If the days hadn't been moving quickly enough before, they slowed to a snail's pace now that I was under house arrest. I tossed and turned at night, restless in my sheets from days spent sitting in stifling rooms surrounded by tittering ladies and idle gossip. The one day I screwed up my courage to ask the queen if I could take a ride, she smiled kindly at me but tore me down just the same.

"Surely one of the stablehands can exercise your horse for you," she said, dismissing my request with a wave of her slender hand, "You're needed here to help us plan the seating arrangements for the next debutante dinner gala."

I held my tongue, as I was so accustomed to doing lately. It was black and blue from all the times I'd bitten it to keep my true thoughts at bay and now that I spent nearly every waking moment in the queen's presence, there was no respite in sight.

With the service door locked, I relied on Andrew to supply me with books since I wasn't able to sneak down to the little library any more. He willingly obliged, but I was beginning to think he was unable to understand how trapped I felt under his mother's new orders.

"I can't stand another minute in this room," I said one night, pacing before the fire while he read over yet another sheaf of official documents. He glanced up at me distractedly before returning to his reading.

"Then let's take a walk tomorrow," he said, his brows furrowing as he flipped through the pages to check something and mark a note.

"I can't, your mother has insisted that I sit in her salon and listen to yet more poetry and gossip like I'm her pet dog to command," I said, feeling the frustrated tears spring to my eyes, again. I paused in my tracks, blinking furiously to keep them from falling as I stared at him. It took him a moment to notice I'd stopped moving, looking up at me as if he'd only just noticed I was there.

"Then I'll come fetch you myself," he said, his eyes softening as he set aside the papers and patted the place beside him on the love seat. I stood rooted to the spot, feeling as if I was being both pulled in a thousand directions and crushed by the oppressive palace walls all at the same time.

"Libby," he said gently, rising to come take my hands. His touch was enough to open the floodgates and the tears came pouring out. He wound his arms around me despite Brenna's cough from the corner, but even she must have recognized how badly I needed to be held because she didn't further protest.

"I can't breathe here, Andrew," I said into his shirt, wishing that the steady thump of his heart beneath my ear would be enough to calm me despite knowing that it wouldn't.

"It's only for a little longer," he said into my hair, his hand rubbing a reassuring circle across my back.

"Can't you talk to her for me? She never listens to anything I ask," I said, reluctantly pulling back when he took my shoulders so he could look down into my eyes.

"I have, on multiple occasions," he said, his eyes searching my face, "I don't like what this is doing to you either, but she has a point. Whoever I marry is going to be queen and with that come certain responsibilities..."

I'd never cage you...

The words jumped into my head as he looked down at me with what he probably hoped was a reassuring smile. Instead, however, the only thing I could hear above the roaring of my pounding heart and my brain wailing with despair were his words from last Season, cruelly repeating over and over again in my head.

"You said you'd never cage me," I whispered finally, unable to ignore the thoughts as tears sprang into my eyes once again. Andrew inhaled, his forehead creasing with worry as he brushed the tears from my cheeks.

"I'm not, Libby," he said, his fingers lingering on my chin so he could tilt my eyes up to his, "She's testing you, don't you see?"

"What I see is that every other living creature in this palace has more freedom than I do! I haven't seen my brother since he left and I haven't been allowed to go call on him. I haven't been outside since I snuck out and was forced into captivity as punishment for my recklessness," I said, the words tumbling out in an angry rush, "I can't set foot outside this room without someone shadowing my every move, reporting it all back to your mother like I'm some sort of prisoner!"

"You're not a prisoner, Libby, but she needs to see that you can do as you're told when things get difficult," he said, pulling me to him again to quiet my growing hysteria, "She's only trying to see if you'll keep true to your words when you're actually faced with dilemmas, rather than entertaining pretty thoughts and neglecting to follow through with the same actions."

"I hate this," I grumbled, more to myself than to him. I felt his chest rise and fall with yet another sigh.

"If you can handle it for just a little longer, you'll have passed her test," he said, "Can you do that?"

I leaned back to look up at him, his face still swimming before my eyes thanks to the frustrated tears that refused to stop welling.

"Please, Libby," he pressed when I didn't answer, "You're strong enough to face this, I know you are."

I didn't care whether Brenna's eyes popped out of her head when I leaned up on my toes and kissed him, seizing the lapels of his jacket so he couldn't back away. When our lips touched, the sparks from his mouth moving against mine bloomed inside me, banishing all the dark and nasty thoughts to the farthest reaches of my mind. His hand had worked its way up into my hair, pulling me tight against him as he kissed me just as hungrily as I kissed him.

Clearly we'd both been so wrapped up in one another that Brenna's strong little hands had to pry us apart, her clucking tirade only reaching my ears once Andrew had been forced to release me. Despite Brenna's shocked admonishments and waggling finger, I felt as if at least a little of the weight pressing down on me had been lifted. Andrew was looking at me over Brenna's bobbling head, that special smile on his face as he touched a thumb to where I'd grazed my teeth across his lip before we'd been pulled apart.

