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CHAPTER ONE

THEA STRUGGLED IN the near darkness to tear free of the wedding dress she’d been forced to wear The cursed laces of its bodice trussed her as tight as a chicken ready for roasting She fuled bow at the sers Her breaths blew sharp and fast, and the cloying scent of citrus blossom from her bridal bouquet threatened to overwhelht was about speed and execution Because this plan—her only plan—allowed no room for failure

‘It’s never going to work’

Thea faced the quavering voice Sheathed in soft cream silk, her best friend huddled in a shadowy corner The brim of an oversized hat swooped across her face

‘We’ve been over this, Elena It will’

It has to

There were no second chances Outside, the hungry crowd and her husband waited The et her mind, her body or her soul This was her ht she’d break free and show them all

‘How do I look?’

Elena h a lavishly curtainedfrom the dreary alleyway beyond She smoothed her hands over the front of the dress, which swirled barely above her knees De into now

‘Like more of a bride than I feel Nobody will realise’

Till it was too late Till she was gone

Everyone said she and Elena could pass as sisters, or as each other And they regularly did—with laughable ease Allowing Thea a shred of freedom otherwise denied her

Now all the years of planning her escape were over