Whatever the poison is, it’s effective. I’m up half the night being sick, retching up what little liquid I manage to get down. Finally, after midnight, I fall into a deep sleep.

When I wake the next day, the sun is shining through the window. I go to the bathroom and when I come out, there’s a knock on the door and the maid enters. I wonder if they have cameras in the rooms, to see what we’re doing. The thought makes me shiver.

The maid places a bowl of plain porridge on the table and hands me a small bottle. “This should help settle your stomach.”

I swallow the contents of the bottle and dig into the porridge hungrily. I feel fine if a little weak.

“Can I go out into the garden? I need some fresh air.” I close my eyes and do my best to look faint.

The maid hesitates, then speaks into the comm unit on her wrist. The answer appears positive as she beckons for me to follow her out of the room.

She leads me down to the same garden I was in yesterday, where I’d met Anoushka. This time, I walk in the opposite direction to the orchard until I find a small glade in among a copse of pine trees next to the tall palace wall. I rest my back against a tree and inhale the familiar sweet smell. A pang of homesickness hits me. Pine trees remind me of the forest in winter.

The garden is quiet and I sit undisturbed for about half an hour before a tapping catches my attention. Something hard hits my head and bounces to the floor. A pine cone.

“Hey!” I rub my head where a second pine cone has just hit and look up into the tree. A pair of eyes stare back at me.

I jump to my feet, pressing my hand against the rough bark of the tree to steady myself. My mouth opens but no sound comes out.

“Jane?” A familiar voice hisses. “Is that you?”

“Rafe?” I breathe, scarcely able to believe it. His face comes into view, perched on a high branch that reaches across to the palace wall. I glance around, convinced that guards are going to jump out of the bushes at any moment, then down at my clothing. I’m wearing the plainest dress in my wardrobe, but it won’t last long if I start climbing trees.

“Come down!” I whisper.

There’s a rustle of branches and Rafe drops to the ground. He lands awkwardly and has to throw an arm out to the tree for support. I throw myself into his arms, clutching him to me like a lifeline. Then I remember the penalty for breaking into the palace grounds and pull back.

“What are you doing here? If you get caught, they’ll kill you.”

He strokes my hair. “I couldn’t just leave you here. It took me a few days to figure out how to get to the top of the wall, but the rooftops of the city are remarkably easy to access and move about on. I’ve come here every evening, hoping to catch a glimpse of you.”

“But it’s the middle of the day.”

He smiles. “Yes, but today’s Sunday.”

“Mother? Father? They’re okay?”

He nods. “The medicine is helping your father. He’s getting better, though he’s still very weak.”

I breathe a sigh of relief. At least this won’t all be for nothing.

A shadow passes across Rafe’s eyes. “You’re different.”

I reach a hand up to my cheek, feeling the thin film of make-up on my skin. “This is just paint. I’m the same person underneath.”

His face brightens. “So, are you ready to make your escape, then? Sorry, I didn’t think to bring you some more practical clothes.” He steps towards the tree, tugging at my hand.

“No, I-I can’t …”

Rafe pauses, one hand on the lowest branch of the tree. “You don’t want to leave?”

“No, I do.” Every fibre of my body is stretching towards the tree, longing to pull myself up, hand over hand. “But if I escape, they’ll punish my parents. Father sounds too weak to run and without the farm they have nothing.”

“They’re suffering more from losing you to this place than any punishment the king could dole out,” Rafe says sharply.

I pull my hand from his grasp, hurt by his tone of voice. “What do you mean?”

He sighs. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you. And I know why you did what you did, and I admire your courage, even if it was a dumb plan.” A ghost of a smile hovers around his lips. “But you are what makes them happy, Jane. And the thought of you being in here, particularly as your mother knows what goes on … It’s killing her. And your father. I’ve never seen them look so … so old.”

Have I somehow made things worse? But there was no choice. I grip the front of his jacket with both hands. “Please, go back and tell them I’m fine. Tell them I’m happy. Tell them to forget about me.”

Rafe shakes his head. “I can tell them that, but they won’t believe me. And you can’t forget about someone you love.” He reaches out to me, but the sound of someone approaching makes me jump back.

“Jane? What are you doing out here? And who is this?”

Isolde stands in the centre of the clearing with her arms folded. Rafe stiffens beside me and I move in front of him as if somehow, I can protect him.

“I-I just came out to get some fresh air,” I mumble.

She raises one perfectly arched eyebrow and looks past me to Rafe. “I hope you know what the penalty is for breaking into the palace grounds?”

Rafe gulps and nods.

“Well, I suggest you get out of here fast before I’m forced to call the guards.”

I flash her a smile, then grab Rafe’s hand and push him toward the tree. “Go, now!”

