“Hello ma petite,” Andre calmly stated as he bowed to her, his accented voice a deep timbre that reverberated throughout Kalinna’s chambers.

“My lord,” Kalinna responded, dropping into a quick curtsey before straightening herself and looking at him. She was startled when he took hold of her hand and kissed the inside of her wrist before releasing it back to her.

“Please, do not be afraid of me, I only wish to get to know you better so that we may not be strangers on our wedding night,” Andre continued, his eyes lighting on her face as he noticed her hesitancy. It took all of Kalinna’s effort not to scowl at his words.

There would be no wedding night, not if she could help it.

“I am not afraid,” she stubbornly responded as she raised her chin in his direction. And finally got a good look at the man she was supposedly going to marry.

Andre Carlton stood just shy of six feet, at about five feet, eleven inches, and sported a shock of dark hair that fell haphazardly across his forehead. A strong jaw, high cheekbones and an aristocratic nose almost overpowered his dark eyes, which were either black or a very dark brown as far as Kalinna could tell. His shoulders were wide, his chest broad, tapering down to a slim waist, thick muscled thighs and long legs, which were currently encased in knee-high black boots.

Oh why could he not be harder on the eyes? True, he was not astonishingly handsome, but neither was he terribly ugly either as far as Kalinna was concerned. But then again, he was not the type of man she would ever consider having as a husband. He was not Justin.

The two men may have shared relatively the same height and build, but that was quite obviously where the similarities ended. Justin was lighter of hair, with curls where Andre’s mane was dark and completely straight. Ocean blue perfectly described the color of Justin’s eyes; Andre’s were of an indiscernible dark color that made Kalinna quite uncomfortable.

A deep laugh resonating from Andre’s direction quickly snapped the young woman out of her thoughts and reminded her of exactly where she was and the situation she was currently in. She vaguely noticed her fiancé set a large box on the edge of her bed before heading in the direction of the chairs that sat by the fire.

“Your father did not lie when he said you had spirit,” Andre commented in response to her small defiance as he took a seat in the chair that his sister had vacated just moments before, “Come, sit with me.” She had no choice but to obey the direct order.

“My lord?” Kalinna questioned as she reluctantly sank into the chair situated on his right. Whatever he was about, she certainly hoped that he did not intend to stay long. She knew without a doubt that the dressing closet where Adele was hiding was not the most comfortable place to be.

“Please, ma petite, call me Andre,” the man responded with a gentle smile that Kalinna thought more resembled a leer, “I am to be your husband, thus you do not have to address me so formally.”

“As you wish…” Kalinna trailed off in a quiet voice, “Andre.”

“Much better,” Andre said with another of his unbecoming smiles, “Now I trust your journey here was comfortable and to your satisfaction?” She had to fight back a snort, since she hadn’t wanted to come to this blasted country in the first place.

“It was fine,” she replied, noncommittally, “Though I must admit I did not take that well to your captain, Fulton Knox. He and I did not get along, to put it lightly.” Andre merely laughed at her words.

“Goodness ma petite, I must say that your humor is quite refreshing to me,” the marquis commented, much to her annoyance since she was being quite serious, “And don’t mind Fulton, all he needs is a good roll in the hay and he will be as mellow as a kitten.”

Kalinna had to choke back her horror at his blunt words. What kind of man spoke of lovemaking in such a manner so as to make it seem like such a crude deed? Certainly he did not suspect that she was no longer a virgin…

What if he did? What if the true reason he had sought her out was to bring her to task for the sins she had committed with the Duke of Schellden? Was she quick enough to escape him if he dared lay a hand on her?

Of course, she could very well be exaggerating due to the exhaustion she felt and knew was caused by the trip. But she didn’t trust this man as far as she could throw him, and by god, she certainly couldn’t throw him very far.

“Your father tells me you are reluctant to be married,” Andre stated as he stretched his long legs out in front of him. Kalinna immediately felt her heart pick up pace in her chest.

“Yes,” she almost choked out, quickly becoming terrified at the direction the conversation was taking.

“Do tell me why that is. From what I understand, most young ladies dream of their wedding, running a household, and giving their husbands children,” Andre commented, fixing her with a questioning gaze as he patiently waited for her to answer.

Kalinna took a deep, calming breath as she grew angered at her fiancé’s words, knowing at once that her earlier fears were nothing but silly musings. This man may be arrogant and annoying as all hell, but he did not know that she had made love with another man, and was in love with that same man.

