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Back The Empress Save as PDF
Chapters (68)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. 1853
  4. PART I
  5. ONE
  6. TWO
  7. THREE
  8. FOUR
  9. FIVE
  10. SIX
  11. SEVEN
  12. EIGHT
  13. NINE
  14. TEN
  15. ELEVEN
  16. TWELVE
  17. THIRTEEN
  18. FOURTEEN
  19. FIFTEEN
  20. SIXTEEN
  21. SEVENTEEN
  22. EIGHTEEN
  23. NINETEEN
  24. TWENTY
  25. TWENTY-ONE
  26. TWENTY-TWO
  27. TWENTY-THREE
  28. TWENTY-FOUR
  29. TWENTY-FIVE
  30. TWENTY-SIX
  31. TWENTY-SEVEN
  32. TWENTY-EIGHT
  33. TWENTY-NINE
  34. THIRTY
  35. THIRTY-ONE
  36. THIRTY-TWO
  37. THIRTY-THREE
  38. THIRTY-FOUR
  39. THIRTY-FIVE
  40. THIRTY-SIX
  41. 1854
  42. PART II
  43. THIRTY-SEVEN
  44. THIRTY-EIGHT
  45. THIRTY-NINE
  46. FORTY
  47. FORTY-ONE
  48. FORTY-TWO
  49. FORTY-THREE
  50. FORTY-FOUR
  51. FORTY-FIVE
  52. FORTY-SIX
  53. FORTY-SEVEN
  54. FORTY-EIGHT
  55. FORTY-NINE
  56. FIFTY
  57. FIFTY-ONE
  58. FIFTY-TWO
  59. FIFTY-THREE
  60. FIFTY-FOUR
  61. FIFTY-FIVE
  62. FIFTY-SIX
  63. FIFTY-SEVEN
  64. FIFTY-EIGHT
  65. FIFTY-NINE
  66. SIXTY
  67. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  68. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

“He loves you,” she said, taking her sister’s hands and squeezing all her reassurance into them. “I’ve seen how he looks at you. Forget everything else. You were right. You were right all along. Love is what matters. It’s what will carry you through.”

“What if the court breaks me? What if our love can’t protect us?”

Helene pulled Elisabeth’s hands toward her and pressed her face to them, kissing hard. Fierce. “You are the strongest person I know. If anyone can survive this court, it’s you. I was wrong before when I said you wouldn’t make a good empress.”

She laughed then, surprising herself. “No, actually I was right. You won’t make a good empress.”

Confusion flickered across Elisabeth’s face.

Helene squeezed her sister’s hands. “You’ll be a great one.”

Elisabeth smiled, squeezed back. “I just wish I could talk to Franz. They’ve kept me away from him all day.”

The anger carried Helene to her feet, pulling Elisabeth with her. Now that was something she could do. Her own private tour of the palace had included the imperial wing.

“Then let’s get you to him.”

FIFTY-EIGHT

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NÉNÉ WAS A MARVEL, A FIRE, HERSELF AGAIN. HERSELF. For the first time in over a year. Elisabeth’s heart reveled in it. The playfulness. The anger. The righteous indignation. Elisabeth emerged from the curtain, washed her face, and joined Helene at the door. Helene took her hand, leading her through the corridors, confident in her sense of direction. Her big sister was saving her again, capable of anything. Oh, how their mother would hate it.

Elisabeth’s heart soared.

When they finally made it to Franz’s rooms, Helene was the one who knocked. A sleep-ruffled Franz answered, and Néné stepped aside. She kissed Elisabeth on the cheek, whispered, “You are enough,” and then left.

“Franz,” Elisabeth breathed the word like the relief that it was.

“Elisabeth.” Her own name fell from his lips like a blessing.

She started to cry again, her heart so fragile, and he pulled her into the warm, clove-scented solidity of him, wrapped his strong arms around her. Safe. Loved. Herself again. The three things she could be here in his arms. And yet … was she completely safe? He’d sent her away, and the hurt of it was still there, tucked under the relief of the embrace.

He led her to the settee, lowered her onto it, keeping an arm around her shoulders, now holding her hands in her lap. “My love, tell me what happened.”

So she did. Told him about the indignity of the day, the anger, the hurt, the helplessness. Told him about Sophie going through her things, how violated she felt. Told him how much he’d hurt her by sending her away, by siding with the priest. And how deep her doubts had seeped into her soul.