When the royal fanfare blew at the ball that evening, Georgina was beside me as she had been since we'd arrived. We'd grazed at the buffet table and kept mainly to ourselves, Georgina just as disinterested in the other inductees as I was. When the royal siblings appeared behind the king and queen, she took my hand in a subtle gesture of support.

We waited at the edge of the dance floor, Georgina's fingers warm around mine, hidden in the folds of our silk dresses as Andrew descended the steps. I couldn't help but look at him, a sharp pang of longing lodging in my gut. I reminded myself that this was the price for my freedom, that I was the one who had asked for this, but when his eyes met mine for only the briefest of moments before he turned and bowed to Dulciana, it still felt like a knife to the gut. It didn't help that the jewel-bedecked princess shot me an arch look over Andrew's shoulder as she swept herself into his arms.

I forced myself to breathe, closing my eyes to focus instead on Georgina's hand. It seemed to be the only thing tethering me in place while all the dark demons crawled out from their caves in my head. I'd been warned that Andrew would ignore me and at least he'd listened to my request not to give his first dance to Ashley. But as I watched him chat politely with Dulciana, something within me screamed in protest.

"Let's not forget to breathe, shall we?"

Georgina had sunk into a curtsey while my eyes snapped open to see Thomas standing before me, that supremely amused look on his face as he cocked an eyebrow. I curtseyed a beat too late, but he was lifting me out of it as the music started.

"I'd congratulate you on your excellent acting skills, but I daresay none of that was pretend, was it?" Thomas asked, twirling me.

"What am I supposed to say? That I'm happy he's in the arms of someone I'm sure your parents would much prefer over- me?" I demanded. Thomas's eyes sparkled with laughter, but he kept it muffled under the tight smile on his face.

"I don't think you realize how close to the mark you've hit," Thomas said, shooting a look over my shoulder towards the thrones. When we spun and I was facing them, I realized that the king's eyes were on me for the first time all Season. If I'd thought the queen's glare was icy, the king's look was even more forbidding. His face was a stern, square-jawed mask, probably just as unreadable up close as it was from this distance. Before Thomas turned me away, the king leaned down to the queen, saying something to her while he watched me. Her blue eyes flicked to me, before she looked away, clearing saying something dismissive.

I was thankful I'd turned away so I didn't have to endure the king's gaze any longer.

"Are you intentionally being cryptic or are you trying to cause more trouble?" I asked, uneasiness settling over me like a thick woolen blanket.

"You didn't honestly think your request would have no repercussions, did you?" Thomas asked, pulling my gaze back to his.

"I'm not dancing with Andrew, I think that's enough of a repercussion," I said, hating the petulance in my tone.

"Oh you little fool," Thomas laughed darkly, "Didn't you realize what mother was having you research?"

I blinked at him, wondering what on Earth foreign trade and war treaties had to do with anything. At my blank look, Thomas shook his head in annoyance.

"Never mind," he said, looking away, "But do yourself a favour and try not to flirt too much tonight. He might be acting, but Andrew is just as upset about this as you are. You'd be wise not to expand the distance between you by seeming like you're enjoying yourself."

"And I'm supposed to be fine that he's flirting with all his dance partners?" I fired back, my annoyance rising. But Thomas had no time for my emotions, it seemed. He fixed me with that same icy glare he'd used earlier when he'd spoken of Dorian luring me away.

"He's the crown prince, Elizabeth," Thomas said, using my full name to add just that much more frost to his words, "He'll flirt and dance with whomever he chooses and you're not to complain about it. After all, It would have been you if you hadn't demanded your freedom like a squalling toddler."

"Well forgive me for being worn down by court life!" I snapped, his words leaving more of a sting that I'd expected, "We weren't all raised in palaces or groomed since birth to be queen!"

"Yes, that much has become all too apparent of late," Thomas said, releasing me abruptly as the music ended. He bowed, but there was nothing of the fun, mischievous prince on his face when he rose to look at me.

"Keep your wits about you and keep your head down," he cautioned, "There is more going on here than you seem able to grasp."

I'd opened my mouth with some sort of retort, only for Thomas to swear under his breath and snag my arm with his, stopping the words in my throat. He dragged me from the dance floor, shooting a backwards look at someone. I tried to crane my neck around to see, but he gave my arm a tug, pulling me around to the back of the buffet table where a very surprised Georgina looked up from her plate.

"You're her friend, right?" Thomas asked. Poor Georgina had just taken a mouthful of a sweet roll and could do nothing but nod, frantically chewing as she attempted to curtsey.

"Good, keep her away from him," Thomas said, tipping his head towards where Dorian was stalking around the dance floor, clearly looking for someone. Without so much as a good evening, the younger prince released my arm and stalked away.

"Goodness, what happened?" Georgina finally managed, the worry back in her eyes.

"Thomas was being Thomas," I shrugged, but his warning had crawled under my skin.

There is more going on here than you seem able to grasp...

"Tsk tsk," came a snotty voice from beside me. Georgina let out a little groan as her spine went rigid.

