“You’re busy?” Eden’s voice cuts through my fear. “But it’s so late. You can’t be going for a ride now. It’s past sundown.”
“I’m not going for aride.”
Eden may be my favourite sister, but that doesn’t mean I can’t think she’s a complete airhead sometimes.
“But if you’re not going for a ride, then why are you…” Her voice trails off. I turn back just in time to see her gaze pause on my saddlebags, then my red travelling gown. Her eyes widen as she finally gets it. “Wait. Dahlia, are you leaving?” she gasps.
“No.” The word flies out of me. “Well… yes. Or at least I was. Until you came along and scared Angel.”
Angel huffs and shakes her head, but I barely notice her as two small hands grab my leg.
“Don’t you dare leave us!” Eden yanks on my leg, trying to haul me from the saddle. “I won’t let you leave. You can’t! It’s not safe.”
“Get off me!” I snarl.
“You can’t just run away!”
Hands and feet fly everywhere. At one point, the world turns upside down until Angel bucks me off, and both Eden and I tumble to the grass.
Eden lands with a thud on top of me. I escape the scratchy gold fabric of her skirt just in time to see Angel plodding back inside the stables, her tail twitching in annoyance.
“Now look what you’ve done,” I growl at my sister. “She’ll never let me ride her near the woods now. She’s as scared as a mouse!”
“You were shaking more than she was,” Eden snaps.
My eyes narrow. Maybe she’s not a complete airhead, then.
I growl at her anyway. “You’ve had too much wine. I’ll walk all the way to Night Alley if I have to.”
I push myself up. But, as if to prove her point, the second I spot the gloomy woods, my stomach drops, and I land beside Eden with a huff.
“Just stop.” She grasps my arm. “I’m not going to let you leave, even if you do get past me. I’ll just run and tell Father, and then there’ll be more guards in that forest than trees.” Her grip on my arm eases. “Wait a moment… You said you’re going to Night Alley.” Her lips part. “You’re going to live with Ami, aren’t you? That’s why you were trying to leave! For goodness’ sake, Dahlia! Haven’t you read any of Ami’s letters? That place is dangerous! And that’sifyou make it there without being eaten. There are wolves in the forest!”
“Rather get eaten by a wolf than go to Blossom’s stupid party,” I grumble.
“You don’t mean that.” Eden glares at me. “I know you’re still upset about Ami leaving us, but going to the ball might help you. It’s only for a few hours, and it’d make Blossom so happy if you came along.”
“That’s a lie,” I snort.
“Fine,” she chuckles. “It’d make Father happy. Or at least he’d stop worrying about you. You know he’s been antsy ever since the funeral. He’s got half the palace out searching for you.”
My mood sours even more at the mention of Father.He’sthe reason Amaryllis had to leave us, the reason she had to hire that handsome assassin in the first place.
After Amaryllis ran away, Blossom explained to the older girls that Father had tried to sell Amaryllis to a wealthy prince to cover his gambling debts, and once they were married, he was also going to claim her firstborn son as his own.
Her firstborn son!
He was that desperate for a son he was willing to let a prince impregnate his eldest daughter, whether she liked it or not. And Amaryllis certainly didn’t like it.
So I wasn’t surprised at all when she drove a knife through the prince’s heart and staged her own death with her assassin Kasimir’s help. Only we know that she’s still alive and enjoying her new life in Night Alley. Not that it makes it any easier to deal with living here without her.
It’s only a matter of time before Father gets over Ami’s ‘death’ and decides to start playing matchmaker again.
Amaryllis and Kasimir said they’d protect us if Father tried to force us into any more unwanted marriages, but I’d rather get out of here myself first.
“Fine, I’ll go to Blossom’s ball.” I scowl. “But I’m only going there to show my face, then I’ll go back to my bedchamber.” So I can plan a different way to get out of this palace.
I’m still getting out of here if it kills me. Just not tonight.
