God Save the Queen (The Immortal Empire) by Locke Kate

Author:Locke, Kate [Locke, Kate]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9781405511698
Publisher: Hachette Littlehampton
Published: 2012-06-07T04:00:00+00:00

Righteous indignation and hurt kept me awake for longer than I cared to admit. The sun was on its steady rise by the time I finally fell into a deep and oddly peaceful slumber. I didn’t stir until half past three. Avery had already got up, the spot in my bed where she’d slept long cooled. Yawning, I stretched and sat up, the smell of bacon and fried bread coaxing me from my little nest.

And then I remembered that Dede had snuck into my house – for whatever reason – while Ophelia followed me to Freak Show to make certain I didn’t go home and catch Dede in the act. And accused me of murder.

A girl simply could not ignore such offence. It meant going back to Bedlam, but it would be worth it to use Ophelia’s head to alleviate some aggression. Besides, it wasn’t as though the place held any fear for me any more; my mother obviously wasn’t hatters. The whole lot of them were mad, to be sure, but not in that way.

But first – food. I’d go to Bedlam later. Let the filthy bastards think they’d fooled me.

I pulled a kimono over my shift and padded barefoot down the stairs, following that heavenly scent. “When did you learn to cook?” I demanded as I approached the kitchen, only to find it wasn’t Avery at the stove at all, but Emma. Avery was at the table reading a copy of Good Day.

“My mother,” Emma replied with a wide grin. “Good morning, sunshine. Hope you don’t mind me barging in.”

I smiled back. “Sweetie, you can barge in whenever you want if you promise to cook something while you’re here.”

She laughed, and Avery glanced up from her reading with a small smile. “Oi, don’t be flirting with my girl.”

“And you’re lucky to have her.” I went to fetch a coffee mug from the cupboard. “Any good gossip?”

“Actually …”

Something in her tone made me pause in the middle of filling my cup. Cafetière in hand, I turned to her. “What?”

She flipped a few pages back and turned the magazine so I could see it. I moved closer, still clutching the cafetiére.

Staring up at me was a photo of me and Vex taken outside Freak Show. I hadn’t even noticed a flash bulb. It was the night I’d first met him at the club. We were looking at each other like hungry … well, wolves. Beneath the picture was the caption Sought-after bachelor Lord Alpha “Vexation” MacLaughlin leaves Freak Show with Royal Guard Alexandra Vardan. Is the Duke’s daughter what’s keeping him from courtesans and a mate?

“I spend one night with him and I’m to blame for the fact that he’s held off on marrying and breeding? Fuckers.” I tossed the magazine aside.

“It’s a good photo of the two of you,” Avery commented, picking the damn thing up again.

“They said it themselves, he’s sought-after.” Emma offered me a plate piled with eggs, meat and dough fried in bacon fat. “And you’re the first woman he’s been seen with publicly for a long time.

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