"I wouldn't be so quick to pass on Prince Thomas now that it's clear Andrew no longer has eyes for you," Ashley said archly, serving herself a glass of punch.

"What do you want?" I demanded, my temper too stoked to deal with the likes of her. She turned to me, her perfect lips curving into a smile as she sipped her punch.

"Oh, nothing really," she said, tossing her head, "Besides to gloat, of course. You really should have minded your manners in front of the queen. It's no wonder she's counselled her son to stay away from you."

Georgina's hand shot out to close around my arm as I took a step towards Ashley. The blonde noticed the move, however, her smile growing as she met my gaze.

"Then again, it's what I've been telling Andrew all along. You're clearly not the same person with him as you are when he's absent and now the queen is saying the same. You silly thing, wasting your chance like that. Clearly you have no mind for court games."

"Well I do have a mind to show you exactly what I think of pathetic leeches like you!" I spat, jerking forward only for Georgina to jerk me back. Ashley's laugh rang out, pealing like a bell as she turned away. It was only once she was safely around the buffet table that Georgina released me.

"You shouldn't have stopped me!" I said through gritted teeth, but she didn't shy away from me.

"Yes, I should have. She was only trying to bait you and you rose to it," Georgina chided, "Perhaps you and I should go take a walk outside to clear your head."

"My head doesn't need clearing! It just..." I started, trailing off as my eyes caught Andrew bowing to kiss Adelaide's hand. The words died on my lips as the knife twisted in my gut.

"It needs clearing," Georgina said firmly, taking my hand and leading me around the perimeter of the ballroom towards the terrace doors on the other side. We'd made it halfway around when the exact person I'd been told to avoid stepped into our path.

"Forgive me, Lady Courtenay, but I must steal your friend for a moment," Dorian said, sinking into a bow as he snagged my hand to raise it to his lips. The urge to recoil was overwhelming, but when I attempted to pull my hand back, his vicelike fingers kept it in place.

"Perhaps another time," Georgina said, staring him down, "We were just about to take some air."

"Some air would be lovely," Dorian said, but Thomas' warning shrieked in my mind.

"You're not invited," I said, yanking my arm free. He must not have been expecting such force because his fingers weren't tight enough to hold me and I backed away out of his reach.

"Oh Libby, you needn't get so worked up," he said as Georgina pulled me away, "Surely my aiding your brother is enough to prove my honourable intentions."

My feet planted themselves in place as I turned to face him, Georgina's tugs unable to budge me.

"What did you just say?" I demanded. Dorian's face melted into that smug grin of his and I hated that I'd given him the satisfaction of capturing my attention.

"I said that surely my aid in re-enrolling your brother at the Royal Conservatory is enough to prove my intentions," he said, taking a slow, taunting step towards me.

"You were the anonymous benefactor?" I demanded in disbelief. Georgina gave my hand another warning tug as Dorian drew up in front of me, looking down at me with that same licentious gaze that turned my stomach.

"You shouldn't seem so surprised," he said, "Though I must say that I'm proud of you for cutting that self-absorbed prince loose. Dare I hold out hope that you're considering my offer for a life of adventure instead of this gilded cage?"

"I haven't cut anyone loose!" I snarled, forgetting all about my promise to keep our subterfuge a secret in the heat of the moment. Dorian smirked, chuckling.

"Is that so?" he asked, watching with amusement as my friend pulled me towards the terrace doors, "Because that's certainly not what the court gossip is saying."

"Don't!" Georgina hissed, so I bit my tongue and turned away, seething. But through my anger, there was a bolt of icy fear. Thomas had been right, there was more afoot than I'd bothered to realized before and Dorian's sponsorship of Xavier's studies had my stomach twisting in knots yet again.

As the icy terrace air hit my face, I resolved to call on my brother first thing tomorrow morning.

***

Unfortunately for me, my parents had other plans for the next morning's activities.

"This arrived at dawn, my lady," Brenna said, rousing me to press the sealed letter into my hands. Sleep was banished from my groggy head as I blinked down at my mother's handwriting. Hastily breaking the seal, I read the few words with an ominous sense of foreboding.

Elizabeth,

Come to the house first thing this morning. There is something we must discuss.

Lady Francesca Marks-Whelan

I didn't bother to care that my mother had so formally signed her full name. Whatever she had to discuss was surely not going to be an enjoyable topic for me, so I flung the letter away, intending to ignore it. Brenna and Elspeth helped me dress, only for a knock at the door to interrupt us as Elspeth was pressing that last few pins into my chignon. Brenna answered it, exchanging a few quiet words with whomever had knocked

"It seems there's a carriage waiting for you," Brenna said, a puzzled look on her face as she returned to the dressing table. A page boy fidgeted in the suite doorway behind her, his eyes still bleary with sleep.

"For me?" I repeated. The page bobbled a nod.

"A man named Jonas, my lady," the page said, "He said to hurry."

"You're not hurrying anywhere without a chaperone," Brenna clucked, "Elspeth, go fetch Miss Claridge."

"I don't need a chaperone," I sighed, "The carriage was sent by my parents."