For a moment, I sat there in shock, looking at Elva and her wide, earnest eyes. Nicholas wasn’t exactly the last person I thought she’d say. He had been visiting her a lot lately; he always seemed to make time for her. But I would have thought Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny would have taken highe

Nicholas’s mouth was so close. As I looked at it, he licked his lips. I licked mine in reply. We leaned closer, closer, dangerously close…Then the oven timer dinged.We immediately straightened, snapping away from each other. Nicholas turned, coughing into his hand.I reached for the oven mitts and

Whispers sounded around me, speculation on who was copying who. Lilliana and my dresses were similar enough that the rumor mill was working overtime. Especially with the addition of the children.The kids were now seated in their own private little table set up in the back of the room. They glanced

Nicholas I hadn’t wanted to ask Lilliana on a second date, but after a threatening letter from the King this morning and the way he glared at me all dinner long, I knew I had very little choice in the matter. Especially if I wanted to help protect Piper. So I had pushed down the part of myself t

The day of the garden party event, I awoke early, dressed, and hurried down to the kitchens to warm my stuffed mushrooms. Many of the girls were already in there, and I had to wait my turn at the ovens. I didn’t mind waiting this time, since the closer I heated my food to the start of the event, t