Pella Lensoil is nineteen, smart, beautiful, strong and with a wit as sharp as her dagger. And despite it being only ceremonial, she keeps that dagger quite sharp indeed. Even in this, the modern age of railroads and wired lights and even heliopods floating through the air, it pays to be careful... morePella Lensoil is nineteen, smart, beautiful, strong and with a wit as sharp as her dagger. And despite it being only ceremonial, she keeps that dagger quite sharp indeed. Even in this, the modern age of railroads and wired lights and even heliopods floating through the air, it pays to be careful. Especially when you’re the only child of Sir Steag Lensoil – Duke of Jonessa, Guardian of the East Bay Marshes, Protector of Allium and close confidant of King Nobur II, monarch of Coastland in his castle on the Golden Hill. Every day, Pella is preparing for the time when she will inherit the White Marble Throne to deliver justice, give aid to the royal family and oversee the lands entrusted to the Lensoils. And possibly lead armies to war or avoid the attacks of assassins; she’s trained in that too. Still, she enjoys her life as a well-connected noble. Only there is a slight complication: marriage. Being a lord’s daughter also means eventually being wed, to some other lord’s or baron’s son. And it is the noble parents who arrange the marriage – not the bride-to-be. Pella, still young enough to have her mind full of romantic tales of knights and their paramours, has absolutely no interest in getting stuck with (and by) some stranger she had no part in selecting, let alone having him underfoot for the rest of her life. And she’s not the type to suffer in silence. So when Kavin Mohiqua, third and youngest son of the duke of Polimay – and her prospective groom – comes all the way from Judefa Bay in the far west to meet her, sparks start flying. But not the sparks of passion. It doesn’t help that he shows up in, maybe the Five-Faced God help her, a wheelchair (thanks to an ill-timed skiing accident). Nor that he’s more fascinated by books and trees than by her. In fact, Pella soon discovers, he has about as much interest in marrying her as she has in marrying him … and for roughly the same reason. Which gives her an idea. Maybe they could work together to dissuade their parents from this unfortunate match. When you’re going to fight a battle, you need allies – and on this issue, Pella and Kavin certainly share a common goal. But what if they fail? Then again, what if they succeed? And in the end, which result will Pella really end up wanting? less
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