's
under my feet. The past was a vivid, bleeding wound in my mind, and I
cluded grove behind the pack house, un
lecherous brute I had always a
would force my hand onto a ceremonial silver d
feigning a frantic search, with my fathe
n. He would claim I had tried to seduce him, and when he r
and the "evidence" stacked against me,
e it even began. It was the first stone cast i
howed a woman with eyes as cold as a winter grav
reverie. It was Martha again, her
my parchment, and I could smell the cloying scent of gar
ng my eyes. She added, grudgingly, "A
against my fingertips was a jolt of c
t script, the sweet words, the invitation to the gr
of my single candle and watched
e. I needed someone I c
bringing with it a pang of
in the entire Blackwood pack who had ever shown me genuine kindness. In my last life, she had been punis
again. I would prote
he servant's passages I knew so well. I found Hazel in the cramped laun
ning in surprise. She immediately shot to
hat are you
help," I said, my
sked anything of her before, too afr
to follow me to a small, empty storage closet. Once in
voice barely a whisper, "must not leave
pace. But beneath it, I felt her unwavering loyalty. S
ould think I was mad. So I created a
etting a tremor of calculated fear enter my voice. "The
dagger, the false accusations. As I spoke, I felt Hazel's hand
pered fiercely. "We ha
tter truth a familiar taste in my mou
hat wil
trap against them. But to do that, I need you to be
usting to the gloom, and beg
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