Twilight of a Queen by Susan Carroll

Author:Susan Carroll [Carroll, Susan]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Romance, Historical
ISBN: 9780449221099
Google: aJztdlrhW8sC
Amazon: 0449221091
Barnesnoble: 0449221091
Goodreads: 2459974
Publisher: Ballantine
Published: 2008-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

THE SUN SET WITH AGONIZING SLOWNESS ON THE DAY OF the choosing. Or at least so it seemed to Meg, her nerves stretched as taut as a bowstring drawn back to let loose an arrow.

As the golden orb crept lower on the horizon, the cliffs of Argot were already lost in twilight, the monoliths like a ring of tall shadowy giants waiting to pass judgment upon her.

Dressed in her best gown, her unruly mass of brown hair confined to a tight braid, Meg joined the torchlight procession making its way up the rugged path.

All around her, the mood was one of excitement, women gathered in small groups, laughing and chattering. Carole was surrounded by many of the older inhabitants of the island, while Seraphine held court in the midst of an admiring bevy of young girls.

Only Meg walked in silence, left to the mercy of her thoughts. She could have had the company of her loyal old servant, Agatha Butterydoor. But Aggie lagged behind, the steep trek difficult for her. She was aided by her cane and the support of Lady Danvers.

Meg was glad that Jane had yielded to her pleas and agreed to attend the council. But Meg’s relief was more for Jane’s sake than her own; anything to keep Jane away from Xavier. With the small village virtually empty, only the children and Miribelle Aristide remaining behind to look after them, Xavier would have had Jane all to himself.

Meg noticed that her friend’s color heightened whenever the man approached, to say nothing of the soft glow in Jane’s eyes. Why was it, Meg wondered, that she was the only one to notice the predatory light in his?

The pernicious man had even managed to cozen Ariane. It was as though he had everyone under some sort of spell, Meg the only one immune to his charm. But Meg had no room left in her head to fret over Xavier tonight, the captain crowded out by more immediate anxieties.

The choosing.

Huffing a little, Meg gazed upward toward the cliff and realized she must be halfway there and it struck her as symbolic of the way her life might go, upward to the heights or down to what depths she feared to know. Sometimes she thought that her entire fate could rest on the Lady of Faire Isle’s decision tonight. More often, she despaired, fearing that Ariane’s choice would be of no consequence. That her destiny had been charted by her mother from the moment she was conceived. Megaera, the Silver Rose.

Her visions were getting worse. Her sleep disrupted by fragmented dreams, her waking hours haunted by splintered images in her crystal.

The troop of soldiers stood tall and menacing, waiting for the signal to march upon Faire Isle. Meg stumbled forward, her heart beating wildly as she was prodded along by the shadowy figure behind her.

“There is no need for you to invade Faire Isle. This is the girl the Dark Queen is looking for. This is Megaera.”

Meg rubbed her temple, fighting to deny the image.

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