Chapter 1 One

Victoria Halstead woke with the odd certainty that if she did not leave her bed in the next ten seconds, she would lose her mind. The room was lovely in a distant sort of way. Pink drapes, soft candlelight, a vanity her mother claimed was imported from Italy, and the faint perfume of roses someone had arranged in a vase on the table. Everything looked like it belonged to a girl who was about to become the Duchess of Ravenshore. Everything except Victoria herself.

She lay still for a moment, staring at the embroidered canopy above her, and let out a slow breath. Her wedding was tomorrow morning. To Lord Cedric Ravenshore. A man so painfully polite she often wondered if he practiced courtesy as a sport. A man who smiled like someone had painted the expression on his face. A man who kissed her hand as if it were a fragile biscuit.

The entire kingdom of Aveloria was buzzing about their union. Her mother had called it the most strategic match of the decade. Her father had nodded proudly. Victoria had smiled the way well raised young ladies were supposed to smile. In truth, she had felt absolutely nothing except a quiet voice inside her head whispering, this is not your life.

She sat up slowly. The silk sheets slipped off her legs, cool against her skin. Her nightdress rustled softly as she swung her feet over the side of the bed. She had always liked nights. They were honest. They did not require small talk or polite smiles or the careful posture of a proper duchess in training. During the day she was a masterpiece of etiquette. At night she was simply Victoria, the girl who used to sneak into the stables, read adventure tales under candlelight, and dream of running away on a horse faster than her mother's complaints.

She rubbed her face with both hands and mumbled under her breath, "I need air before I start screaming."

She slipped her feet into soft slippers and pushed open the balcony doors. The night air greeted her like an old friend. Cool, crisp, gently scented with the pine forest that surrounded Halstead Manor. The moon hung low and heavy, almost too bright. It lit up the grounds in a silver glow that made everything look softer and freer.

Victoria leaned on the railing and let her shoulders drop. "You know," she whispered to the night, "I would very much like a sign. Something clear. Something that tells me I am not insane for wanting more than a polite husband and a title with too many syllables."

The night did not reply, which was rude, in her opinion.

She stayed outside for a while, watching the guards patrol the grounds, listening to the wind rustle the leaves. She tried to imagine tomorrow. The ceremony. The vows. The kiss. The life that would follow.

She tried, and failed.

Finally, she turned to go back inside. As she moved, her eyes fell on the small trunk she had packed earlier that day. Hidden under her bed now. A ridiculous act for a woman who was supposed to be hours away from becoming a duchess. Inside the trunk were three simple dresses, a pair of worn boots, a pouch of coin she had saved secretly over the years, and a compass given to her by her late uncle who used to whisper stories of the sea.

She had packed it "just in case." She had no intention of using it. Not truly. Not unless her panic became unbearable. Not unless her courage suddenly grew legs.

She knelt beside the trunk and rested her hand on it. Her heart thumped harder. "You look ridiculous," she whispered with a small laugh. "Who do you think you are, Victoria Halstead? A heroine in a romance novel?"

Still kneeling, she closed her eyes for a moment and let herself imagine the impossible. A road stretching far from home. New towns. New people. Freedom. Something that felt like a life she had chosen rather than a life chosen for her.

Her pulse quickened. Dangerously.

A sudden soft knock at her door pulled her back to reality.

She froze. Her throat tightened. It was nearly midnight. No one visited her chambers at this hour. Not even the maids.

Another knock. Quiet, but firm.

"Victoria." It was her mother's voice. Sharp, slightly impatient, already laced with judgment. "Are you awake?"

Victoria winced and whispered, "Unfortunately."

She pushed the trunk farther under the bed with her foot before standing. She smoothed her nightdress, as though the fabric would somehow disguise the panic in her chest, and opened the door.

Her mother swept inside. Lady Halstead moved with the energy of someone who believed the world should adjust to her presence. Her hair was pinned perfectly even at this late hour. Diamonds glimmered at her ears. She did not look like a woman coming to check on her daughter. She looked like a woman coming to inspect her investment.

"Oh good," Lady Halstead said. "You are awake. I was worried you may have fallen asleep without your final skin treatment. You must look radiant tomorrow. Cedric's family is quite particular about appearances."

"Yes," Victoria said, rubbing her eyes. "Heaven forbid my cheeks fail to glow on cue."

Her mother gave her a tight look. "Sarcasm is unnecessary."

"Sometimes it is all I have left."

Lady Halstead blinked, unimpressed. "Tomorrow is the beginning of a new era for you. For us. Try not to be difficult."

Victoria nodded even though every part of her wanted to do the exact opposite.

Her mother fussed over the room for a few minutes. Adjusted the curtains. Straightened the roses. Reminded Victoria to get enough sleep so she would look blissful instead of anxious at the altar.

When she finally left, Victoria stood in the silence of her chamber, her heart pounding like she had just escaped something.

She looked at the balcony again.

Then at the door.

Then at the bed.

Then at the trunk hidden beneath it.

Her breath caught.

There was a spark inside her chest now. A dangerous spark that whispered, if you stay, you will break.

She pressed her palm against her heart, feeling it thud wildly.

"You cannot do this," she told herself.

But the spark whispered, you must.

For a long moment, she didn't move. Then something inside her shifted. Cleanly. Quietly. Like a door opening somewhere she had never noticed before.

Victoria sank to her knees, reached under the bed, and pulled the trunk out.

Her hands trembled a little.

Not from fear.

From relief.

She whispered, "Well, here goes something very stupid and very brave."

And for the first time in her life, her reflection smiled back at her in a way that felt real.