Clara
Nora took my arm and guided me out of the room.
“What were you doing just now?” she asked.
She sounded hurt and uncertain. I needed to explain myself quickly. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt my only friend.
“It was an accident,” I signed. “I spilled wine on Gideon’s shirt. I was trying to wipe it off.”
“Oh, I see,” Nora said. “But why were you alone with him?”
I explained that the other maids had been bullying me, as usual. I didn’t mention why I had tried to stand up to them. Nora didn’t need to hear the kinds of things they said about her.
I told her how Prince Gideon stepped in when the other maids attacked me. He gave me tasks that kept me safe from the bullies. One of those tasks was bringing dinner. Of course, I failed that task in the most embarrassing fashion I
