“Oh captain, my captain! I’ll never doubt you again.”
“You’re welcome.” She laughs. “Now, can wepleasego find something to eat? I’m starving.”
“I think I have an idea…”
Ten minutes later, we’re in the Lockwood home theater, lying on twin leather recliners, staring in awe at the fifteen-foot television. It’s set to galaxy mode; a sea of planets and constellations drift across the screen in a slow parade of shape and color. With the lights dimmed, it’s almost like floating out in space amongst the stars.
“Oh my god, these cookies areso good,” Chloe moans, biting into another. “Where did you say you got them?”
“Patricia. Works in the kitchen. Knows her way around a stand mixer.”
“How is it possible that you’ve been in this family for, like, five minutes and the staff already treat you better than me? Twenty years living as the Duke of Hightower’s stepdaughter, notoncehave I gotten homemade cookies hand-delivered to my suite.”
“As ifyoueat cookies on a regular basis?” I snort at the thought. As far as I can tell, Chloe’s diet consists of equal parts pills and booze, with the occasional salad thrown in for sheer sustenance.
She grins. “Touché.”
“Hey, can I ask you something sort of random?”
“Random just so happens to be my favorite kind of question.”
“Do you remember your life before Octavia married Linus?”
“Not really. I was only, like, four.” She sighs, thinking back. “Carter remembers more than me — probably to his detriment. He was around eight when they got married.”
“Why to his detriment?”
“Let’s just say there’s a reason Carter doesn’t believe in marriage or long-term commitment. Growing up in a house with two parents who hate each other doesn’t exactly inspire faith in monogamy as a lifestyle choice.”
“What was your dad like? Your biological dad.”
“Honestly? From what I’ve pieced together, he was kind of a prick. Gambled away most of his trust fund, was stripped of his familial title, and eventually wrapped his car around a tree driving home drunk from the casino one night — leaving Octavia alone with two young kids to raise on her own and zero prospects to support herself.”
“And yet, somehow, she landed a prince.”
“I’ll say one thing for my mother: she doesn’t take no for an answer. Ever. Before she married into the Thorne family, she was nobody. The illegitimate daughter of a stripper who seduced a married lord, thinking she’d get her hands on his fortune. Instead, she got Octavia — who, let’s be honest, had to be more of a punishment than a blessing, even as a baby.”
“Octavia was illegitimate? No fucking way.”
“It’s true. Why do you think she loathes you so much?” Chloe’s brows lift. “In you, she sees herself.”
“Um,ouch. Please don’t insult me like that.”
“No, no, I’m not comparing your personalities. I just mean… you represent everything she’s aspired to leave behind. She looks at you and she sees a life she’d rather forget. All the struggle she went through, turning herself from a low-born bastard to a lord’s wife to a widow to a duchess… and now, to arguably the most powerful woman in the country. The soon-to-be queen consort.”
“Wow.”
My mind reels. It’s strange to think of Octavia and I having anything in common. Stranger still to think of her at my age — young, vulnerable, desperate. I’d always rather assumed she popped out of the womb wearing that cold, calculating smile of hers.
“Was Linus a good stepfather?” I ask. I’m not even sure where the question comes from but suddenly… there it is, hanging in the air.
Chloe’s voice grows thoughtful. “He was, actually — if a bit absent. When we were little he traveled a lot, especially after his brother was crowned. King Leopold relied on him greatly as an advisor. I remember long stretches of time without him at Hightower. But when he came back, he’d always have gifts and stories from his trips abroad.” The wistful thread in her voice fades. “Of course, Carter and I spent most of our teenage years at different boarding schools in Switzerland, so we didn’t see much of Germania except at Christmas and for a few weeks every summer.”
“That sounds…”
“Glamorous?”
“I was going to say lonely.”