“I do not wish to be confined to a house, treated like a piece of chattel and never allowed any type of freedom,” she honestly responded, seeing no reason to lie to him.

“I am not an ogre, ma petit. You shall have whatever you ask for, within reason, for I wish to do nothing but make you happy,” Andre responded, his eyes bright with laughter, “All I ask in return is that you perform a few wifely duties, such as attend social engagements with me, oversee the running of my household, and provide me with children.” Kalinna had to gulp down a bout of nervous laughter at the mention of children.

“Thank you,” she squeaked out, quickly betraying her nerves to her fiancé.

“Come here,” Andre suddenly commanded as he stood up and motioned her to his side; she reluctantly obeyed, “I know you do not trust me right now, but I promise in time, you will come to love me and enjoy life here at Westgate.” Kalinna almost blanched at his overconfident words.

“I am just tired from the journey and have not yet adjusted to my new surroundings,” Kalinna protested as he took both her hands in his and she suddenly realized his gaze was resting on her lips.

“Perhaps I should let you get some rest before the ball this evening then,” Andre softly stated as he cupped her face with one of his hands, his thumb gently rubbing her cheek, “We can discuss the wedding later this evening or tomorrow. Your father mentioned you loved riding, so I’ve arranged for a picnic for us tomorrow afternoon.”

“I…thank you,” Kalinna weakly managed, forcing herself not to pull away from his touch.

Without warning, Andre leaned down and united their lips in a soft kiss. Kalinna was taken by surprise, and could to nothing but stand there, frozen, while her fiancé attempted to deepen the kiss. She gave herself a mental shake and reluctantly responded to him, despite the fact that her skin was crawling from the contact.

Truth be told, she desperately wanted to pull away and force him out of her room and make this nightmare go away, but unfortunately, she had no choice in the matter. This was his home, and he could go wherever he pleased, do whatever he pleased, and there was certainly nothing she could do to stop him. And unfortunately, kissing her certainly was one of his rights.

It was a few moments later that Andre ended the kiss and Kalinna attempted to gather her wits about her once again. He gave her a confident smile at her dazed expression, thinking that he had completely swept her off her feet with the unexpected affection he had bestowed upon her. If he only knew.

“Ma petite,” he softly whispered as he caressed her cheek, smiling contentedly, “I believe I have something that belongs to you.”

“Wha…what?” she questioned, still in shock from the kiss.

Andre quickly brought forward a small box, and Kalinna’s eyes widened when he opened it and she beheld a beautiful engagement ring. A large round diamond sat in a golden band, surrounded by six smaller round emeralds, her favorite stone. She could find nothing to say as her fiancé quickly slipped it on her left ring finger.

“Your father mentioned that you love emeralds, so I had this made especially for you,” he began as he kissed the hand the ring lay on, “And I must say, those stones certainly bring out the green in your eyes.”

“Thank you,” Kalinna softly responded, quite overwhelmed with all that had happened in the past half an hour, “It is certainly very beautiful.”

“I am very glad you like it. Now, I shall leave you to get some rest,” Andre concluded as he grasped her hands and placed a gentle kiss on her lips before finally letting her go, “I shall come for you in a few hours once the ball has started.”

“But I fear I do not have anything suitable to wear,” Kalinna protested, hoping that the weak excuse might get her out of the night’s celebrations.

“I have taken care of that as well,” Andre assured her as he led her to the edge of her bed where the big white box lay where he had set it earlier, “Your father helped me with the measurements and my sister helped pick out the fabric. I do hope you like it.”

“But…but…” Kalinna protested, her eyes glued to the unopened box; she sighed, “Thank you. You have been too kind and generous to me.”

“Think nothing of it ma petite. You are soon to be my wife, and I find no qualms in spoiling you with pretty things,” Andre responded with a gallant bow, “Now, I really must be getting back to my business. Sleep well and I shall see you in a few hours.”

Before Kalinna could utter a word in reply, the man who was her fiancé had disappeared from the room, the door shutting quietly after his form. She stood there for a few moments, frozen in shock, before she rushed over to the dressing closet and threw the doors wide. Adele quickly appeared from within, a frown resting on her face.

Kalinna watched as her newfound friend paced the room for a few minutes, quite obviously lost in her thoughts. Adele didn’t even notice when Kalinna sank gratefully into one of the fireside chairs, exhaustion finally showing on her face.

