Beneath a Midnight Moon - By Amanda Ashley Page 0,52
to her bedchamber and closed the door.
Hardane thought she was the firstborn twin, that she was indeed his betrothed.
Could it be true?
Oh, please, let it be true!
Chapter 23
With the seventh month rapidly approaching, the whole castle was in constant turmoil. The housemaids and the scullery maids were busy from dawn till dark, making sure that every tablecloth, every tapestry was brushed clean. The bed linens were washed and aired, the rushes replaced. All the silver was polished until it gleamed. The crystal sparkled like the sun.
The gardens were weeded, the shrubs pruned, the lakes and waterways cleaned of fallen leaves and debris.
Sharilyn toured the entire castle from the lowliest dungeon to the uppermost turrets, making certain that every cobweb, every speck of dust, had been thoroughly swept away.
The castle seamstresses sewed hour after hour, making new wardrobes: a dress of deep royal blue satin and silk for Sharilyn, a gown of forest green velvet for Kylene, a gown of soft shimmering silver for Selene. The royal tailors produced new clothes for Hardane and Lord Kray as well.
Amid all the fuss, Dubrey continued to court Kylene. He sought her company often and eagerly, his sincerity stealing her affection if not her heart. Of all the brothers, he was the most like Hardane, and sometimes, on dark, lonely nights in her room, she let herself wonder what it would be like to marry Dubrey. Even though she doubted Hardane would ever be hers, the thought of spending the rest of her life in the Motherhouse no longer held any appeal. And if she could not have Hardane, perhaps she might find a measure of happiness with Dubrey.
She was thinking of that now as she sat on the balcony outside her chamber. She had not seen Hardane alone since the night of the ball when he had promised he would find a way for them to be together. As much as she yearned to believe, needed to believe, she was afraid to trust him, afraid of being hurt again.
She had tried to search her own heart and soul, tried to find some deep inner sense that she was indeed the firstborn twin, but no such knowledge came forth. She had no memory of her childhood, only an abiding fear of water that she could not explain. The first face she remembered was that of Mother Dorissa bending over her bed, begging her not to cry, but she couldn’t recall why she had been crying.
Later, growing up, she had always felt different from the others, a woman apart, even though she had been treated much the same as the other members of the Sisterhood.
Thinking back, she tried to recall why she had felt that way, but it was more of a feeling, a sense that she had been destined for something else, rather than anything that had been said or done.
Was she truly the firstborn twin, betrothed to Hardane, as he believed? Had her sisters in the Motherhouse known that she was a princess, born to marry into the House of Argone? But if it was true, why had no one ever told her? Why hadn’t Mother Dorissa prepared her? Why had her father abandoned her? Where was her mother? Her sisters? For the first time, it occurred to her that she must have six other siblings if she and Selene were the seventh and eighth born. Perhaps she had brothers as well, aunts, uncles, cousins.
She closed her eyes against the growing pain in her head. So many questions. Surely someone, somewhere, had the answers.
But it no longer seemed to matter. Tomorrow was the seventh day of the seventh month.
The day of the wedding.
A knock at the door drew her from the balcony. She’d expected it to be Hadj bringing water for her bath. Instead, she saw Selene standing in the hallway.
“May I come in?” Selene asked.
Kylene nodded. Since Selene’s arrival, they had been together only at mealtimes, never alone. There was no bond between them. Selene had not sought out Kylene’s company, nor had Kylene sought hers.
Closing the door, Kylene led the way into the small blue and white sitting room.
“Sit down, won’t you?” she invited, indicating the soft leather chair beside the window.
Selene shook her head, her gaze sweeping the room. To her delight, she saw that it was not as large or as lavishly appointed as her own chambers.
“I’m not staying long. I merely came to tell you not to attend the wedding.”