The Princess Masquerade
Chapter One
Somershire, nestled in the southern hills of Teleere
Megan was tired. Her fingers ached as she tucked them
into the opposite sleeves of her tattered coat, and her
blackened eye still felt tender. She'd never been overly fond
of stitchery. It was tedious, and she had to travel through a
rough side of Somershire to deliver the garments, but it was a
job, and she took any honest work she could find. She also
took a good deal of dishonest work. It wasn't something she
was proud of, but she could live with her lack of pride. She
couldn't live on an empty stomach. And she would live.
That's what she did. She survived. A tough 'un. That's what
Mum had called her. "You'll be all right," she'd rasped into
the darkness of their tumbledown cottage. "You'll be all
right, love, 'cause, you're a tough 'un." Her voice had
cracked. "My little acorn. So strong. So smart. Like your da."
She'd touched Meg's face. There were tears in her eyes. Even
in the pre-death blackness, Megan could see them glisten in some errant shaft of light that had found its way onto her
face. "You'll be all right," she'd said again, then she had
died, quietly and without complaint, just as she had lived.
Megan cleared her ... read full excerpt from: The Princess Masquerade ebook
