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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

Helene wished Sisi were there to comfort her. Though, come to think of it, her words would probably be wildly unhelpful. As always. Helene could imagine what Sisi would say: It doesn’t matter if the archduchess doesn’t like you; it’s not her you’re marrying anyway. And Helene would want to rage because what Sisi didn’t ever seem to understand was that by becoming empress, Helene was marrying it all: the position, the man, the family, the empire.

Sisi never understood the gravity of things. Not one moment in her life. It was because their father had spoiled her, Helene knew. Because he’d taken her on ridiculous adventures around the countryside, hiked through mountains, dined with villagers. As if they weren’t noble.

Sisi loved it. Loved every new adventure, every new person. And the people she met always loved her in return. She never had to work for their love, never had to worry that someone might not love her.

The only person who didn’t love Sisi was Mother. But Helene wasn’t sure Mother loved anyone. There were only people Mother approved of and people she did not. The latter list was particularly long.

The room was as quiet as a grave. Fitting for the dresses they were wearing. Helene bit at the inside of her cheek, wishing they didn’t have to wait so long for the emperor, wishing even more that Sisi had arrived early with them. It was going to ruin everything if she burst in—probably barefoot and muddy and damp—halfway through introductions.

Helene needed Sisi here. To support her. In shoes. Why couldn’t her sister do this one thing for her? Just show up and behave normally for one day.

THIRTEEN

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ELISABETH WAS RUNNING LATE, AND MOTHER WOULD BE furious. Her heart constricted around the truth of it. She’d spent too long in the gardens, tucking herself against the trunk of a friendly tree and composing poetry in her head. Today’s poems took the shape of accidental meetings, shy smiles, tall men. The lines replayed in her head as she finished dressing and rushed down the corridor:

Her red lips glowed love-hot and life-warm.

I could see—so clearly—the slender form of his body

In the light.

But the details, deep in shadow,

Were impossible to decipher.

Elisabeth was proud of these lines—but now she was late. She’d promised not to make trouble on this trip, promised to behave. And she’d be blamed if she didn’t make it back in time to cross her ankles and smile politely at her future brother-in-law.