gently against her hand. As the countdown to midnight echoed in the background, she felt the warmth of the Irvingly Arms wash over her in one fell swoop. She knew she had her answer; reassuring, steady and most importantly, focused completely and entirely upon Konstantin Fisk.