subside. Judging from the way the moon still hung low in the horizon, time had remained the same, or close enough that her lateness wouldn’t matter.
Out of breath with her heart pounding from her exertion, she skidded to a stop and smoothed down her hair. There was nothing she could do about her ruined and filthy dress. At least everyone should still be asleep in their beds.
Hurrying up the glittering steps and grasping the huge handle of the castle door, she pulled the heavy door open and slipped inside.
All quiet, exactly as it should be. So far, so good.
Then, as she turned the corner that would lead toward the stairs, she heard it. Coming from down the hall, emanating from the direction of one of the receiving rooms, the sound of harp music and muted laughter.
Oh, dark. Her heart in her throat, she froze, listening. Was this a party that had continued into the predawn hours? What else could it be? Had the East-Ward group already arrived? Her stomach clenched. She hoped not. If she’d missed some kind of welcoming reception, her mother would be furious with her.
Another laugh, deep and masculine, drifted down the hall. Immediately following, her sister Tatiana’s signature giggle. If this wasn’t the EastWard group, then her older sister had been entertaining another gentleman caller for the entire night.
Blech. Though Willow wouldn’t put it past Tatiana. One last fling before settling down to a boring married life would be the way her older sister would look at it.
Hoping she was wrong, Willow gave the room a wide berth and hurried to her room to shower and change out of her ruined dress into her pajamas. Hopefully she could manage to catch a few hours of sleep before anyone came looking for her.
The next morning, full sunlight lit her room when she finally opened her eyes. The clock on the night-stand next to her bed read eleven thirty-five. Nearly noon.
Though her first instinct was to panic and jump out of bed so she could rush through her normal morning preparations, after a moment of thought, she reconsidered. Stretching, she allowed herself to wallow in the unexpected luxury of sleeping in. Since no one had bothered her or, more specifically, come to chew her out, she’d have to assume that the EastWard group hadn’t yet arrived.
As she snuggled under the covers, her door swung open. Tatiana rushed into the room, slamming the door behind her. She wore one of her most glittery dresses, the shifting colors of white, gold, silver and blue giving Willow an instant headache.
“Good, you’re here,” Tatiana gushed, her golden hair all done up in ribbons and curls. Then, as she took in the sight of Willow snuggling under the covers, she frowned. “Why are you still in bed?”
Briefly Willow entertained the thought of telling her sister that frowning made a deep furrow appear right in the middle of her perfectly shaped eyebrows, but decided against it. “Thanks for knocking,” she said. “What do you want? I was sleeping.”
“This late?” Tatiana snorted. “Right. You forget, I know you. You’re hiding, aren’t you?”
Cautiously, Willow peered up at her sister. The waist of Tati’s sparkling dress had been cinched so tightly, it was a wonder the older girl could breathe. Her full breasts threatened to spill out if she moved the wrong way. The glittering material barely covered them, though the way it had been arranged put them on blatant display.
Of course. Tatiana was getting ready to meet her fiancé. She wanted to look her best.
“Why would I need to hide?” Cautiously, Willow sat up.
Narrow-eyed, Tatiana studied her. Her painted lips finally spread into a malicious grin. “You honestly don’t know?”
“Know what?”
“I’ll bet you didn’t show up at the welcome reception last night, did you?”
“Didn’t you notice?” Willow volleyed back. What kind of sister doesn’t discern whether or not her younger sibling was in attendance? She knew the answer to that one. Unless they were in direct competition with her for attention, a completely self-absorbed person like Tatiana rarely noticed any other woman in the room. And, since Willow clearly was no competition, Tatiana rarely knew—or cared about—her whereabouts.
Shaking her head so that her waves of bright, golden hair swung about her in a glorious cloud, Tatiana moved forward and perched on the chair at the side of Willow’s bed.
“The princes are here,” she said dreamily, though her bright violet eyes remained as sharp as ever. “Prince Eric is nearly as beautiful as me. And Prince Chad …”
Tatiana laughed, the sound so high-pitched and false Willow had to fight the urge to put her hands over her ears.
Tatiana’s perfect red lips widened into a mocking smile. “He’s perfect for you.”
Since Tatiana showed no signs of leaving and hadn’t yet arrived at the reason for her visit, Willow played along. “In what way? Is he also short and dark?”
“No. Quite the opposite. As a matter of fact, in his own way he’s very … appealing.” Tatiana gave a nervous laugh that was totally unlike her normal high-pitched giggle. This, along with the fact that her sister rarely even visited her room, made Willow instantly suspicious.
Slowly, she sat up, keeping as much of herself covered as she could for protection. She wouldn’t put it past her older sister to get in a few jabs about Willow’s lack of serious cleavage. About to ask for a second time what Tatiana wanted, Willow closed her mouth as Tatiana continued speaking.
“There’s a big breakfast this morning.” The words came out in a breathless rush, again not like her. “Since you missed the welcome reception last night, they’ve arranged for you to meet your intended in a few minutes over coffee and pastries. I was sent to fetch you.”
“A few minutes?” It took every ounce of restraint not to jump from her bed. Not only would she be rushed, but she’d be late for her worst nightmare. A big breakfast with a male stranger whom she was supposed to marry.
“I’ll stall them for you,” Tatiana offered.
Since her sister never did anything without expecting payment, Willow tilted her head. “Why would you do that?”
Tatiana abruptly fell silent, her huge violet eyes filling with tears. This made Willow instantly suspicious, as she knew her sister only cried to manipulate someone.
“I’m sorry I’ve been so awful to you lately,” Tatiana said. And there it was, or at least the beginnings of it. Exploitation. Though what Willow could possibly have that Tatiana would want, was beyond her.
Instead of acknowledging the apology, Willow simply crossed her arms and waited, knowing eventually Tatiana would get to the point.
But even she was shocked when her older sister suddenly burst into tears. And not fake tears either, but gut-busting, mascara-ruining real tears.
Chapter 3
After her initial surprise wore off, Willow got out of bed and hugged Tatiana awkwardly. Years ago, Tatiana had trained her that any attempt at touching her would not only be rebuffed, but ridiculed.
