Lydia hoped returning to the Chancellor’s household would finally give her a place to belong. Instead, her family keeps choosing her sister, even as Lydia’s marriage prospects become another way to cast her aside. Then a dog runs off with the embroidered ball meant to choose her husband, leading her straight to Prince Henry. He offers her the respect her family never did, but standing beside him draws Lydia into a dangerous court struggle. Can she claim a future of her own when those closest to her are determined to take it away?
