“Please, feel free to call me Kate. After all, we’re sisters now, aren’t we?”
Lucia tried not to cringe at the reminder. “Then you’re most welcome to call me Lucia.” She shook her head, still awed by her surroundings. “I can’t tell you how incredible this library is. You’ve been so lucky to have this all your life.”
Kate’s eyes did not hold quite as much amazement as Lucia’s did. “I must confess, I never came here as much as my sister did. She loved it. She always had a book to read. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’d already worked her way through half of these by the time she . . .” Her words trailed off, and her cheeks were tight as she brought her pained gaze back to Lucia’s.
Lucia’s distaste faded somewhat in sympathy for this girl who’d lost so much. Her sister, her father, her king
