All Chapters of The Dream That Freed Us Both: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

"Caroline, have you lost your mind?"We've been at each other's throats our whole lives. Today was finally going to settle it. What are you playing at?"That face used to grate on me past all endurance. Now it just made my chest ache.I knew that whichever of us won today, we'd both end up in the same grave.I let out a quiet sigh. "Vivian, that mistress your father kept. Did she have a daughter? Celeste?"Vivian went rigid."My family buried that. How could you possibly know?"It's embarrassing to admit.Vivian and I had fought over Dorian for years, and I'd sunk more people and money than I care to count into digging up anything that might bring her down.None of it ever touched her. What it did do, entirely by accident, was turn up Dorian's biggest secret.I told her about the dream, every word of it.Her brows pulled into a knot and her lip curled. "It was a dream. And you believe it?"I couldn't blame her.I'd thought it was ridiculous myself at first.I took out the

Chapter 2

Following the clues from the dream, I found it — Eastbrook Lodge, tucked away on the east side of Hearthwick, exactly where I remembered.Vivian and I lay flat on the wall for a long time, but the place stayed dark. Not a sound out of it.Vivian ran out of patience and turned to me. "Nobody lives here."Caroline, are you making a fool of me on purpose?"The truth is, I couldn't have promised her anyone was coming.In the dream, Dorian hadn't installed Celeste at this lodge until years into our marriage.Everything had moved up. Maybe they hadn't taken the place yet.My silence was all the confirmation Vivian needed."I'm done."Caroline, I'm going to Laurelcrest House right now, and I'm telling Dorian you've withdrawn."He can have me instead."She let go of the wall and started to swing down, and I caught her by the sleeve."They're here."Two figures had come up to the gate below us, leaning into each other.One tall, one small. Both in broad-brimmed hats pulled low ove

Chapter 3

"Don't worry. Whoever I marry, she's only ever going to be a screen."I'll make sure she never carries a child of mine."When you deliver ours, I'll bring him home and enter him in the records as hers."That makes him my heir. He'll hold this house one day."And you think he'd ever forget who his real mother is?"It all lined up. Every last piece of it.The dream hadn't been a dream.Something out there had felt sorry for me and sent me a warning.Vivian believed it now too.On the way back from the lodge she wrestled with herself for a long while before she got it out."Caroline. Thank you. For saving me."I flapped a hand at her."Don't make it weird."Honestly, when you think about it, Dorian was the only thing we ever actually fought about."Neither of us wants him now. So what's left to fight over?"Vivian smiled.No sneer in it, no edge. Just relief, and something like honesty."Fine. Old business stays buried. From today we're friends."You said you'd help me d

Chapter 4

Vivian and I got the compacts out of sight.Dorian crossed the room in two long strides and dropped into the seat between us.For one awful second I thought he'd caught something. Then he opened his mouth, and what came out nearly made us both throw up."Caroline. Vivian. I've been thinking about this all night."Instead of the two of you tearing each other apart over it, why not both marry into my house?"I talked it over with my mother this morning. You'd come in as equals. Both of you my wives."I wanted to put my hand across his face.One alliance wasn't enough for that pair. They had to have two.But there's still such a thing as rank, so I kept my hands where they were."Your Highness, I'm not sure that would go over well."Dorian shrugged. "Why wouldn't it?"King Gideon had two queens sitting side by side. It's been done."Anyone who questions us is questioning the crown itself, and that's the kind of thing that gets a whole family put to death."He had a point. Inf

Chapter 5

We followed the procession all the way to Laurelcrest House.We watched Dorian take his vows with Celeste, and we watched Royal Consort Sabine beam down at the pair of them from the seat of honor, and Vivian and I were about ready to burst.The wedding supper had barely started before Sabine was pushing Dorian to go up to the bridal chamber.We all knew exactly what she was thinking.Once that was done, there'd be no unpicking it.Then, and only then, would she believe her son's alliance was truly nailed down.I wasn't about to let anything go sideways now, so I gave Frederick and Wesley a shove."Go on. You're up."He has to be blind drunk tonight."He can't be sober enough to notice the bride's been swapped."If anything, the brothers wanted this marriage set in stone even more than we did.Frederick caught Dorian by the arm and scolded him cheerfully. "Your mother's being unreasonable."How can our brother vanish from his own wedding without so much as a drink with us?"

