Page 1 of The White Enchantress

Prologue

My mom is tryingto convince me that I will have the most wonderful time visiting my father and his family of demonic harpies, aka, my stepmom and half-sister. The idea of an entire summer away from my mom, surrounded by the two most vile creatures on Earth, is terrifying. I know my father loves me. Even though we barely see each other, he loves me like I am his only child.

But I’m his bastard daughter. The earl’s bastard. A fact Edmund’s legitimate younger daughter, Cecily, loves to remind me of every time I visit them.

“Mo chridhe,” my mom says in Gaelic. “I know it has not been easy with Charlotte and Cecily being hostile hosts, but your father would never let anything happen to you. I think it will be good for you to go to England on your own this summer. You are seventeen years old. Soon you’ll be going to college, traveling the world. I will even ask Ed to take you on a trip away from Eden Manor while you are there.”

Turning toward my mom, I give a dramatic sigh. “That sounds like fun in theory. But mama, with you there, at least I had someone to share the bullying with. Without you there, I will get all of it and probably more.”

“No, you won’t. Do you think Ed would let anything happen to you?” My mom asks, a copper eyebrow raised.

“It’s not like he could stop them from burning all my underwear or calling you a whore during one of dad’s dinner parties. They do what they want. They don’t care. Ed can’t do anything to stop them before they do something.”

“If you really don’t want to go, we won’t make you. I had thought you would love the opportunity to travel on your own.”

“Why would I want to do anything on my own when I can do it with you?” I say with as much charm as I can muster. “Why can’t you come?”

“Oh, you are a charmer, Guin. Do you want to think more about it, or shall we call your father now? He should still be awake.”

“I’ll call him now, but you will answer me as to why you can’t come after we talk to Ed. Wanna call him through the car’s Bluetooth?”

“I don’t think I have that set up.”

“What? Ma, you get a car with all the bells and whistles and you don’t even use them? I’ll just call him on my phone then and put it on speaker.”

As we stop at a traffic light, I take my phone out and open my favorite contacts. Though I barely see my father in person, wetalk on the phone every week. He loves hearing about my boring American life and I love hearing about his insane British life as the Earl of Lancaster.

For the first five years of my life, Ed didn’t know I existed. When I met him, he instantly became my hero. I loved him before I even met him. At first, I didn’t understand why Ed couldn’t stay with us, why he had a wife and another daughter.

It’s been a challenging decade getting to where we are in our relationship without destroying his family or mine. And even though I hate Charlotte and Cecily, I adore my father. These summer trips mean the world to me, but I just can’t go without my mom. Maybe Ed can come visit us this time.

Gathering my courage, I press my finger to the picture of Ed on my phone. But it slips from my grasp. A car rams into us from behind, pushing us into the intersection.

I glance over at my mother, her face showing the same look of fright I must have on mine. Before she can react and move the car somewhere safe, another car slams into the driver’s side. Glass shatters everywhere with the impact, throwing sparkles of white and red at my head and throwing me into the passenger’s side window.

The red must have been from my mother’s injuries. Before I lose consciousness, I see her face. Her eyes are closed, blood dripping from a gash on the left side of her head.

I wake up in a hospital, Ed holding my right hand with both of his. He is leaning against the bed, propped up on his elbows, tears silently falling down his face.

“Dad?” I croak. My throat is scratchy, dry from disuse. I wonder how long I’ve been out. The sun is setting, but it would have taken Edmund at least eight hours to get here. It couldn’t be the same day as the crash. “Where’s mama? What happened?” I try to pull myself up but the pain in my head makes me lie back down.

“Guinevere, you’re awake.” Ed is still crying, trying to keep his decorum. “Let me get a nurse.”

He stands up and is out the door before I can stop him to get some answers. While Ed is gone, I assess the damage done by the car crash. My whole body aches. But it doesn’t seem like anything is broken except maybe my head. I can barely keep my eyes open as the lights make my headache worse.

Pulling the blanket off my legs, I notice a few bruises, but again, nothing is broken. Then I recall the image of my mother; she looked broken. The hood of another vehicle smashed up against her side of the car.

My dad rushes back in, saying, “A nurse will be here shortly to check on you, Guinevere. How are you feeling?”

“Where’s mama?” I say, choking on my words, afraid to hear the answer.

“Guin, she…I’m so sorry. The doctors did all they could. When I arrived, she was already gone.”

“Gone…what do you mean gone?”

“The impact…her injuries were severe. Broken bones all down the left side of her body, her head…she didn’t survive.”

“No. No…you…you’re lying. We were talking. We had just been talking. I was about to call you. She can’t be…NO!” I yell, not caring that the sound of my own voice causes my head to explode with every syllable. My heart is broken already. Why would I need my head?

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