A Girl of White Winter
Barb Hendee is the author of
The Dark Glass novels
Through a Dark Glass
A Choice of Crowns
A Girl of White Winter
Table of Contents
Barb Hendee is the author of
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
The First Choice
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
The Second Choice
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
The Third Choice
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
The Choice
Chapter Twenty
Teaser Chapter
About the Author
A Girl of White Winter
Barb Hendee
REBEL BASE BOOKS
Kensington Publishing Corp.
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Copyright © 2018 by Barb Hendee
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First Electronic Edition: August 2018
eISBN-13: 978-1-63573-032-6
eISBN-10: 1-63573-032-5
First Print Edition: August 2018
ISBN-13: 978-1-63573-033-3
ISBN-10: 1-63573-033-3
Printed in the United States of America
Prologue
Long ago, a vain lord enslaved a young witch so that he might force her to use her powers to keep him handsome and young. His most valued possession was an ornate three-paneled mirror in which he could see himself from several angles. Looking into its panels, he loved to admire his own beauty.
Seeking revenge on him, the young witch began secretly imbuing the mirror with power, planning to trap him in the reflection of the three panels where he might view different outcomes of his useless life over and over, and he’d suffer to see himself growing old and unwanted. But unknown to her, as she continued to cast power into the mirror, it came to gain a will and awareness of its own.
One night, the lord caught her as she worked her magic, and he realized she was attempting to enchant his beloved mirror. In a rage, he drew a dagger and killed her. But her spirit fled into the mirror. Though she had been seeking escape, she was once again enslaved…this time by the mirror itself. It whispered to her that it would protect her and use the power she’d given it for tasks more important than punishing a vain lord. Together they would seek out those facing difficult decisions and show them outcomes to their choices.
“Wait!” she cried, inside the mirror. “What does that mean?”
The mirror vanished from the lord’s room, taking her with it.
And no one knew where it might appear again.
Chapter One
While growing up, I never realized how carefully the Lady Giselle hid me from the eyes of men. She did not do this from jealousy or selfishness, but to protect me…as my position in the household was not easy to define.
On an evening in early autumn, as she sat in a chair before me, I piled her dark hair atop her head and fastened it with silver clips. In her late forties, she was still lovely.
Tonight, she wore a green velvet gown with a full skirt and long sleeves.
“Would you like your diamond pendant?” I asked.
Her mind was elsewhere. “Mmmmmm?”
She’d seemed unsettled since mid-afternoon, and I knew she was worried about the outcome of tonight’s dinner gathering.
“Your diamond pendant?” I asked again.
This evening was important, and she would wish to look her best.
Nodding, she said, “Yes, my dear.”
But as I went to fetch it, she reached out and stopped me. “Kara…his lordship has requested that you join us for dinner. The Capellos did not bring their wives or sisters, as this is a business gathering, and his lordship fears the numbers will appear too skewed at the table.” She paused. “Once you finish dressing me, we’ll need to find you a gown. He wants you to be decorative.”
I tensed. “Must I?”
She nodded again, this time more tightly. “Yes. It is his lordship’s wish.”
Though it was common for me to join the family for dinner, over the past summer I had turned eighteen, and I’d not been invited to join a formal dinner with guests in nearly three years. Lady Giselle kept me hidden, even from most of the manor guards.
“Which gown?” I asked, nervous at the thought of dining with strangers.
“One of your white silks, I think.”
* * * *
That night, as Giselle and I walked into the dining hall, my stomach tightened when I saw what appeared to be a sea of men milling around before dinner. In truth, only five of the men would be joining us at the table. The rest were merely guards of either our house or the Capellos’.
The group of five had gathered near