I Refuse This Fate
My husband, Gideon Hale, returned from the war with barely a breath left in him. Yet despite his condition, he insisted on going to the palace and used his military achievements to secure a royal decree.
I thought he had gone to obtain a noble title for me. I was ready to berate him for his foolishness, but the contents of the decree rooted me to the spot.
[By royal decree, Gideon Hale, Marquis of Northguard, and his first wife, Clara Reinhart, are permitted to share a tomb.]
Clara was my dearest friend from girlhood.
My ears rang. I opened my mouth to demand an explanation, but before I could utter a word, Gideon breathed his last.
I stood frozen until my son suddenly snatched the decr