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
It was hopeless. To clear my head, I suggested to Elva that we go for a walk in the gardens. She eagerly agreed. Twenty minutes later, we were hand in hand among the flowers and the fresh air. The world did seem more peaceful out here in nature, and I began to let some of my anxieties slip away.
The guards grabbed me by the arms and yanked me to my feet. Once I was standing, they continued to grip, as if I might try to run away. “I’m not surprised,” Lena said, turning up her nose at me. “It was only a matter of time before this one started some trouble.” I struggled to maintain my calm.