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Chapters (64)
  1. Front Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Contents
  6. Pronunciation Guide
  7. Prologue
  8. Part One
  9. One
  10. Two
  11. Three
  12. Four
  13. Five
  14. Six
  15. Seven
  16. Eight
  17. Nine
  18. Ten
  19. Eleven
  20. Twelve
  21. Thirteen
  22. Part Two
  23. Fourteen
  24. Fifteen
  25. Sixteen
  26. Seventeen
  27. Eighteen
  28. Nineteen
  29. Twenty
  30. Twenty-One
  31. Twenty-Two
  32. Twenty-Three
  33. Part Three
  34. Twenty-Four
  35. Twenty-Five
  36. Twenty-Six
  37. Twenty-Seven
  38. Twenty-Eight
  39. Twenty-Nine
  40. Thirty
  41. Thirty-One
  42. Thirty-Two
  43. Thirty-Three
  44. Thirty-Four
  45. Thirty-Five
  46. Part Four
  47. Thirty-Six
  48. Thirty-Seven
  49. Thirty-Eight
  50. Thirty-Nine
  51. Forty
  52. Forty-One
  53. Forty-Two
  54. Forty-Three
  55. Forty-Four
  56. Forty-Five
  57. Forty-Six
  58. Forty-Seven
  59. Epilogue
  60. Excerpt from The Sun and Its Shade
  61. The Night and Its Moon Playlist
  62. Acknowledgments
  63. About the Author
  64. Back Cover

Her shifts in the kitchen had always been pleasant. It was Nox’s favorite chore, as it meant the ability to spend time with Mable. Being amidst food and the friendliest matron was significantly better than scrubbing the floors, pressing linens, or doing yard work. Tonight, she brimmed with tense anxiety. She desperately hoped it couldn’t be sensed by the matron. Nox would need to sweet-talk Mable if she hoped to have any time alone with the food.

Nox’s greatest asset was her general aura of likability. It was the quality that had caused Agnes to single her out as Amaris’s chaperone. It was the character trait that soothed the staff into giving her things like mugs of warm milk before bed or a pastry when she wanted to sneak dessert. Time and time again, it spared her from the worst chores or punishments Farleigh had to offer—save for one.

Her charm, like most things, had infuriated the other children.

“Matron Mable?”

“Hmm? Yes, little Nox?”

Nox hadn’t been little for more than ten years, but it was a term of endearment Mable had tacked on to all their names. The woman smiled up from the kitchen’s washbasin.

“Are there extra apples? I’d love to be able to bring one to the horses.”

She smiled. “Remember to keep your palms flat! Don’t be getting your fingers nibbled off.”

“Yes, of course,” Nox agreed, using what she hoped was her most innocent, disarming show of appreciation. She couldn’t spend more than a few moments rummaging around in the pantry if she was to avoid suspicion. While Nox pillaged the kitchen, Amaris’s task had been to go through the laundry again and find another pair of mittens and warm clothes.

If they were successful, they’d be able to leave as soon as everyone in the manor fell asleep.

Nox had never traveled, but she knew enough of food to understand what would spoil and what would keep. She reached for things that would last them long enough to get to a village and plan their next steps. She stuffed as much white, hard cheese, dried venison, and whole-grain bread into the pockets of her clothes that she could possibly conceal and then emerged from the pantry with an armful of apples. The fruit excused her awkward angles and lumps. Mable laughed dismissively and shooed her away, too distracted by her kitchen duties to pay Nox much mind.