I read through it all. “This invitation includes Elva…?” Could that be right? But there was her name, clear as day, directly beside mine. Perhaps this was some kind of apology for the doctors’ behavior last night? Or was this something else – another publicity stunt? I supposed I couldn’t be picky
During the next official banquet, I stopped just inside the entrance of the dining room. The girl who had shoved Elva that first day was sitting in my seat beside Nicholas. Julian, sitting nearest the door, rested his elbow on the table and his chin in his palm. He grinned at me with a toothy smil
Yes, and the other girls seemed to feel nothing but resentment toward her for it. “Julian said Kirsten made him a gift,” I said. “I wonder what it was.” “A heartfelt one, I assure you,” said a voice from beside us. I jumped. Susie half-hid behind me. But it was only Mark, Nicholas’s beta. “The p
I wanted to storm over there and demand Kirsten apologize for accepting thanks for a gift she hadn’t given. But I couldn’t do so without revealing to Nicholas that I was the one who had given it. If Nicholas knew the truth, he’d assume the worst. He’d think the gift was disingenuous, and that I wa
They both nodded, finally in agreement. They removed the dress they had been working on and added it to the scrap pile. “What are you doing with that?” I hurried to the discarded dress. “It’s all wrong,” the talkative maid said. “The color’s too dark, and it’s not shapely enough. We can do bet
The new maid made me so uneasy that I sent both away whenever I could. Where I had appreciated the steady comfort of the quiet maid’s presence and enjoyed the conversations with the talkative one, this new maid seemed to be constantly watching me, even while I dozed. “Don’t you need help babysitti
The fact was, for whatever the reason, he hadn’t revealed my secret yet. If I played his game, maybe he’d continue to keep it. I pressed my hand to his elbow and nudged him closer to the door, further from Elva. I didn’t want her to know the truth yet. We’d have our own conversation in time, when
I’ll leave you two to chat,” Julian said, tapping Nicholas on the shoulder. Side by side Julian and Nicholas were of comparable height, with Nicholas an inch or two taller. They looked similar too, though Julian’s features were somewhat softer than the hard angles of Nicholas’s face. Nicholas wa