by Laura Kenyon
End of Book Two
Note to Readers
Thank you for taking the time to read Damsels in Distress. If you enjoyed it, please consider posting a short review to help spread the word. They are invaluable to new authors and very much appreciated.
To read the tales that inspired this series, please see:
• Cinderella by Charles Perrault
• Beauty and the Beast (La Belle et la Bête) by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, as well as its adaptation by Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont
• Rapunzel by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
• The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood by Charles Perrault, as well as its earlier inspiration, Sun, Moon, and Talia by Giambattista Basile
• The Princess and the Pea by Hans Christian Andersen
• Snow White by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm (1812)
• The Story of a Boy Who Went Forth to Learn Fear by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
Additional tales mentioned in passing: Charles Perrault’s Bluebeard; Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid; and the Grimm brothers’ The Robber Bridegroom, Hansel and Gretel, and The Golden Goose
About the Author
LAURA KENYON is an award-winning journalist and the author of two novels, Desperately Ever After and Damsels in Distress. Her stories and articles have appeared in Kiwi Magazine, Westchester Magazine, Just Labs, Serendipity, The Improper Bostonian, InD’tale, and Westchester/Hudson Valley Weddings, as well as in myriad newspapers and at PrickoftheSpindle.com. Her first book was a National Indie Excellence Awards chick-lit finalist. The Boston College graduate does not live in a castle, but has been blessed with a heroic prince charming, a beautiful princess, and a noble steed.
To learn more about Laura, visit her website at www.laurakenyon.com and sign up for exclusive updates. She loves connecting with readers on her blog, Twitter, and Facebook. And for a peek into the way she envisions Marestam, check out her Desperately Ever After board on Pinterest.
Twitter: laura_kenyon
Facebook: laurakenyonwrites
Pinterest: lkwrites
Acknowledgments
Five years ago, I was scribbling my way through municipal budget meetings and dreaming about what I really wanted to do with my life. Going from dues-paying reporter to published author hasn’t been easy, but many wonderful people helped along the way.
For everyone who cheered me on, picked me up, or pointed out a marker when I lost the trail, I am eternally grateful. Most of you know who you are, but I'd also specifically like to thank:
Marisa Iallonardo: for once again making my book better with a wave of your magical red pen.
Michelle Brower and Jita Fumich: for believing in a series seeking its literary glass slipper.
Stephanie Evanovich and Elizabeth Blackwell: for picking up a book by a complete unknown … and for telling the world that you liked it.
Andrew Brown: for yet another fantastic cover design.
Shaz Goodwin: for crafting some much appreciated buzz.
Joyce Alencherril: for giving my medical scenes an expert’s touch.
The ladies of CLC HQ: for your support, insight, and commiseration.
My husband: for making the ultimate investment in me.
And to everyone who read Desperately Ever After and wrote a review, told their friends, sent a tweet, wrote a blog post, hosted a contest, or simply looked forward to the next installment. These pages are entirely for you.
An advanced look at Laura Kenyon’s
SKIPPING MIDNIGHT
Book Three: Desperately Ever After series
October 2016
THE MARESTAM MIRROR
Diamond Ropes and Velvet Cake
By Perrin Hildebrand, King of Gossip
BREATHE, dear readers. Breathe.
Take a slow stroll through Capitol Park. Watch the sun sink into the West River. Sniff the roses at Riverfell’s Botanical Gardens. Pet a puppy if you can find one, or kiss a baby with mama’s permission. Just please get your heart rate down before venturing beyond this paragraph. Enough people are in the hospital already. The Mirror won’t be held liable for more.
Tickers stable? Pacemakers in control? Read on at your own risk.
A FIVE-ALARM inferno broke out last night at the brand new Phoenix B&B, resulting in at least two casualties and the arrest of Braddax’s troubled King Donner Wickenham—who, we now know, is the son of a one hundred percent pureblood fairy! (That’s right, it turns out that the Braddax royals have been hiding much more than humility from the people of Marestam—they’ve been evading the magical registry for years! More on that later.)
Early reports about the melee were sketchy. But after a fourteen-hour espresso IV (the insomniac gets the worm, as they say), I’ve regrettably confirmed a flurry of both distressing and downright stupefying news—the most pressing being that pregnant Phoenix co-owner and technically-still-Queen Belle Wickenham was among the wounded. No details yet on the nature of her injuries, but my iron-clad source at the hospital has assured me that both mama and 22-week baby-to-be were “out of danger” this morning and will be released after a few more days of “precautionary observation.”