He hesitates for a second then begins to pull himself up, hand over hand, his heavy boot thumping against the tree trunk. I turn to Isolde, but at that moment there’s a shout, followed by a barked order. Something flashes through the air and Rafe screams as his body tumbles down through the tree to land with a thump at my feet.

A tiny squeak escapes my lips. I move toward him, but Isolde grabs my arms, pulling me away. The guards move in and bend over him.

My heart thuds in my chest and I feel suddenly dizzy. “Is he—”

“No, he’s not dead. He wasn’t that high up. Just stunned, probably.”

“Let me go to him.” I kick out, but she’s quick and evades my move.

“Don’t be stupid, Jane,” she hisses in my ear. “If you’re associated with him, you’ll get into trouble, too.”

Two of the guards pull Rafe up between them. His head lifts as they drag him away, and for a second, our eyes meet.

“What will they do with him?” I whisper, not sure I want to know the answer.

Isolde shrugs. “Technically, the punishment is death …”

I sense her hesitation. “But there are exceptions?”

She looks at me and smiles. But it’s a cold smile. “Only the king can grant an exception.”

I sag. But there is hope. And if I can do anything, anything at all, to save Rafe, I will.

We return to the palace, but as we reach a side door, there’s a commotion around the corner. Isolde pulls me eagerly towards the noise. On the far side of an open grassed area surrounded by flowerbeds stands the king, his head bent towards a uniformed man who appears to be the leader of the guards. As I watch, Rafe is dragged out and thrown to the ground in front of him.

“This is the intruder, your Majesty.”

The king prods at Rafe with his foot. Rafe moans but manages to get to his knees. He spits and a drop of saliva lands on the king’s polished shoe.

A look of disgust crosses his face and he kicks out, catching Rafe on his jaw. He turns to the guard. “You know the punishment for intruders. Take h—”

“Wait!” I cry, tearing myself from Isolde’s grip and running forward. I stop when I’m four paces from the king, unsure of what to do next.

He looks surprised, then smiles. “Well, if it isn’t young Jane. I trust you are feeling better? I have to say, I preferred your other dress.”

I flush, smoothing down the fabric of the plain dress. “Yes, thank you, your Majesty. I feel much better today. I-I’m sorry I wasn’t able to attend to you last night.”

There’s a growl from Rafe, who’s lying on the floor, clutching his jaw. The king looks from me to Rafe, then back to me again. “I take it you know this thief, then?”

“He’s not a thief, your Majesty,” I say hurriedly. “He was just … I was worried about my parents. My father’s health has been very poor recently. He was kind enough to bring me word. We’re not able to contact our families through the Interweb.”

Tentatively, I close the distance between us and lay my hand on his arm as I’d been shown in the virtual reality tutorial. Lowering my head slightly, I look at up at him through my artificial lashes, trying to remember what the tutor had said about seduction techniques. “Please, your Majesty, he’s done nothing wrong. Just let him go. He won’t come here again.”

The king pulls me to him roughly so our chests are pressed together. His breath is hot on my forehead and when I peek up, I can see the lust in his eyes.

“And what will you do for me if I do spare him, Jane?”

I lick my lips. My mouth is dry and I’m sure he can feel me trembling against him, though whether he mistakes it for something other than fear, I don’t know. I take a deep breath and try and control my voice, to make it sound like a husky whisper rather than a terrified squeak. “What would you like me to do, your Majesty?”

“I have some ideas,” he growls.

There’s a cough from the leader of the guard. “Your Majesty …?”

The king reluctantly pulls away from me and turns to the man. “Put him in the dungeons for now. His fate depends on what this young lady chooses to do.”

The man’s eyes widen. “The dungeons?”

The king waved his hand. “We have an ancient castle — I’m sure there must be dungeons somewhere. It’s hardly likely he’s going to be able to break out.”

He turns to me. “And I’ll see you this evening, my lady.”

I watch as they drag Rafe away. He gives me a pleading look and I know what he’s thinking. Don’t sacrifice yourself for me.

But that’s what you do for people you love, isn’t it?

* * *

Back in my room, I resolve to stop messing around. No more games. No more fake sickness. I will go to the king and let him do with me what he pleases. Rafe’s life depends on it.

I even go back into the virtual reality tutorial and take the final module — the one I’ve been avoiding since I first logged on. “What to do in the bedroom”. It does nothing to calm my nerves. I pick at the food the maid brings me for lunch until it’s cold, but my stomach is empty and I doubt I’ll be able to eat any dinner, so I force it all down.

