rted from the cathedral not to a w

ridors and across a stone causeway to the we

me, sealed since th

dust and memories. It felt less like part of the ducal mano

un. Her face was lined with grief, and her eyes, when they met Jolie's, were s

e soft but firm. "I am Jolie Watk

committal nod and turn

oths, like a room full of ghosts. Any other bride would have been

personal maid, Bronwyn, and then walked to the nearest shrouded settee. She began to unti

s soon smudged with dust, revealing

. The icy shield in her eyes be

n Gabriel's. Exhaustion settled deep in her bones, but sleep was a distant sh

, Agnes polished Gabriel's ceremonial sword,

echoed in th

es, wide with alarm, darted to the to

the bookshelf swung inward, rev

rom the blackness. The

ne from the portrait, carved from hard lines and

r with a loud clang. A strangled sob escaped her lips. She cov

d. He closed the distance in two long strides and pu

es," he whisper

fled against his chest. When she could finally sp

raw out a traitor who had been leaking military intelligence from within his

ccupied by a stranger. "What happened today?"

ory-Tristan's betrayal, the humiliating offer,

e an unreadable mask of stone. When she

o save her own honor and perhaps

nt his enemies. Their paths had cro

eyes sharp and commanding. "No

e, my lor

, "you will be my eyes. Watch her. I want to know everythi

bsolute. She would guard he

oor. Just before the bookshelf swung shut, he pause

o now bore his name and slept in