BooksBarbecue
Back Princess at Heart Save as PDF
Chapters (49)
  1. Cover
  2. About the Author
  3. The Rosewood Chronicles
  4. Dedication
  5. Prologue
  6. Part One
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. Part Two
  23. 16
  24. 17
  25. 18
  26. 19
  27. 20
  28. 21
  29. 22
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. 25
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. Part Three
  37. 29
  38. 30
  39. 31
  40. 32
  41. 33
  42. 34
  43. 35
  44. 36
  45. 37
  46. 38
  47. Author’s Note
  48. The Rosewood Houses
  49. THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING

The world swirled. Ollie knew he shouldn’t turn over the postcard, that he shouldn’t read it. Whatever was on the other side could only be bad news. But Lottie had to know what was coming, surely? With a gulp, Ollie flipped it over. The writing was smudged, probably done in a hurry, but the words were clear, as was all the trouble they would bring.

To my little princess, Charlotte,

It’s been far too long, and Beady tells me you’re working your way into high society.

She has also brought it to my attention that you have not been living in the old house, so I hope you will understand that it’s become necessary to sell it.

Much love,

Your father

Ollie looked up to see Mr Harris’s van disappear out of sight, and with it any chance of returning the cursed postcard. He could only hope Lottie would be able to handle the bad news.

Penguin walking logo

Part One

THE NIGHTMARE

1781 painting by Henry Fuseli

1

Night had consumed Wolfson Palace. Ornaments and portraits that dazzled in the sunshine now lay dormant, waiting for life to be kissed back into them like a cursed princess.

Wiggling her toes, Lottie did her best to stave off some of the cold that was seeping through the palace floor. She was jet-lagged after returning from Japan and still feeling disorientated from everything that had happened over the past few days, not least her discovery about Leviathan. Lottie tried to hold herself upright, focusing on the wall of shiny diamond jewellery while the king’s advisor went to work around her in the crimson room, side-stepping the purple-velvet ottoman in the centre.

‘This won’t do.’ Simien narrowed his eyes at the reflection in the ornate mirror, his liver-spotted hands firmly placed over Lottie’s shoulders, turning her from side to side to get a better view of the puffy-sleeved dress he’d had her put on, which made her look remarkably like a strawberry blancmange. ‘Perhaps a high neckline and padded shoulders will balance out that very long neck that you’ve exposed.’

Dizzy with the dressing room’s thick perfume clouds, and feeling more like a marionette than a human being, Lottie let her imaginary strings go slack when Simien finally turned back to the dresses, searching through them to find something that would work with Lottie’s new messy bob.

‘Whatever you think is best,’ Lottie called out, hoping to move the process along without giving away her impatience. She had somewhere she needed to be, and she couldn’t have Simien knowing that; she couldn’t add to his stress.