UNFORTUNATELY, the same cannot be said for Kiarra Kane, starlet niece of Prime Minister Angus Kane and the Crown Prince of Riverfell’s main squeeze. Ms. Kane reportedly lost consciousness after suffering blunt force trauma to the head, and has yet to awaken. Educated forecasts about her prognosis are in short supply, but her royal beau’s reaction doesn’t paint a very rosy picture. In the words of Riverfell’s royal mouthpiece: “In light of yesterday’s tragedy, Crown Prince Carter has concluded that he cannot simultaneously focus on his beloved and learn how to run a kingdom. As such, he cannot in good conscience accept the Riverfell throne next Saturday, as expected. Instead, the crown will pass to his extremely well qualified younger brother, Logan, and his wife, Penelopea.”
Perhaps this is an epic gesture of romantic sacrifice. Perhaps it’s Carter’s excuse to finally escape the responsibility he’s been trying to dodge for years. Either way, if you feel the wind picking up today, that’s the entire population of Riverfell breathing a sigh of relief—or Penelopea cussing out the universe. So much for that four-bedroom craftsman she was looking at.
NEEDLESS to say, it hasn’t been a banner year for Donner, who was still at Marestam Central Prison at the time of publication. The beleaguered regent has come under intense scrutiny in recent months, following his very public affair with his sister-in-law; an ugly on-again/off-again relationship with his wife; and the revelation that Belle is finally carrying the heir to the Braddax throne—but is also most likely seeking a divorce. Inside sources expect a formal indictment within the next twenty-four hours, with possible charges ranging from misdemeanor offenses like unlawful use of magic and avoiding the magical registry, to felonies like destruction of property, arson, assault, and even attempted murder. (Or, if Ms. Kane’s consciousness decides to leave Marestam for good, just plain murder.)
Both of his “alleged” victims are being kept under excruciatingly tight lock and key (no joke—I’ve tried everything!), and none of their loved ones returned calls for comment. So for now, we’ll have to assess his guilt using quasi-reliable eyewitness accounts like this one from Bartholomew Mares, a corporate accountant who was staying at the Phoenix on the night in question.
“I’m not one of those anti-magic fanatics,” says the numbers cruncher, who is now enjoying a complimentary suite at the Waldorf Plaza—one of many organizations that stepped in to help in the wake of this tragedy. “But my wife and I will never forget the look on that man’s face when we raced downstairs to see what all the commotion was about. I swear on the cornerstone of Carpale Castle: Donner Wickenham’s eyes were glowing red and he moved like something I’ve never seen except in horror movies. I’m not saying he had fur or claws or fangs—though I can’t entirely dismiss the latter what with all the thrashing about—but I’ve never seen a little magic do that to anyone bef
ore.”
Nor have I, Barto, which begs a very dangerous question: Are we to believe Donner’s magical abilities are really that strong? Or is there something else at play here? Is it possible … just possible … that when he lost Belle’s love, he also lost the antidote for the curse she broke five years ago? Could the King of Braddax be transforming back into a beast all over again?
Only time—and your faithful King of Gossip—will tell.
IN ADDITION to installing Angus Kane as temporary steward of the Braddax throne and issuing an international arrest warrant for Hazel Wickenham’s deceit (unenforceable so long as she never gets nabbed on Marestam soil), Parliament has responded to Friday’s tragedy by reconvening its Magical Security Committee (MSC) for the first time in half a decade.
The move has sparked both cheers and jeers throughout the kingdoms, with demonstrators from all sides converging on Capitol Park over the weekend—and ruining a beautiful candlelight vigil in the process.
When asked about the MSC’s marching orders, Kane gave his usual ambiguous answer, ripe with glittering generalities and inconsequential truths. “When I laid my hand on our sacred Constitution and pledged my life to the people of Marestam twelve years ago, my number one priority was keeping them safe. A great many things have changed since that time—my hair color and daily ratio of fan-to-hate mail, for example—but my pledge most certainly has not. What happened with the Wickenhams shows a flaw in our system that must be identified and rectified before any more innocents are sacrificed, before any more blood is shed. This should in no way be interpreted as a move to divide those with magical heritage from those without. If anything, it is a way to unify all law-abiding citizens, regardless of class or title, and protect them against those who might do us harm.”
And there you have it, folks: unintelligible clarity from the upper echelons.