Chapter 1
One
The first light of September pierced through the delicate curtains of Lady Jaclyn Thomas’s room at Havenwood Academy, casting a soft glow over the worn wooden floors and the neatly arranged furniture.
It was the beginning of a new term, and though the school was filled with the usual bustle of ladies returning after the short summer break, Jaclyn felt the weight of an unsettling quietness hanging in the air.
The summer had been full of unexpected events, most notably the house party at Easton Abbey, along with all the other ladies that stayed at Havenwood over the break.
Charlotte and Georgina, her two roommates, had both found love at that very house party.
Now they had brand new married lives that did not include Jaclyn.
She was happy for them, but she was also lonely.
Charlotte had married the Marquess of Easton and his estate bordered Havenwood.
That meant she would at least be able to visit with her.
Georgina had went and tied herself to that rogue, the Earl of Foxmoore, and his estate was some distance from the academy.
Though the earl was friends with the Marquess of Easton so they might visit.
Jaclyn could not bring herself to feel anything but a mix of envy and loneliness as the two women, whom she had considered close friends, embarked on their new happy, love filled lives.
All she had was the ever-present animosity that brewed between her and the Duke of Amberwood.
Jaclyn had not gone home to visit her family; instead, she had spent the summer at the academy, preferring to avoid the chaos of her ancestral home and her family’s often indifferent ways.
After the scandal that had led to her being sent to Havenwood Academy, she did not feel comfortable at home.
Her father’s disapproval kept her from feeling as if she still belonged as part of the family.
As to her brother… The rotter was the reason her name had been embroiled in scandal to begin with.
If not for his actions and assumptions, there would be no reason for her to be at Havenwood.
Though she did not regret coming to the school.
If not for Havenwood she never would have truly come to know herself and what she wanted for her life.
The solitude of having a room to herself, albeit temporarily, had granted her a temporary peace, but now, with the new school year beginning she knew that would end.
And she could not help wondering if she would be assigned a new roommate?
The thought left a small knot of anxiety twisting in her stomach.
Would this potential new roommate be like Charlotte and would they become fast friends, or would she find herself with someone she loathed?
Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock on the door, followed by the entrance of Mrs. Havenwood, the headmistress of the academy.
The headmistress was tiny in stature. Some easily dismissed her at a glance, but that would be their first mistake.
Mrs. Havenwood was no one’s fool, and she had a keen intelligence that allowed her to keep track of all of her students and their aims. She had rich auburn hair streaked with gold that she kept pulled back in a simple chignon.
Her gown was a blue so dark that on first glance it seemed black—her usual attire.
"Good morning, Lady Jaclyn," Mrs. Havenwood said, her voice firm yet kind.
"I trust you are prepared for classes to resume? "
"Good morning," Jaclyn replied, her voice betraying a slight unease. "As ready as I can be, I suppose." It wasn’t as if she would admit to any faults she might have. Not when she no longer had her dearest friend around to commiserate with.
"Yes, I can imagine it’s a bit unnerving, being the only one remaining here," Mrs. Havenwood said, nodding in understanding.
She stepped farther into the room, her footsteps soft on the floor.
"I am sure you will miss Lady Charlotte and Miss Georgina—or rather Lady Easton and Lady Foxmoore now I should say. .."
“I will,” she admitted. “It will not be the same here without them.”
“Yes,” she agreed, then smiled. “Lady Charlotte in particular added a bit of flair. Her enthusiasm will be missed.”
Jaclyn’s heart skipped. What Mrs. Havenwood did not say was that Jaclyn and Charlotte often stirred a bit of chaos together.
There was not one inch of the school or the grounds that they did not explore.
Their mischievous nature was what led to Charlotte first catching a glimpse of her new husband.
He had been going for a swim in the pond that bordered his estate with Havenwood.
"I must inform you about some changes that will happen immediately,” Mrs. Havenwood began. “You will be sharing a room with two new ladies this year. Your new roommates are Lady Melisande Burton and Lady Ella Winslow."
Jaclyn blinked, taken aback. Two new roommates.
