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“Emilie, open up!” It was my father’s voice, and it was angry.
I quickly got out of bed and opened the door. I stepped back as my father barged into the room. He was a tall, imposing figure, and his eyes blazed with fury.
“Where is Nora?” he demanded, his voice echoing in the quiet room.
I swallowed hard, my heart racing. “She left,” I said quietly, bracing myself for his reaction.
“She what?!” my father bellowed, his face turning red with rage. “How could she do this to us? To the family? To you?”
I shrank back, feeling the weight of his disappointment and anger bear down on me. “I don’t know, Dad,” I said softly. “She just had to follow her heart.”
“Follow her heart?” He scoffed, his anger turning into disbelief. “She’s barely an adult, Emilie. She doesn’t know what she’s doing. And now she’s gone and jeopardized this deal we’ve been working on for the Wed season.”
My mother rushed into the room. “What’s happened?”
“Ingrid, your daughter has run off in the middle of the night.”
My mother’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. “She would not do that. I raised my daughter better than that.”
I always loved how, when one of us did something wrong, we were the other parent’s child.
My father glared at my mother. “Well, she did. And now we have to deal with the consequences.”
My parents argued and panicked, their voices growing louder with each passing moment. It was like watching a hurricane unfold before my eyes with no way to stop it.
I knew it was selfish, but all I could think about was the fact that I had just become the heir apparent. I could feel my freedom slipping through my fingers. I was going to be thrust into the Wed season.
I wasn’t ready.
I didn’t want to be the heir. I wanted to be the spare.
My parents suddenly stopped arguing and looked at me. They were looking at me like they were seeing me for the first time, like it had just dawned on them I was their only hope for the future.
No pressure or anything.
I could feel the weight of their expectations crushing me, suffocating me. I wanted to run away just like Nora did, but I knew I couldn’t. My duty to the family was too great.
My father walked over to me, his face softening a little. “Emilie, you’re going to have to step up now. You’re the only one left to represent the family.”
I nodded, feeling numb. It was a heavy burden to bear, but I knew I had to do it. For my family. For our legacy.
3
THEO
The sun cast a warm glow over the vast garden of our family estate as my brothers and I practiced fencing. It wasn’t a popular sport in South Carolina where we lived, but when we went back to England, it was more common. We didn’t want to look foolish when we went back to visit. The clashing of blades and the rhythmic footsteps on the manicured lawn were all part of the dance. Archie and Edward, my younger brothers, were pretty damn good at the sport. Both of them were determined to best me in our friendly duels.
As we paused for a moment to catch our breath, Archie wiped the sweat from his brow and grinned. “How are you feeling about your Wed season?”
Edward chimed in, his curiosity evident. He was the youngest of the males and fifth in line. His time was coming. Part of the rules for Wed season demanded the oldest went in first and then trickled down the line. Only on rare occasions could someone jump the line. “She’s pretty,” Edward said, grinning. “You got lucky.”
I leaned on my sword and couldn’t help but smile. “She is pretty. I’m feeling hopeful, honestly. I want to find love, a true partnership. I want to have a relationship like Roman does.”
“Good luck with that,” Archie said, scoffing.
“I know,” I said, sighing. “I don’t think lightning strikes twice in the same family. It’s pretty unlikely I’ll get the same love Roman has, but maybe something close.
“Come on, Theo, you’ve seen her on television,” Edmund teased. “She looks like the wicked witch of Norway. As beautiful as she is, she seems frigid. I think she’s cold and not literally.”
