Celeste stood before me. Her brocade slippers were exquisite, each stitch immaculate. They might as well have been a taunt.

Rosalind clutched her injured chest and tried to lunge forward, but Celeste's people pinned her down. "Shut your mouth. A lowborn maid has no business running it in front of our lady."

Celeste's voice drifted down from above me, soft as silk. "My lady, all you need to do is apologize. I won't hold it against you."

"Or is it that you look down on me? That you think I'm some shameful kept woman not fit to be seen?"

The guard roared. "I'll count to three. If you haven't bowed your head to the ground by then, I won't be gentle about it."

I kept my chin raised. He counted, loud enough for the whole street to hear. "One. Two. Three."

Then he brought the pommel of his sword down hard against the back of my skull. My forehead slammed into the stone pavement with a sickening crack.

Blood ran down from my hairline. Rosalind screamed, sobbing. "My lady! Have you all lost your minds? Our mistress isn't the heir's wife! You have the wrong person!"

Celeste laughed. "Oh? Now you won't even claim your own title?"

"My lady, it's only a couple of bows. Surely you're not frightened?" Her voice dropped low. "You were so proud of yourself just a moment ago."

"Once I bear the heir's child, even the position of his wife will be mine."

"Honestly, how has someone as foolish as you survived this long? The seat of Lady Gilbert, wasted on someone like you. What a pity."

"The day I enter the estate as the true lady of the house, I'll have you kneel before me and serve me tea as a concubine. Just the thought of it makes me smile."

She straightened up. "My lady, you still owe one more bow."

"This one is for the child in my belly. After all, you did kick him earlier."

When I lifted my head, the passersby flinched. My hair had come loose from its pins, and the blood from my forehead was matted into the dark strands, making the sight all the worse.

"Good heavens, she's bleeding. This is going too far."

"She's the heir's wife, for pity's sake. If someone dies over this, there'll be hell to pay."

"Exactly. That concubine has some nerve."

Celeste only glanced at the guard. He pressed harder. I clenched my teeth and braced against the stone. "You wouldn't dare. I am the Marquess's..."

Hoofbeats cut through the air. A column of riders reined to a halt before us. "What is going on here?"