Jaime felt the Surreys’ large sitting room swallow her whole as she stepped into it. Her body vibrated like a hollow drum from the furious pounding of her heart against the walls of her chest, filling her head with such a noise that she wondered if it would render inaudible all other sounds. The room seemed unnaturally bright to her and, as she focused on the back of Frances’s head as the woman moved quietly to her husband’s side, Jaime thought for a moment that fainting was not out of the question. But the moment passed, and Jaime continued to stand by the door, awaiting the earl’s first words.
“Cousin Jaime,” he said, his voice warm and friendly. “You’re more difficult to track down than a sparrow in the forest. I’ve had three pages and I don’t know how many servants return empty-handed
