~LENORA'S POV
"Lenora. Step forward."
The voice didn't belong to any of the overseers who usually watched the maid corridors.
It carried the kind of quiet authority that made every maid beside me straighten without thinking, their fingers tightening where they were clasped together.
I felt the tension move through the line before I even turned my head to see who had spoken.
Lady Ashford walked toward us with slow grace, her silk gown brushing softly against stone while two palace guards followed just behind her.
Her eyes moved from one maid to the next until they stopped on me in a way that made my stomach tighten.
"So, this is where you have been hiding," she said.
For a moment I honestly thought she must be speaking to someone else.
"My lady... I don't understand."
She didn't answer me. Her hand lifted slightly toward the guards.
"That one. Bring her forward."
Immediately the order was given, rough fingers closed around my arms before I could react.