“It appears this situation is worse than I thought,” Adele finally remarked as she picked up Kalinna’s left hand and examined the engagement ring, “My brother appears to be quite besotted with you.”

“So I noticed,” Kalinna dryly stated with a roll of her eyes, “Now what do you suppose we do? I certainly don’t want to find myself married to such an arrogant and overconfident man, especially when I love another. I hope you do not take offense to that.”

“Certainly not,” Adele retorted with a snort, “Andre may be my brother, but that does not mean I have to care for him. After all, he is the one that decided that I needed to marry his best friend Barnaby, when I obviously do not wish to by any means.”

“Well we need to come up with a plan then,” Kalinna stated as Adele finally stopped her pacing and took a seat in the chair next to her, “I don’t know when Andre expects me to marry him, but I have the feeling that it is going to be quite soon.”

“Next Saturday afternoon,” Adele bit out, scowling, “He thinks to give you a week to adjust to him and life here at Westgate. As if that is enough time to adjust to anything, much less a fiancé and a new home.”

“That certainly doesn’t leave us much time then,” Kalinna mused, frowning, “And what of your engagement? Has your fiancé set a date yet?”

“In a month’s time,” Adele mournfully supplied as she slumped dejectedly in her chair, “If we don’t do something soon, both of us are going to find ourselves married to men we don’t love. I may not have a duke waiting for me in England, but at least I have a brother that I haven’t seen in years. And I would certainly like to have the chance to see him again, as well as make my own choices where marriage is concerned.”

“I know precisely what you mean,” Kalinna readily agreed, her spirits suddenly taking a dive to the depths of despair. Adele immediately noticed the abrupt change in her friend’s mood.

“Well no sense in getting upset about what has already passed. We are quite capable of changing what the future holds, and I promise you, I will try my hardest to help get you reunited with that duke of yours,” Adele passionately stated in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Kalinna couldn’t help but smile. She had certainly found a new and quite loyal friend in Adele, and for that she was very grateful. She was in a foreign country, engaged to a man she could not stand, but at least she was not alone.

“Thank you for being such a wonderful friend to me, even though we have just met,” Kalinna said as she gave her new friend a dazzling smile.

“Well I can certainly tell why your duke fell in love with you,” Adele teased, brushing away the thanks, “With a smile like that, it’s a wonder he wasn’t spouting poetry at you.” Kalinna immediately blushed at the compliment.

“We do not know for sure that he is in love with me,” she protested, not wanting to get her hopes up too much where the Duke of Schellden was concerned.

“Trust me Kalinna,” Adele simply responded, grinning, “Now what do you say we figure out a plan so that this duke of yours can tell you himself just how in love he is with you?” Kalinna had to refrain from rolling her eyes.

“Alright,” the young woman reluctantly agreed.

With a squeal of delight, Adele quickly pulled Kalinna out of the chair and the two of them hopped up onto the bed. In whispered voices, they began their discussion of how they were going to win their freedom from the unwanted chains that had been put around them.

Kalinna nervously paced her chambers later that evening. Adele had snuck away undetected hours ago, thus leaving the young Englishwoman to her thoughts. And they were turbulent at best.

The chatter from downstairs alerted her to the fact that the ball was more than just a gathering of friends, which certainly didn’t help calm her. If anything, it made her more apprehensive for the moment when she would have to leave the safety of her chambers. Adele would be there, along with her unwanted fiancé, but that wasn’t all that much of a comfort to her.

Andre was going to be introducing her tonight as his fiancée which was the main reason she was so nervous and out of her element. She had just arrived on a ship from London this morning, and she was supposed to face a roomful of French aristocrats? She wasn’t too sure she was going to make it through the evening.

At least her appearance wasn’t wanting in any way.

She bit her lip as she stared at herself in a full-length mirror. Was that really her reflection staring back at her? She had never worn a gown so beautiful before, nor ever had somebody spend so much time on her hair as Tabitha had done earlier that evening.

The dress she wore was of the finest emerald silk, which molded to her waist and hips, and then flared out to flow gently to the floor. The bodice was cut a little too low for her liking, but it greatly enhanced her assets, the color of the dress bringing out the ivory smoothness of her skin. Small emerald sequins dotted the entire dress, which had very short, capped sleeves, and she wore a beautiful emerald necklace and bracelet that matched the ring Andre had given her. Emerald clips kept her hair pulled up in a twist, while small, curled tendrils of hair framed her face and fell softly on her neck.

