I watched her walk to the curtain, before turning to see if there was any chance of speaking to Sabine. But there was no sign of her or the guard who had kept us apart. I prayed that she’d make her way back to Tristan, and that I could get through the next ten minutes of performance with nothing happening. Then I’d go to him, tell him the truth, and hope that…

I shoved the thought aside. Plunking my bottom down on the swing, I arranged my skirts and took a firm grip on the ropes. Then I nodded once to the men who would lift me up. The lights on the stage dimmed, music began to play and I was rising up into the air. The beam supporting the swing rotated me out onto the stage, and once they’d lowered me down a few feet, I kicked my legs to set the swing rocking gently back and forth. On my cue, I began to sing and the lamps were turned up. The audience murmured in appreciation at the stage designed to look like a paradise in the sky in blue, gold, and white.

Two throne-like chairs sat in the front and center of the crowd of nobles, and on them were seated the Regent and Lady Marie. Lord Aiden stood at his mother’s shoulder, expression grim. I let my eyes drift slowly over the room, keeping my face soft, kind, and benevolent as the skirt of my costume tickled against my bare feet. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see my mother slowly making her way along the wall, nodding and greeting those who spoke to her as she went. But where was Tristan?

I finally spotted him standing in the shadows, his eyes tracking my mother’s progress from the far side of the room. He made no move to go to her, but I felt no comfort. I was playing this too close and risking everything by keeping him in the dark, but what choice did I have? My mother reached the door at the far right of the room and leaned against the wall, crossing her arms and watching. Not your mother, Anushka!

Tearing my eyes away from her, I glanced down. Below me, the courtiers came out onto the stage and began to dance an intricate pattern. The girls of my company drifted amongst them, lending their voices as harmony to my own. They twirled and danced, and I sang a song designed to be lovely and pleasing without distracting too much from the would-be wives trying to catch Lord Aiden’s attention.

The music ended, and I ceased my swinging, leaning forward slightly as though deeply intent on what my subjects were about to do. Each of the girls danced forward and named her virtue, curtseying deeply to Lord Aiden, who dutifully nodded at each of them. If I hadn’t been so blasted terrified about what was to come, the whole spectacle might have been a comedy. Except I knew one of these girls was destined to become Marie’s successor, her life dedicated to protecting the woman I was supposed to kill.