The Baroness of Renin

Chapter 1-Theodora

The day I met Edward was anything but ordinary for me. There were many reasons why this was the case, not the least of which being that this was the first time I had come to the Sa'maryan court. After a lifetime of blissful freedom from the prejudice and ignorance of the capital, I had received a summons.

"The Baroness of Renin is to present herself to the court and his Majesty King Murdock, as the only living heir to the estate, she must serve as representative..." so on and so forth. The summons was about as inspired as a funeral dirge, which I unfortunately knew all too well.

Up until the last new moon, my uncle—Lord Raoul, Baron of Renin, brother of Monsieur Jean Pol, my late father—had been acting as the representative of our family. However, he had taken ill on the eve of The Festival of Bleu. The illness had taken his life within a weeks' time—bless his soul. As the only living member of the house of Renin, my presence was requested, non, required at the Sa'mary court.

To say I was unsettled was a gross understatement. My father had left Terra Nix just a short while after my birth. We hadn't set foot in the capital since. More than that, I could not shake the feeling that there was more to this summons than simply taking my uncle's place among the royals.

It wouldn't be much of a stretch to see my time at court being fleeting, just long enough to sign over my title and land to the monarchy so that a different family may have them, a family whose heir fit the mold of a Sa'mary noble to a tee.

If my favorite lady's maid Josephine shared such sentiments, she did not reveal them. Rather, she had had nothing but positive things to say to the point that I was barely able to string together a single sentence before she continued on.

"I rather think it will do you good to return to your father's roots, to truly be introduced into polite society. Your father was well-liked before announcing his intentions for your maman. I know for a certainty that a few families would welcome any child of your father's..." She trailed off. "Never you mind that. What you ought to focus on is to find yourself a young gent to secure your station."

I scoffed. That would be highly unlikely. I was by no means unattractive. I considered myself well-bred, with my father's soft features and my mother's lithe form. Not that any lord would take a second glance to see those features, let alone the heart that lie beneath. Although it had been over 20 years, Sa'mary wouldn't have changed.

Even so, I mirrored Josephine's concern. I was nearing my twentieth birthday in mere months. Eligible women of our age had not only been snatched up by men with lofty titles, but likely conceived and bore several children by that milestone, children to act as heirs to secure their less-than-ideal marriage alliances.

"M'lady," Josephine interrupted, my thoughts a touch louder than normal. Apparently, it was not the first time she had tried to get my attention.

"Hmm? I beg your pardon, Josephine. I was lost in thought."

She gave a bob of her head, scarlet locks bouncing. "But of course, naturally you have much on your mind. However, your musings will have to wait. I'm afraid we have arrived."

I swallowed, glancing out the window at the imposing castle that lay before us. I shivered, fingering the pendant about my throat. I took a breath, pushing down the endless pit of despair which seemed to lodge itself in my stomach of late.

"Would you like to freshen up your face?" Josephine queried. I nodded, allowing her to apply a fresh coat of the chalky powder which I was told had become all the rage in our ancestral homeland.

And just like that, I was deposited at the steps of the Sa'maryan castle. It was time, whether I wanted to or not, to introduce the royal court to Dame Theodora, Baroness of Renin.