“Your majesty, I mustn't…” She turned to face him and nearly fell into his arms. He guided her to one of the chairs before the fireplace and they both sat.
“Be calm, Lady Amethyst, I do not bite.”
She gathered her skirts and took a deep breath. He reached into a velvet-lined box and lifted out a gold rope on which was suspended a teardrop pearl. The chain glimmered as it caught the firelight, and the pearl radiated the milky glow of a midsummer's moon.
He walked round her and fastened it behind her neck. The pearl nestled twixt her breasts. She quivered with delight as his fingers brushed her skin.
“A welcome gift. Welcome to court.”
The shimmery gold felt like silk against her skin. She lifted the pearl and as if on demand, it gave off a rainbow of glimmers as it rolled delicately tw
