Margaux
Grey stone turrets rose high above manicured gravel paths, and men in dark uniforms stood at the intersections of the driveway, their eyes tracking the car as we passed. The scale of the grounds made the sedan feel small and out of place, like a beetle crawling across a massive stone terrace.
"It is a palace," Celia said, her voice quiet as she steered around a wide, circular fountain. "But you won't be in the main halls. Your work is strictly for the outer estate."
The tightness that had been building in my throat began to ease. I looked away from the high, arched windows of the central building. If I was kept to the margins, there would be no formal dinners, no guests to look me in the eye, and no risk of a familiar face from Ashmere spotting me through a crowd. The fewer peo
