Chapter one
Today is the day I meet my future husband. The man who I must honour and obey in all things. The man who will take my body to take my magic.
And he is not even human.
A heavy sigh escapes me and echoes around my empty bedroom. On the other side of the stiff velvet curtains, birds are singing. Dawn is on the way, and I haven’t slept a wink. It doesn’t look like I’m going to either.
It is early May, just past Beltaine. Sunrise in England this time of year is around five-thirty a.m. Rupert, the valet, will be coming in to wake me at six-thirty. So, there is no point in trying to sleep now. I might as well lie here and contemplate my fate.
My gaze tracks over the ceiling. There is just enough light spilling around the curtains to cast shadows on the ornate coving. It’s a nice house. But it is not home. It never will be.
I’ll never see home again, and soon I will be living in Buckingham Palace. With a fey prince.
My heart starts to race. So, I take several slow breaths to calm it down.
It’s fine. Everything is fine. I was always destined to be married to someone. I may have assumed it was going tobe to a human, some earl or duke, but surely being a vessel to a fey will not be so very different?
One more deep breath.
Thoughts of my brother threaten to rise up. I shove them down. Monty isn’t coming to save me. Mother has hidden me too well. And once I belong to a fey prince, no mere human will be able to take me away.
I know Monty never wanted this for me. That knowledge is enough. A touchstone to give me strength. Someone out there cares, and that is far more than a lot of people have.
Suddenly, the bedroom door swings open. I flinch, but it is only Rupert. I’ve lost track of time, and it is six-thirty already.
His ice-cold blue eyes bore into me for a moment. Then he steps into the room. My stomach twists uncomfortably.
He opens the curtains wide, spilling pink dawn sunlight into the room. He turns to face me, and he glides up to the bed. He throws the covers back.
I remain still and stare blankly up at the ceiling. My body can’t escape this, but my mind can.
He lifts up my night robe and peers at my naked groin and belly. It’s hard not to squirm.
Rupert raises an eyebrow at me.
I swallow. “It is merely morning affliction.”
I haven’t been pleasuring myself. I wouldn’t. I know my pleasure belongs to my future husband.
Rupert looks under the bed and in my wastebin. He finds no tissues or handkerchiefs. Because there are none.
Eventually, he returns to the bed.
“A cold wash should remedy your affliction.”
“Yes,” I agree, while fighting to keep the misery out of my voice.
I lower my night robe and get out of bed. I trail after Rupert to the washroom. He turns the shower on and sets it to cold.
Silently, I pull my night robe off. Then, gritting my teeth, I step under the spray. I quickly get to work scrubbing myself clean while Rupert observes.
Mercifully, he deems me clean enough fairly quickly. With chattering teeth, I turn off the water.
He hands me a towel and then steps outside while I use the loo. Then he accompanies me back to the bedroom. Other staff have been in and made the bed. My clothes for the day are neatly laid out.
A light-grey two-piece tailored suit, with a crisp white linen shirt and pale blue tie.
That’s a relief. I was half expecting Mother to dress me in something shocking for my first meeting with my future husband. She really must think the prince is more interested in my magic than my body.