Kalinna had never felt more beautiful in her life and she desperately wished Justin could see her dressed up in all this finery. But unfortunately that was not to be as an ocean still separated them. Not to mention the fact that she now belonged to another man.

A knock on the door of Kalinna’s chambers alerted her to the fact that it was time she made an appearance downstairs. With a dejected sigh, she raised her chin and opened the door to reveal her fiancé standing there in his evening wear.

Andre looked quite handsome in a tailored jacket made of deep blue silk, a white dress shirt underneath and a matching cravat resting at his throat. His tan breeches fit almost to perfection and his feet were encased in a pair of perfectly polished, knee-high boots. The dark hair that had been unruly hours before was now neatly combed to one side and out of his eyes.

“Good evening ma petite. You look quite ravishing in that outfit,” Andre drawled as he held out a hand in her direction. Reluctantly she took it. “I trust your nap was very relaxing?”

“Yes, thank you,” she softly responded as he led her out of her chambers.

The two of them walked leisurely, Andre holding tightly to Kalinna’s hand, their destination the grand marble staircase which led down to the beautifully decorated ballroom where all the guests waited. Kalinna took a deep breath as she slowly walked down the stairs by her fiancé’s side, all eyes in the room trained on her, or so it seemed.

They stopped at the middle landing of the stairs and Andre put an arm about her waist and drew her closely to his side. Kalinna quickly squelched the words of protest that were on her lips as she realized that she and her fiancé were the center of attention. Her eyes widened, her breath began to quicken and she desperately wished for the safety of her sleeping chambers.

But she had no choice in the matter.

“Friends and guests, I would like to introduce you to Lady Kalinna, my fiancée, and the next Marchioness of Westgate,” Andre’s voice suddenly boomed out over the crowded ballroom. Kalinna wanted to crawl into a hole and hide.

Excited chatter began to make its way through the ballroom, and from the few snippets that Kalinna was able to catch, she realized that they were all talking about her. There was mention of when the wedding would be, what Andre would name his first child, and on and on. Kalinna thought she was going to be sick.

Thankfully, Andre quickly led her down the rest of the stairs and she breathed a sigh of relief when her slippered feet reached the safety of the ballroom floor and she was no longer visible to every eye in the room. However, she soon found herself whisked around the room to be introduced.

The names and faces were all a blur as Kalinna tried to keep her wits about her and it wasn’t until she found Andre introducing his sister Adele to her that she was actually able to relax just the slightest bit. Adele gave her an encouraging smile as the two women pretended they had never met before, and the Englishwoman was quite grateful for the small support the Frenchwoman was able to provide.

Adele’s fiancé, Kalinna was able to note, was not much to look at. He was a few inches shorter than Andre, and certainly not as solidly built. A bright shock of red hair clashed with a rather large nose and watery gray eyes that almost made the man look like he was crying. And the fact that his mouth was set in a grim line did nothing to help his appearance.

Kalinna could certainly tell why Adele did not want to marry this man, and he had yet to even open his mouth.

“Ma petite, they are playing a lovely waltz. Would you do the honor of dancing with me?” Andre suddenly questioned in her ear a few minutes later as he stood at her side while she idly chitchatted with his sister and her fiancé.

As much as she wanted to say no, she could do nothing but agree.

“Certainly my lord,” Kalinna confidently replied as she placed her hand in his and allowed him to lead her onto the ballroom floor, which was starting to clear from the last dance number.

“It is Andre,” the man reminded her and she smiled prettily up at him in response before sinking into a low curtsey as was customary for this dance.

After bowing and pulling her into his arms, the two of them were off across the floor, which was still nearly empty except for a few brave couples who dared dance while the lord of the house was. Kalinna and Andre were silent at first as they measured each other’s dancing skills, but Kalinna soon found that her fiancé had a hard time keeping his mouth shut.

“I trust you are adjusting well to life at Westgate?” Andre prompted.

Just stick to the plan, Kalinna told herself as she almost blurted out the fact that she hated it here, was in love with someone else and just wanted to go home to her family. There was no sense in messing everything up with just a small slip of the tongue. She could definitely not let her anger get the best of her, especially where Andre was concerned.

