*Isolde*
I wake the next morning to the sound of my bedchamber door opening. I have no idea what time it is. The dowager Luna princess favors old-fashioned bedding, which means I might as well be sleeping in a cave. The very air around me looks blue, reflecting the watered silk that hangs around my bed.
“Norah?” I ask drowsily. Late the night before, after we’d all retired, my maid had appeared, none the worse for wear. It turned out that the service carriages had missed the sign for Littlebourne Manor altogether and had gone several leagues out of their way before the coachman had at last conceded to stop and ask for directions.
“No, it’s me,” comes a cheerful voice. Bright sunshine spills onto the coverlet as the bed curtains are whipped aside to reveal Brielle.
I give a little groan
