Chapter 23

Maia

Waking up, I’m alone in my room. I think of Damon. Does he know where I am? Will he come for me? Has he been lying to me? Or does he truly love me? I miss him. I stare at the maroon-coloured walls of my bedroom and their gold wainscotting and revel in how luxurious my room is. The sun is shining through my windows. The maids didn’t draw them last night because they didn’t want to wake me.

There is a knock on my door, and Jewel and Leah let themselves in, and stand near a chest of drawers, holding a basket with a washcloth and some salve. Leah has an olive-green, floor-length, long-sleeved gown and places it on the bed.

‘We’re here to help you bathe and salve your skin,’ Jewel says. I smile.

‘Please, come in,’ I tell them, and I fling the covers back off my legs to get up. Jewel pulls the nightie over my head and throws it on the bed before leaning over a wooden tub and pumping the water.

Jewel is struggling with the pump. She stops for a moment while she catches her breath.

‘Here