The morning sun rose with agonizing slowness over the sprawling grounds of the Kingsley estate. The pale, weak light struggled to push through the thick, gray clouds.
The usual bustling, cheerful sounds of the country manor—the maids opening the heavy curtains, the stable boys calling to the horses, the clatter of breakfast plates in the kitchens—were entirely absent. The house was trapped in a suffocating, terrified silence.
Inside her large bedchamber on the first floor, Delaney stood perfectly still in the center of the room.
Two young maids were moving quickly and nervously around her. They were highly focused on their important, delicate task. They were preparing her for the most significant, and undoubtedly the most terrifying, day of her entire life.
