♦YOU MUST HAVE READ THE PREQUEL, THE GOLDEN DUCHESS, TO READ THIS BOOK!♦
BEWARE--spoilers in this blurb, for those who have not read previous books! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
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The world is upside down, and those you thought you knew... you no longer...
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Romain's booming tone lured Prudence from the window. "We are on the last stretch!"
Days of sitting in the same spot, talking to the same people, and fighting the same reluctant thoughts had turned Prudence sour to ever traveling again.
"Where are we?" She slid her head back outside, and a sharp gust of glacial wind slapped against her cheeks. Snow piled in high heaps on the side of the road, and trees sprouted higher than she had ever seen.
She heard ruffling within the carriage, and seconds later, Romain squeezed under the flap, joining her. "From the looks of it, we are passing the border of the County of Geneburg." Gripping her upper arm, he tugged her back inside. "Come now, you will get sick. You are not dressed warmly enough to be sticking half your body out there."
As she settled into her seat, she already missed the frozen air lapping against her skin. It was her only way to feel, to forget her worries, her overwhelming thoughts. Staring at the snow had a strange soothing effect on her. She'd imagined jumping into it, laughing, rolling around in the substance until it submerged her.
"We will not stop for the night, this time," said Romain, flicking a fleck of snow from his mane. "We are so close, the guards prefer to push onward."
She lowered her chin, wondering if she'd be able to sleep in the carriage—she hadn't tried before, aware she'd always had a bed to rest in—or if she should stay awake. Either way, the images haunting her mind would come to life and strangle her. So which was the worse option?
After what seemed like an eternity of analyzing the lines on her gloves, Prudence startled at Romain's voice. "Are you all right? You have been so quiet since we left Beaulieu."
She snapped her neck up, and he tilted his head, his gaze penetrating every inch of her. A glance so reminiscent of those Antoine would flash her when he wanted to get deep into her mind... and it made her cringe.
"I am tired. Eager to arrive," she said, unable to look at him any longer, and focusing on her lap.
"Are you certain?" He switched sides, taking the vacant space beside her. His instant warmth should have appeased her, but she shuddered at his proximity. "We may not be well acquainted yet, but I can tell when someone is troubled."
She lifted her chin and turned to him, surprised to see not the cold, cruel, snide King she'd met in Totresia, but a gentleman with a small but comforting smile and a relaxed demeanor. He didn't appear threatening, didn't sneer, didn't sit stiffly or lean away from her.
She swallowed. "Have I made a mistake? Was I wise to choose this? To abandon Torrinni and go home?"
His eyebrows shot up. "Of course you were! You are returning where you belong! Why would that be a mistake? What would make you think that?"
