Amelia watched Keira slight hesitation at the threshold, that familiar deer-in-headlights expression she recognized all too well from her own early days at the palace. Blonde, petite, with cornflower blue eyes that darted around the room assessing, Keira Warner was nothing like Alexei's usual conquests. This woman had substance. You could tell by just looking at her, there was intelligence in her gaze.

"She's nervous," she whispered to him. "I remember how terrifying this was but trying not to ...