The new maid made me so uneasy that I sent both away whenever I could. Where I had appreciated the steady comfort of the quiet maid’s presence and enjoyed the conversations with the talkative one, this new maid seemed to be constantly watching me, even while I dozed. “Don’t you need help babysitti

I’ll leave you two to chat,” Julian said, tapping Nicholas on the shoulder. Side by side Julian and Nicholas were of comparable height, with Nicholas an inch or two taller. They looked similar too, though Julian’s features were somewhat softer than the hard angles of Nicholas’s face. Nicholas wa

The guards grabbed me by the arms and yanked me to my feet. Once I was standing, they continued to grip, as if I might try to run away. “I’m not surprised,” Lena said, turning up her nose at me. “It was only a matter of time before this one started some trouble.” I struggled to maintain my calm.

Nicholas waited for Kirsten to answer, even while she hesitated. Slowly, he lowered his hand that had been displaying the wrist guard down to his side. She shifted nervously from foot to foot. She laced her fingers together. “Well… you see…” As she struggled, Elva moved into the space between

Nicholas What I said hadn’t been a lie. I did have other wrist guards, made by artisans and leatherworkers from all across the country. Yet none of them had been quite as meaningful as the one handmade for me by Piper. Hers was more comfortable too. I wasn’t sure how she could remember the siz