On the dance floor, Nicholas placed his hand on my hip. I placed mine of his shoulder. The orchestra began to play, and Nicholas led me forward in a dance. His jaw was clenched and he wasn’t looking at me. Even compared to our previous dances, his movements now were stiff and unnatural. He w
I spit my coffee out back into the cup. Julian smiled wide. “I guess right?” I rubbed my forehead. “It doesn’t matter what he thinks.” “Oh, no?” I wasn’t telling the truth and we both knew it. Of course I cared what Nicholas thought. Our kiss in the hallway the other night had rekind
My heart dropped down to the floor. I couldn’t believe my sister would be involved in this, yet there could be no denying it. That was her right there in their in the video. I certainly hadn’t bought those feathers myself. “The woman in black…” Julian watched me as he spoke. “He thought she
He was my lighthouse, guiding me back to the shore, safe through tumultuous waters. I stepped into him and fell into his chest. His arms wrapped around me on instinct. Gently, he eased me back into the room I’d left, and away from the hallway where anyone could have happened upon us. “Oh, sh
“I told you not to,” Nicholas said. “I gave you reasons.” “You don’t understand,” I said. “What is there to understand? You are endangering yourself –” “Her sister is involved,” Julian cut in. He was coming closer to us. Nicholas’s mouth snapped closed. He furrowed his brow like he d
“She’s smart,” Julian said. “She knows how to fade into the background. I’ve seen her do it.” “Even so…” “I’ll keep an eye on her. One of us should head back to the party anyway,” Julian said with a wink. “The ladies are probably missing me, the most handsome of us anyway.” Nicholas gave
The next morning, all of the candidates were called down into the parlor. I checked with Mark and the guards before I left the room. With my twin potentially lurking around, we’d taken to a password system to confirm my identity. The password would be changed every day and given only once in the mor
I had more or less the same footwear as her, curtesy of the royal family, so her insult to me was at its base incorrect. But, knowing we would likely be walking through the gardens, I had chosen leather ankle boots rather than frilly and frail pumps or sandals. “Not all ladies’ footwear is so de