CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

Valerie stood frozen in the doorway of the bathing chamber, a linen towel clutched to her chest like a shield. The copper tub behind her was already half-filled, steam curling lazily into the air, carrying the faint scent of lavender and crushed rose petals, the exact blend the gentle queen had asked for only yesterday.

But the woman now pacing the outer chamber was not that queen.

She walked to the room to meet her

“You told me to gather your things, my queen,” Valerie ...