The Replacement of Lady Sera

Synopsis

Mire, a parlor-maid from a third-rate inn, is hired to impersonate the sickly Lady Sera Tessen for one autumn so a political marriage can be consummated and a dowry secured. Her face, voice, handwriting, and posture are close enough to fool even Sera’s mother, but her contract hides a poison clause and her younger brother is held hostage by the bride’s family. In the second week of marriage, the real Lady Sera dies, and Mire is told the role is now lifelong. Her cold archivist husband, Domnal Tessen, begins setting quiet tests only the true Sera would pass. As Mire searches Sera’s stolen diary for survival, she discovers Sera herself was once a replacement: the original girl died at seven, and the woman Mire is copying was named Iulia. By the monthly memorial, Mire must read sacred Old Tessen liturgy she cannot understand—only to find the page replaced with a passage copied from her own private letter to her brother. Domnal is watching. He knows.

Chapters

Comments