Prologue

Rain poured down into the little village square, making quick work of the dirt into two feet of slimy mud. The windows of every house were snug with steam hugging their corners and passerby dashed from the torrential downpour back into the warmth of their own houses. A bitter frost had begun to take over the whole village, for it was nestled in a valley almost fifty miles from London and when the cold front moved in, it struck with bitter ferocity. Every year impoverished commoner families froze to death in their own homes, unable to afford coal or electricity due to the outrageous prices set by the sole power company outside of London. Pine and Son had an iron tight grip on the entire London countryside. Their monopoly stretched from the suburbs to the Western coast. They just so happened to originate from this small town, and they were perhaps the only successful establishment to do so. Proctor was a greedy, fat fellow who left his son, Sitkuss Pine to manage in his stead when the old codgers extreme dietary negligence and weak heart left him dead in his chair two Januaries ago. The company had been fair and decent, though a mite expensive until Pine junior was left in charge. The power seemingly bloated his head and he fired half the company, putting almost 50 towns completely out of work and rendering their local economies entirely useless. He harassed his employees and demanded extreme hours of work, or fired them. In effect, any aspect of Englands countryside that was dependant on Pine and Son power company was entirely screwed.

Sitkuss Pine, it just so happened was visiting his hometown and word had reached the entire village before his car had pulled up to the deteriorating sidewalk, stopping short in front of his enormous manor. He had not returned since his fathers death, but now intended to make the place his own. The few servants left to attend to the house scurried to guide him through the gate, sheltering him with umbrellas. The whole place smelled moldy and dusty, so he rang the local cleaning service in town and set up an immediate appointment to take care of it. After taking dinner in the frigid dining room, which was hardly up to his culinary preferences, he settled back to the study to smoke and drink by the fire, where he contemplated hiring a chef, along with several new maids. Indeed, the entire house would have to be turned around in order to suit him. It was too bad there weren't any whorehouses in town. The company often found in local taverns was not to be desired. As e poured himself another whiskey and contemplated how to accumulate yet even more wealth, his greedy little eyes began to droop in the crackling shadows of the fire. A sudden noise startled him back to his senses and determining that it was not lightning, he stepped out of his study and leaned over the balcony to peer down into the entrance hall.

"Please miss! I just know he'll have something nice to say about her, please, we haven't any food or power, the house is freezing cold, and we've a baby boy, he's just about done for, the winters already too harsh!"

"miss, please take your leave, mister Pine is resting tonight, surely this matter can wait for tomorrow!"

"oh lord, please have mercy! Just let him have a look! Miss, I'm begging-"

"silence." Pine tread softly down the main stairwell to examine the haggard creature before him. The woman was thin and ugly, her hair mangy as a dogs and her clothes filthy.

"What could a wretched bitch like you possibly want." She gaped and bowed her head to him dumbly.

"Please sir, it's just that-I know you have a need for maids, and maybe even an assistant and-" her eyes glimmered with greed as she looked up at him, "I have a daughter."

Pine scoffed.

"everyone has a daughter, hag, and lord knows I don't want to see the one come out of you."

She leered hungrily at him.

"Oh no. You've never seen one the likes of her. She was born out of wedlock, she's a right shame and disgrace to my name, but even so, blessed be the powers that be, you've never seen a girl like her. And she's old enough too, sir. The little wench just turned 16."

Pine sighed and ran a hand through his graying hair, his other hand on his marbled haunches.

"Good god woman, don't make such a scene. I'll have a look, but youre getting thrown out right after, understand? And if you ever come knocking again, I swear I'll have your head on a platter."

Grinning nastily, she nodded and bobbed and hobbled her way to the door, which she gave a gentle tug. Lightning cracked in the distance and he saw a figure standing in the rain. He stepped out towards the door as she stepped forward into the light, and could not help but feel his heart jar against his chest. His maid beside him gave a quiet gasp.

Her name was Ilsa Ankaya, and she was indeed, unlike any other girl he had ever seen.