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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

This seemed to grab the Partizan’s attention, his head cocking to the side curiously, until another sickening smile cracked his face like a scar. ‘You’ll tell him what exactly?’ he taunted, taking a step towards her. ‘How you made a pact with me to throw him under the bus?’

‘That’s not what –’

‘Certainly looks that way to me.’

He stared down at her, his dark eyes glinting in the moonlight, and she could taste the guilt, bitter and sharp, because maybe Haru was right.

‘I can see this has upset you.’ He almost whispered the words at her, his mask gradually climbing back over his face until she hardly recognized the happy-go-lucky boy in front of her. ‘Perhaps this gift will cheer you up.’

From inside his jacket, Haru pulled out two manila envelopes and held them out to her. They were numbered. ‘These are your last clues before we reveal the truth and take action.’

Lottie felt a panic she hadn’t been prepared for course through her. She still wasn’t even vaguely close to solving the story – how could this be the last of them?

‘You will open the second only after you have solved the first. Good luck, Princess.’ Haru pushed the envelope into her hand, his mouth coming close to her ear so she could feel his voice like a curse. ‘And remember I’ve got my eye on you.’

20

Dear Princess,

These are your last clues, and I do hope the pieces will all come together with them.

I have built this puzzle around you, and everything I know about you, so I will tell you now that it is your knowledge of fairy tales that will guide you.

Let it not be said that you and I have nothing in common; in fact, your grandmother used to read one story in particular to me and my brother growing up, one that has become very special to me over the years. It is exactly this fairy tale that will be the key to uncovering the truth. Search for Salten, 1923.

Time is ticking on your chance to put things right before I take it into my own hands.

Your uncle, Claude

‘Yep, there it is!’ Binah pulled the faded book by Felix Salten out from the shelf in the library, the ancient jacket nearly coming clean off.

They were in the dark and dusty rear section of the library where the oldest books were kept, and it was only Binah’s prefect status that had got them permission to nose around freely. Gently, like holding a baby bird, Binah lifted up their find, an original copy of a book Lottie had always had an odd relationship with – Eine Lebensgeschichte aus dem Walde, or, as most people knew it, Bambi.

‘Why Bambi?’ Lottie mused, staring at the book like it might be able to answer her question. ‘We had a stag with a crown, then a wolf with a crown, and now Bambi.’