“I am enjoying it very much,” she lied, pasting a bright smile on her face as Andre whirled her around, “Though I must admit, I would greatly like to see more of the countryside. That is, if you would permit me to ride a horse.”

“Why certainly ma petite,” Andre responded with a gentle smile, “Whatever made you think that I would not permit you to ride a horse?” Kalinna blushed.

“I assumed that once the wedding takes place, I will need to stay in the castle and see to the running of the household,” Kalinna lied, careful to keep her expression neutral.

“Well you will have other duties once we are married, but that does not mean you are confined to Westgate,” Andre responded.

“Oh, well do forgive me for the mistake then,” Kalinna ground out.

“Think nothing of it,” Andre cheerily replied as the dance number came to a close, “Tomorrow, before our picnic, I shall show you the stables and you may pick a horse of your own.”

“Thank you my lord…”

“Andre.”

“Thank you Andre, you have been most kind,” Kalinna stated, her disposition in a little better shape now that the first part of their plan was in place: to get access to the stables and horses for escape.

“Anything for you ma petite,” the Marquis responded as they completed the waltz and bowed to each other, “No come, let us go to dinner. I believe your father has just returned from his business and will be joining us shortly.”

“As you wish,” she simply agreed as she allowed her fiancé to lead her off the ballroom floor and in the direction of the large dining room reserved only for balls and parties.

Dinner passed pretty uneventfully. Kalinna was pleased to find herself seated next to Adele for the meal and readily conversed with the young Frenchwoman. She barely acknowledged her father, who sat across the table from her. She had yet to have a proper conversation with him and she hoped to keep it that way for she had nothing nice to say to him.

The meal, and the rest of the evening, at least to Kalinna, seemed to fly by. She soon found herself on the way to her bedroom at the conclusion of the ball. She was exhausted, both mentally and physically, and all she wanted to do was change out of her ball gown and crawl into bed.

As she entered her chambers and closed the bedroom door, she almost didn’t notice the shadow which stood at her jewelry box. With a startled cry, however, she quickly grabbed the nearest object to defend herself: a candlestick.

“Please lady, I don’ mean ye no harm,” the voice of the figure squeaked out, “I’m only ‘ere cause me master sent me.”

“Who is your master?” Kalinna bravely demanded, the candlestick clutched tightly in her hands, wavering just the slightest bit.

“Monsieur Pierre,” the shadow hesitantly responded, obviously scared of the man who had sent him here, “He says that the Marquis be loaded and I should take whatever I can so’s that he can sell it.”

“The Marquis is my fiancé,” Kalinna stated, not knowing why she suddenly found herself defending the man she didn’t want to marry, “You shall not steal a thing from this room, or any other room in the house for that matter.”

“You’re nots gonna turn me, are ye lady?” the shadow pleaded, finally stepping into the light of the room. Kalinna’s mouth dropped open in shock.

“Good heavens, you’re but a boy!” Kalinna gasped as she took in the disheveled appearance of a blonde-haired lad who appeared to be no older than twelve summers.

“So? Don’t mean I can’t take care of meself!” the boy scoffed as he raised his chin and shot a glare in the young lady’s direction.

“What is your name?” Kalinna demanded, ignoring the thief’s outburst, “And why are you not with your family at this time of night?”

“Name’s Benedict mum,” the lad quietly began as he shifted from foot to foot, obviously nervous at this new line of questioning, “And I ain’t got no family.”

“I’m sorry,” Kalinna softly stated, her heart going out to the young boy.

“Don’t be,” Benedict grumbled, brushing away her kind words, “I ain’t never met them before.”

“So you do not know if they are alive then?” Kalinna asked.

“No mum. All I gots is this necklace but it ain’t ever done me any good,” Benedict responded, pulling forth a pendant strung on a golden chain.

“I know that,” Kalinna quickly cried as she strode forward and began to study the necklace more closely, “This is the coat of arms of one of the noble families of England.”

“You mean to tell me that’s I’m a bloody English noble?” Benedict incredulously cried, his eyes suddenly filled with excitement.

“It’s possible,” was all Kalinna said, not wanting to get the lad’s hopes up when she had no idea what the pendant actually meant. For all she knew, Benedict could have stolen it.

“Well how do I go about finding this stuff out?” Benedict demanded, and Kalinna suddenly began to doubt that the lad had stolen the necklace. His excitement and determination seemed too sincere to be false.

