Prisoner of Desire Read Online Free PDF

bundle, the paper crinkling in the quiet room. The other motioned Amelia aside before she began arranging Lorena's hair. It was slightly shocking to have the woman's hands on her. No one ever bothered with them. The maid didn't
    speak but braided and pinned her hair with efficient motions. That left Lorena with the
    opportunity to look at her reflection.
    Was she pretty?
    She had never taken the time to contemplate such an idea. Her hair was neither blonde nor brown but streaked with both colors. Her cheekbones were high and her chin small. Her eyes were a dark blue, as her father's had been. She gazed at the mirror no closer to answering her question.
    Beauty was in the eye of the beholder, and the face staring back at her was simply familiar. She was taller than both maids. Her sisters were as well. She had always considered that a blessing because she was strong and seemed to have good endurance for a long day's work, but she had listened to other girls at church praise the virtues of petite girls over those of larger-framed ones.
    "These are a new set of stays, more in fashion with our young queen's modest decorum."
    A rap on the door brought another maid into the room. She held a dress across her arms carefully to avoid wrinkling it. This one was soft green. Lorena couldn't help but adore it. The color would complement her darker hair. Both of her sisters were lucky enough to have their mother's blonde hair completely. They would look dreadful in the darker shade of green.
    "Up with you now."
    Another snap of Ruth's fingers and Lorena was urged off the stool by the maids. They
    surrounded her the moment she complied, one holding the new stays out for her to place her
    arms through. The other remained behind her to lace them tight. The dress was lifted high and slid down her body. It was a plain dress, with only piping to give it any decoration. But the color was such a change from the dull gray she wore every day except Sunday that she couldn't keep from smiling at her reflection.
    "We've a good bonnet for you too."
    It was a straw one with muslin sewn neatly to the inside of it so it wouldn't scratch her face. The sides were long in the current fashion of making sure ladies did not cast sidelong glances at men.
    Newly crowned queen Victoria was modest to an extreme. The lack of ornamentation on the
    dress was in response to the young queen's habit of wearing plainer dresses.
    "Well the dress suits you well." Ruth frowned, her eyes shimmering with emotion. She bit her lower lip before taking a stiff breath. With a wave of her hand, the other maids went scurrying toward the door. She looked at Amelia and Bethany and pointed them to the door as well.
    The room was suddenly empty. Ruth pegged her with an unwavering look.
    "With your mother gone, are there any questions you have?"
    Ruth sounded strained and actually horrified by the topic. Her lips were pressed into a tight line while she waited.
    "No, but thank you all the same."
    Relief washed over Ruth's face. "Excellent. There is no need to worry, none at all. You're not a girl after all. Quite the time for marriage. The master is correct."
    The senior maid took the opportunity to escape, hurrying from the room. Lorena smiled at her skirts slipping around the doorframe. But a distinct snap of Ruth's fingers killed her amusement.
    "Don't dawdle, Lorena. Ships sail with the tide not on the whims of silly girls."
    So they did.
    Casting a look around the room, Lorena fought off the grief that tried to choke her once more. It was easier now and her cheeks colored with a touch of shame for being eager to begin her
    journey.
    Yet she was. Inside her was years of learning about things through books. Between the black-and-white printed words, her mind had learned to see the world her stepfather kept her locked away from. She thirsted for the sight of those things she had only seen in pencil sketches and descriptions.
    She just wished her destination wasn't so horrible. But there