He owns the land, the palace, and now... he owns her.
Elspeth is a ghost in the scullery of Belvedere Palace, a creature of soot and silence working to pay off a debt that can never be cleared. She is invisible to the high-born world, until the Duke of Alaric decides he wants to see what lies beneath the grime.
Julian Vane is a man of iron will and ancient blood. He does not ask for what he wants; he takes it. Invoking the archaic rights of his lineage, he summons the maid to his solar. But he does not want a servant. He wants a doll. He strips her of her rags and binds her in the crushing embrace of silk and whalebone, lacing her into a life she was never meant to know.
