From The Woodshed To The Throne

Synopsis

After Prince Alistair falls in battle, the grieving Queen Dowager decrees that his glory in life must be honored in death. His intended bride, my sister, Charlotte Harper, is to join him in the afterlife. In three days, she is to be burned alive. When the news reaches Harper Manor, Charlotte scrambles to our stepmother, her sobs echoing through the halls. "Mother, you have to find a way out of this! I won't be a sacrifice! The Prince is dead! Why should I have to burn for a corpse?" Ruth Harper clutches Charlotte, their wails echoing in the hall. My father just stood there, frozen, while the color completely drained from his face. Then, his gaze falls on me. A cruelly calculating light flickers in his eyes. "Evelyn," he declares. "You are the trueborn daughter of this house. It is your duty to take your sister's place." A wave of disbelief washes over me as I stare at him. Three years ago, to ensure Charlotte's betrothal, they stripped me of my birthright, officially declaring me a secondary daughter. Now that a sacrifice is needed, they remember who I am. Ruth wipes her eyes and takes my hand, wearing a mask of maternal love. "Evelyn, your sister has always been so fragile. Can you imagine what the flames would do to her? "Just this once. Take pity on her. Take her place. I promise you, when you are in the next life, I will burn mountains of gold and silver in your name." Charlotte chimes in, her voice shrill with hope. "Evelyn, you've always been so kind. Please, just help me this one time! I swear, one day I will..." I know it doesn't matter what I say. If I refuse, they will drag me there. Late that night, in the cold solitude of the woodshed that has become my home, I write a letter by the light of a sliver of moon. [Edward, you once swore you'd protect me for a lifetime. Does that promise still stand?]