“I could help you,” Kalinna responded, quickly thinking how the lad could help her out of the situation she was now in.

“Why would ye do that mum? I was just tryin’ to rob ye,” Benedict stated, somewhat confused at the lady’s sudden kindness.

“Because you, in turn, shall help me,” Kalinna boldly stated.

“What?” Benedict asked, now completely confused by her statements.

“I can help you find your family in England, but in order to do this, you must help me escape marriage to the Marquis,” Kalinna explained as she finally set the candlestick aside and motioned for the lad to join her at the chairs situated around the fireplace.

“Ye mean ye don’t wanna marry him?” Benedict questioned, his eyes growing wide with surprise. Kalinna vehemently shook her head in the negative.

“I was forced to come to France to marry the Marquis, whom I do not like, much less can even stand,” Kalinna easily explained as the two of them sat, “My father will receive a hefty amount of money from the Marquis in exchange for my hand in marriage.”

“That’s bloody awful,” Benedict commented with a scowl, “If I had a daughter, why, I’d let her marry whoever she wanted to.”

“Unfortunately my father does not see it that way,” Kalinna glumly replied as an image of Justin once again popped up into her mind. Her heart beat with longing as she wished she could see him. But that was impossible.

“Ye are in love then?” Benedict asked, immediately picking up on her change of mood from the faraway look in her eyes and the soft sparkle in her eyes.

“How did you know?” Kalinna abruptly questioned as she focused back on the young lad who sat to her left.

“Ye glow like a candle and your eyes do this sparkly thing,” Benedict honestly answered, for lack of a better way to explain it. Kalinna blushed at his words.

“Well that does not help me get out of marriage to the Marquis,” Kalinna pointed out as she slouched dejectedly into her chair.

“What do ye want me to do?” Benedict eagerly questioned. Kalinna immediately perked up at his response, glad that he was so willing to help her.

“I need you to travel to England and deliver a letter to Justin Timberlake, Duke of Schellden,” Kalinna explained as she got up and went to her desk to compose the letter. Benedict immediately followed after her. “He shall know what to do.”

“How am I ‘sposed to get to England?” Benedict asked.

“Ship of course. The next vessel leaves from here in two days time and I want you to be on it,” Kalinna determinately stated, her mouth set in a grim line.

“You mean I’m really goin’ to England?” Benedict demanded, his eyes lighting up again, “I ain’t never been anywhere but France in me life.”

“Well now is your chance,” Kalinna returned as she penned a short note to Justin, her heart beating rapidly in her chest at the thought of the handsome duke, “In order for me to help you, you must secure passage aboard this ship. Do you think you can manage to get aboard?”

“That’s easy,” Benedict scoffed, grinning.

“Well when you get to England, find the ship the Christina. It belongs to the Duke of Schellden, and he may be there. If not, somebody aboard his ship can direct you to where he is,” Kalinna instructed as she finished her letter and sealed it.

“Don’ worry, I’ll find yer duke for ye,” Benedict confidently stated as he took the letter the young lady offered him and tucked it into the pocket of his ragged jacket.

“I have every confidence you will,” Kalinna regally stated as she rose and turned to face the lad, “Now, I’m going to ask you once, Benedict. Can I trust you to complete the task I have given you?”

“Yes mum,” Benedict solemnly responded as he stared her in the eye.

“And you know if you do not complete everything I have asked, then I shall not help you discover what that pendant of your’s means.”

“Yes mum. I promise ye on my blood family’s lives that I will do what ye ask of me,” Benedict stated. Kalinna smiled.

“Good,” she replied as she reached up to her neck to unclasp the locket that hung there, “Take my locket as a token to give to the duke so that he may believe your story.” Wordlessly, Benedict took the necklace.

“Take me own pendent then mum. That way ye know I will return,” Benedict suddenly stated as he put Kalinna’s necklace around his neck and surrendered his own pendant over to her. She was touched by his actions

“Thank you. Now go, get out of here before somebody discovers you,” Kalinna abruptly stated, her heart beating with longing for freedom and the handsome duke across the sea.

Without another word, the young lad disappeared into the night, taking with him all of Kalinna’s hope and part of her heart. She could only hope that she had done the right thing and that Benedict could complete her mission. She could only hope that she had made the right decision in trusting a complete stranger.

Or had she just made a terribly foolish mistake?