I decided right then and there, as Brenna pushed me away towards my bedroom and shooed Andrew out of my suite, that I would try my very best to keep my head about me for the next week and a half. I couldn't imagine a life without kisses like that, without his arms around me when I was upset, so I resolved to put on my bravest face and endure whatever obstacles the queen set in my way.

***

That was the last night Andrew visited me. Brenna was still beside herself the next morning, stonily pursing her lips when I asked if she'd tattled on us.

"It isn't proper," was all she'd said and I knew without a doubt that she'd informed the powers that be about our impropriety. I comforted myself with the knowledge that I'd see my prince at the ball that night, but when Millie arrived even earlier than usual, I knew I was about to get an earful from the queen.

"Oh good, you're here," the monarch said as I entered her study. Unlike most mornings, this time we were alone, no Ashley or Adelaide sitting primly in the chairs arrayed before the queen's desk.

"Good morning, your Majesty," I said, dipping a curtsey as I forced my brain to focus on the feel of Andrew's lips against mine. She was far too chipper this morning and I didn't trust the kind smile on her face in the least.

"It's a fine day outside, so I've decided that my ladies and the debutantes will join the king and his retinue on their ride today," the queen said, finishing up whatever she'd been writing before she turned her eyes to mine.

"That should be exciting," I said, girding myself against the hope blooming in my chest. With a smile, she extended the piece of paper to me.

"Though since we'll be out until we return for the ball, I was hoping you could assist me by compiling some research before the king's council session tomorrow," she said as I took the paper. I looked down at it and realized with horror what she was about to do.

"Normally one of my advisors would do this work, but he'll be out riding with us, you see," the queen explained as I read over the mind-numbing list of laws, precedents, and historical accords she was asking me to research, "You should be able to find the required texts in the library, but you'd be wise to cross-reference your findings. My advisors will look over your work before I present it to the king's council, but you wouldn't want to leave me unprepared, would you?"

"Of course not, your Majesty," I said automatically. I fought the urge to tear the paper in two and tell her exactly what I felt about her, instead thinking back to Andrew's words. This was a test just like the others and I forced myself to view it as a compliment that she considered me intelligent enough to research such topics for her. I also realized with a bitter jolt that Adelaide would have jumped on such an opportunity to prove her cleverness, while I was bemoaning yet another lost day.

"You'd best get started," the queen said, "I'll expect your results when we return."

I curtseyed, folding the paper I so longed to tear in two. I took my time returning to my suite, determined to savour what I could of the winter sun through the hallway windows before I relegated myself to the dim, dusty library for the day. As much as Andrew's kiss from the night before had been a little flame of hope glowing inside me, with each step I took towards the debutantes' wing, I felt it flicker. I could hear the excited debutantes tittering in the other suites as I passed them, all of them probably just as eager for a day outside as I was. I entered my own rooms with a heavy heart, leaning my head back against the door as I massaged the bridge of my nose. As the silence settled over me, I realized with a start that someone was sniffling on my love seat.

"Ella?" I blurted out, my brows crashing down at the tear-stained cousin pressing a sodden handkerchief to her face as she sat trembling on the edge of her seat.

"You need to speak to him," she said, leaping to her feet and rushing towards me. I skirted away from her as she reached for me, her fingers grabbing a handful of my dress to keep me from running away.

"Speak to whom?" I asked, attempting to pull away from her, but she held fast, her swollen, tear-filled eyes desperate.

"James!" she wailed, "He's going to leave me! Please, Libby!"

I blinked at her, swallowing.

"What do you mean he's going to leave you?" I asked. She snuffled as she dug a letter out of her pocket, the edges crumpled and soaked with tears.

"He...he says I've changed..." she managed between sobs, "And I woke up this morning to find this!"

Ella,

I need to speak with you. Meet me at the entrance hall stairs before the ball tonight.

-J

"This doesn't mean-" I started, but Ella cut me off by snatching it out of my hands as she brandished a finger in my face.

"I know you like that conniving little princess better than you like me," she said, her hiccuping sobs detracting from the ferocity in her eyes, "But I'm your family! You can't allow her to steal him away from me!"

"Ella-" I started, attempting to disentangle myself from her yet again.

"Don't Ella me!" she screamed as I winced back at her shrill tone, "Annabelle said you'd already chosen your side and that I shouldn't trust you to help, but I have more faith in you than that!"

"I don't know what I can say that would-" I started, only for her to cut me off with a frustrated little scream, giving me a shove as she released me.

"Then she was right! You are a traitorous little social climber!" she hissed, "I hope you enjoy what's coming your way because now I won't do a thing to stop it!"

She was gone in a blink, my thundering heart and her abandoned tear-sodden handkerchief the only evidence of her whirlwind visit.