It was scandalous to say the least as I tucked my arms into the shoulder hugging sleeves. The neckline of the dress cut into a
heart shape and sat neatly on my breasts. The rest of the dress clung to my body like a glove.
Mother would have had a fit if she ever saw me in a dress like this attending a dinner. She proceeded to leave my copper
hair resting loosely on my shoulders, with some small braids still mixed in and trailing down my back.
“May I know your name, please? So I can tell his lordship how helpful you have been?”
A blush rushed to her cheeks, and she again lowered her eyes. Shaking her head, she went round to zip the back of the dress
and helped me step into the heels.
“Oh, his lordship will not care as it is my duty to help and do as I am ordered,” she admitted meekly.
“Even still, your name please,” I said desperately.
“April, mistress.”
“Thank you for your help, April. And thank you for welcoming me.”
April left me once again, in a more natural way this time, shutting the door behind her with a softclick. I settled down on
the chair at the vanity, wondering what my life was about to become and what I had agreed to. A marriage to the man who
injured my brother and maybe someone who planned this all from the start. But now he agreed to heal him.
Did I really know Nicholas before? He said we’d known each other a long time, but I couldn’t remember who he was. As
far as I was aware we’d met in the forest, was that also by chance? Maybe there was a bigger thing going on? Or maybe, he
just took a liking to me, and an opportunity arose in front of him.
Catching a glimpse of another door, hidden discreetly down the one side of the room, I felt my inner explorer beg me to go
see where it would lead. It wasn’t a room I would have ever expected. Pushing the door open, a gasp escaped my lips.
From the floor to the ceiling were bookcases, filled to the brim with books. There were more books than I ever thought
imaginable. My breath caught as I stepped into the middle of the marble room. Small gas lamps lit the area, casting it into a soft
glow. The light accentuated the decorative stars and crescent moons along the walls and ceiling, making them appear to
shimmer with each flicker of the lamps.
I rubbed at my wrist then. I’d forgotten about the mark Nichols had left me. I glanced down, staring at the mark and
reminded myself to ask him about it when I got a chance.
“So, you’re the Fae my brother has decided to call his wife.”
A feminine voice startled me as I had been so engrossed in the books. I had not noticed the female sitting in one of the
comfortable chairs. She had her legs crossed, one left exposed by the long slit in her skirt.
She wore a silk pink dress that hugged her frame with a low neckline exposing the shape of her breasts. Clearly the fashion
was very different here than my home. Her long brown hair reached just below her elbows and on the top of her head was a