The Bastard (Darling #2) [complete]

Chapter One

M A R Y A N N  C L E M E N S paced the floor of Thatcher's chambers, anxiously nibbling the skin surrounding her fingernails. Over the years of watching her sister and the prince chase one another around like neanderthals, she knew he was a quick runner. He had to make it to her sister's side in time. If he didn't, she was unsure how long it would have taken to find her.

She was uncertain if they'd find her at all.

A metallic taste was left in her mouth and she knew she was drawing blood with her teeth. But she was uncaring. Her mind was focused on only one thing: Louelle and the injudicious decision she so hastily made.

Maryann was more upset with herself than anything. She was able to stop her sister prior to her running off. All it would have taken was a quick tackle to the mattress and Maryann sitting on top of Louelle until she grew too tired to fight. Alas, she did not. Louelle seemed different. The expression she wore - something evil combined with fright - had completely frozen Maryann to her core. It was also the many confessions of hurt and anger Louelle had admitted to.

She would have rather died than to live raising a bastard child. Maryann thought it to be quite childish, but who was she to invalidate how her younger sister was feeling at that moment? It was announced only moments before then the love of her life was to betrothe another - which, Maryann admitted, was a fair reason to have a mental break. But it was not enough of a reason to end a life as well as her own.

Louelle was the most confident lady Maryann knew, so she was bewildered with why her sister suddenly cared how others would think of the bastard child. Her sister was bright and knowledgeable, surely from being friends with a prince (or princes, rather) who had always been ahead of many of the children in the castle with his studies. She was extremely creative, nearly building an entire wardrobe from scratch with her very own clothing designs. One of the reasons (aside from being selfish) Maryann stole many of her sister's dresses was because they were so well done - and quite beautiful. She regretted not confessing it to Louelle sooner - or at all.

She regretted a lot of things in that moment: not stopping Louelle from fleeing, never admitting to her sister how proud she was of her, and more importantly, not giving Louelle (or herself) the opportunity to have a companionship. She feared the latter would be the grandest regret of them all.

Prince Dane Darling leaned his back against the stone wall behind him as he suspiciously watched Maryann shuffle her feet in panic. His eyes were narrowed into slits; his lips pursed.

"What do you believe you are doing?" he asked, his voice slicing through the silence.

She jumped, having completely forgotten Dane's presence in the room with her. "I beg your pardon?" She placed her hand over her startled heart.

"I said," he began in a low tone, "What do you believe you are doing?"

She opened and closed her mouth to respond, but she was unable to conceive the words to do so. Whatever had he meant by that inquiry? What did she believe she was doing? Her first thought was to sardonically announce the obvious: she was pacing the room as a means to distract her mind from the worst possible thing that could happen.