Chapters (64)
- Front Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Contents
- Pronunciation Guide
- Prologue
- Part One
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Part Two
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Part Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Part Four
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Epilogue
- Excerpt from The Sun and Its Shade
- The Night and Its Moon Playlist
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
- Back Cover
The man leaned away. He frowned. “I’m not looking for any trouble.”
She shook her head quickly. “Me either. In fact, I’m hoping you’ll help me keep my cousin from undue suffering. You see that man over there?” Emily gestured vaguely toward the duke.
The bartender’s lip wrinkled, pulled up as if he’d smelled something particularly unpleasant. “I do,” he said.
The lie came to Emily quickly and easily. She nodded. “My aunt married well, much better than my mother did, anyway, and alas my cousin finds herself poised for an advantageous marriage. She’s been set up for a match with your duke, and tomorrow they’re to meet—”
“No,” he said quickly.
Her heart sank. She’d find the necessary information one way or another, but it would be so much easier if she could get the barkeep to share what she needed. Emily had become particularly skilled at her brand of espionage and had no intention of returning to Priory empty-handed. She wasn’t particularly fond of referring to Nox as her family, even in the context of spying. She also wasn’t particularly fond of sending men to Nox’s room, or truly any of the dealings that Millicent had woven so tightly around the dark-haired beauty. Still, she was thrilled to have joined whatever twisted inner circle that had led to Nox’s seeing her value. Even more, she enjoyed the pieces of her job that called upon her cunning.
Tonight was one of those nights.
“No you won’t tell me of the duke?” Emily said, seeking clarification.
“No, I’m saying, tell your cousin to save herself the time. The boy’s the worst kind of prick. I’ll deny it if you go telling anyone I said so, but there are worse things than drinking in poppy dens and whoring with any man, woman, or the like who will tumble home from the bar with you. If your cousin is any sort of good lady, she ain’t gonna want to be affiliated with his sort.”
The bartender set down a glass indelicately and immediately began to fill it with frothy, amber liquid. He pushed it across the wooden bar top, and she wrapped her fingers around the pint, sipping politely while considering the information. She wasn’t entirely sure whether his statement regarding ladies of the night was an outright insult or a backhanded compliment, so with a bit of dry wariness, she prompted, “And, pray tell, what’s worse than being a whore?”
The bartender shook his head, setting down his rag emphatically.
“I don’t want no trouble, miss. He is our duke after all.”
“I promise,” she sighed. “Whatever you say stays between us. I’ll make something up to keep my cousin away from her match tomorrow, but it would be nice to know if there’s reason for doing so. I’d hate to steal her chance at happiness.”