Two? She had been alone with Charlotte for a year before they had added Georgina to the room.
Now they were springing two on her immediately?
And one of them was Lady Melisande? That girl was the worst sort of hellion.
She was almost mean in her mischief, and she and Jaclyn did not get on well.
"Lady Melisande Burton," she murmured. "She’s... quite a handful, isn’t she?" How was she to survive living with that girl every day? She had no escape from her. Before she had the peace of her bedchamber and even that would not be afforded to her going forward.
Mrs. Havenwood sighed, the faintest shadow of a smile crossing her lips.
"That is one way of putting it. Lady Melisande is certainly... spirited. But I am confident that you will manage her quite well. As for Lady Ella Winslow, she is a new student, though her family is well known in society. She has recently had a bit of difficulty…” Which meant she found herself embroiled in some sort of scandal…
“Life at an academy might prove an adjustment for her as well. I’m sure she will appreciate your help in settling in. "
"Of course," Jaclyn said, her mind whirling. A troublemaker like Melisande and an unknown possibility in Ella. She did not know whether to laugh or cry. She prayed that at least Ella would be tolerable because she already knew that Melisande would not be an ally.
"Lady Ella will be quite different from Melisande," Mrs. Havenwood continued, her voice taking on a more measured, thoughtful cadence.
"Ella is a sweet girl—though she possesses her own reckless streak of adventure—more subtle, perhaps, than one would first imagine.
She may be shy at first, in unfamiliar company though not as shy as Lady Foxmoore had been.
I have every hope you will become fast friends.
I believe the friendship will be beneficial to you both.
" Georgina had been so shy she had trouble speaking at times.
Charlotte and Jaclyn had coaxed her out of her wallflower ways.
It had taken weeks, and often gentle encouragement, from Charlotte and Jaclyn to coax her from the shadowed corners of her wallflower existence into a more confident, spirited presence.
Jaclyn fully believed that their friendship helped Georgina to open up and allow herself to be courted by her husband.
She could show that same patience and kindness to her new roommate if she required it.
Jaclyn hoped that Lady Ella would be as wonderful as Georgina and Charlotte had been to her.
They would need each other if they had to suffer through the company of Melisande.
Jaclyn furrowed her brow as she took in the details and considered what she might have to do with her two new roommates.
She didn’t know how she was supposed to manage two such different personalities, but she should be able to navigate it.
She would do her best. This was likely her final year at Havenwood.
She would return home and be launched, once again, in society to find a husband.
That part she was not looking forward to.
Jaclyn wasn’t so certain she wished to have a husband, but she had little choice in the matter.
"Now," Mrs. Havenwood said, her voice softening. "I do hope this change will not trouble you too much. It’s only for the year, and I’m sure you will acclimate and be welcoming to both girls."
Jaclyn nodded, though the tension still lingered in her chest. As long as she did not have to socialize much with the Duke of Amberwood she did not doubt she would be just fine.
Not even Lady Melisande would disrupt her.
She could hold her own against that girl.
Though it would be inherently better if Lady Ella would become a new close friend.
"I shall make my best attempt," Jaclyn said with a small, tight smile.
"Very well," Mrs. Havenwood said, giving Jaclyn a reassuring look. "I will leave you to prepare. I’ll see you all at dinner this evening."
As Mrs. Havenwood left the room, Jaclyn turned to look out the window.
She had no idea what the new year would bring, but the thought of sharing a room with Melisande and Ella left her both curious and apprehensive.
A quiet knock interrupted her thoughts, and the door creaked open.
Standing in the doorway, looking a bit unsure of herself, was a young woman with pale blonde hair almost white in color and hazel eyes that gleamed with an unusual intensity.
"Lady Ella Winslow?" Jaclyn asked, her voice warm but cautious. As she was acquainted with Melisande it had to be her, but she did not want to presume. She was a lovely girl. Her hair was an unusual shade, and her eyes—they were almost golden in appearance.
"Yes," the girl replied, her voice soft. "I’ve come to introduce myself. I was told I’d be sharing a bedchamber with you."