Chapter 6

Dorian's face went a shade I'd never seen on a living person.And he still kept lying."The girl must have made it up. She wanted to marry into a royal house."I've never laid eyes on her."The Beaumont daughter I meant was your trueborn heir. Vivian."The General had no idea what to say to that.Vivian stepped in without missing a beat."What? You don't know Celeste?"But I had a doctor examine her. She's pregnant."And she told me herself the child is yours."That's the only reason I accepted the match on her behalf."That was the moment Dorian finally saw the whole shape of it.He brought his hand down on the table. "Vivian Beaumont, you played me."Vivian put both hands up."I wouldn't dare. How could I possibly play Your Highness?"This has clearly all been a misunderstanding."Dorian caught her by the wrist and started dragging her toward the door."Then we'll clear the misunderstanding up right now."Come back with me. Yesterday never happened. You'll be my wif

Chapter 7

Neither of us said no.Who'd want to miss a show like that?What we didn't expect was that the palace would turn out to be even better than anything we'd planned.Dorian brought Vivian, Celeste, and me in through the palace gates, but the attendants didn't take us toward Sabine's rooms at Bluebird Court.They took us to Queen Abigail's Sunset Hall.None of us had any idea what was going on.Then we got a look at what was waiting inside, and it all came clear.Every consort and senior lady in the palace had been assembled.And there in the middle of them stood Sabine, holding forth, thoroughly pleased with herself."Your Majesty, what was I supposed to do?"Dorian has no particular gifts, but he was born with a face, and women adore him."How else would he have talked a girl as fine as the Beaumont heir into having him?"Bragging. Bald, shameless bragging.Except Queen Abigail had already heard the whole story from Frederick and Wesley.So she wasn't annoyed and she wasn't

Chapter 8

At the word "grandmother," Sabine's face eased a little.Vivian clapped a hand over my mouth and hissed, "Caroline, don't say things like that."Back at the house, His Highness said he'd never met Celeste, remember?"If you muddle it, you'll get her killed."Vivian's voice was low. It was also, somehow, perfectly audible to every soul in that hall.That finished the court ladies off.The laughter came from all sides."His Highness says he doesn't know the woman. So whose baby is she carrying?"Sabine's hand closed into a fist again.Rage or shame, I couldn't tell which, but her face went scarlet."You filthy little slut. You get yourself pregnant by some other man and you have the nerve to marry into this house?"You've dragged my name and my son's through the gutter."Guards. Take her out, and whatever's in her belly with her, and throw them to the dogs."Celeste went down where she stood.She crawled to Dorian and locked both arms around his leg, sobbing."Your Highnes

Chapter 9

Once they were out of Sunset Hall, Sabine got the whole truth out of Dorian.She hit him across the face, hard.But he was still her son, and once she'd hit him she chose him anyway.She pointed at Vivian and me. "The two of you set this up. You humiliated my son and you humiliated me."I'll see to it neither of you has a peaceful day again."You think you're going to marry Frederick and Wesley? Dream on."At the time neither of us knew what she meant by it.Three days later, the talk started going around Hearthwick.The story was that it had been Vivian in Dorian's bridal chamber that night after all.They said Queen Abigail, wanting the Beaumonts' armies behind her, had arranged the swap afterward.People swallowed it whole. Everyone was suddenly certain Dorian had already had Vivian.Overnight, the Queen and Vivian were the ones everybody wanted to burn.Crowds were shouting that Prince Wesley should hand Vivian back where she belonged.I watched Vivian wear a track in

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