As I’m finishing, there’s a knock on the door and Leora walks in. She presses a finger to her lips and quickly shuts the door behind her. Then she steps over to the control panel on the wall and presses a few buttons. Lively classical music spills out into the room. She grabs my hand and pulls me towards the bathroom. Mystified, I follow her.

“There are microphones in the room,” Leora says with a mischievous smile as the door slides shut behind us. “But not in the bathrooms.”

Her eyes search my face. “I heard about what happened earlier, in the garden. Was he your boyfriend?” She rolls the word around her tongue as if it’s unfamiliar to her.

“Yes, I guess he was.” I look down at my hands, not sure where this conversation is going.

Leora hesitates for a second. “Do you love him?”

I look up, surprised. And unsure of how I should respond. Will it affect how they treat him? She seems to sense my uncertainty as she flashes me a smile. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to hold it against you. Do you think we’d be in here talking like this if I was coming here as Leora, Head Swan?”

I laugh nervously. She has a point. “Yes, I do love him. D-do you think the king will pardon him and let him go, if I do what he wants?”

Leora sits down on the toilet and hugs her knees to her chest. “Perhaps. If he likes you. What’s it like? Love?”

“What do you mean?”

“What’s it like being in love? And knowing that someone loves you?”

It seems a strange question for a courtesan to ask. “Well, I think it’s knowing that, whatever happens, that person will be there for you,” I say hesitantly. “That they believe in you, even if you don’t believe in yourself. It’s being able to trust someone implicitly, without worrying that they’ll betray you. And when you love someone, then you always want to put that person first. You want them to be happy.”

She stares at me with wide eyes, and for a moment, I could almost imagine that we were two normal teenage girls, gossiping in the bathroom. But then I remember that she is the most powerful woman in the palace and my stomach turns.

“It must be nice to have someone like that,” she muses.

I nod uncomfortably. “So, the king.” I hesitate for a second. Am I even allowed to have this conversation? “What … what does he like …” I blush, unsure how to continue.

Leora shrugs. “He’s not too bad, at least, not compared to what I’ve heard about some of the men. And he’ll probably take it easy on you as it’s your first time.” She stares at the mottled grey wall. “I don’t really have anyone to compare him with. He’s the only person I’ve been with. Once you’re chosen by the king, no one else is allowed near.”

“So, does this mean I have to be Head Swan?” The question’s been gnawing at me all day. The woman who sleeps with the king. The courtesan of highest standing.

Leora shakes her head, though she doesn’t meet my eye. “No. The king takes other women, occasionally. And I do have other uses, believe it or not. Mother taught me a lot about the politics of the palace and the city. I’m his adviser and confident as well as his companion. But if he decides he prefers your company to mine on a regular basis then you will take on that role.”

A shiver runs down my back.

Leora props her chin on her knees. “Tell me what it’s like outside the city. I’ve never been out of the palace grounds,” she adds wistfully. “Even for the selection days. It’s considered too risky for the Head Swan to attend.”

I stare at her in amazement. The woman who advises the king knows nothing of life outside the city? But I begin to tell about life on the farm. About the hydroponics chambers and the pigs and the pools in the forest where I swim. She listens in silence, drinking it all in. When I stop, she sighs. “It sounds so real.”

Talking about home brings tears to my eyes. I bite my lip to stop them spilling down my cheeks and look away.

“Mother never talked about you, you know. Not until the end ... when she was dying. She didn’t even know what they named you.” Her voice is sad. “I asked her why she chose to give you away and not me.”

“And what did she say?”

“That when she gave birth, I came out first, screaming and wailing and fighting. Then you followed. You were smaller and weaker — barely able to cry. She said there was a look in your eyes that said, ‘Leave me in peace, I don’t belong here’. So she chose to give you a new life and kept me here.” There’s a bitterness in her voice and the soft lines of her face harden. “And now you’re here, more beautiful than anyone. I don’t think Mother foresaw that. Her two daughters locked in a battle for the king’s affections.”

A pang of guilt stabs at me, though I’m not sure why. “I-I’m sorry. Really, I’d rather not be here at all.” I step backwards, suddenly afraid, my shoulders bumping the bathroom door. There’s something in her face. Something dark and dangerous.

Then she seems to collect her thoughts and the darkness fades, replaced by her usual radiant smile. “Sorry, I get a bit gloomy every now and then.” She stands and smoothes down her dress. “I should be going.”

A thought strikes me. “Wait! Yesterday, when we were talking about if there was any way out of here, you were about to say something when we were interrupted. What was it?”

A puzzled look crosses her face, then it brightens in recollection. “There are a few paths a Swan can take,” she says. “A few lucky ones get taken as wives by some of the lower ranked lords. Some manage to survive until their looks start to fade. They’re usually given jobs around the palace, such as tutoring new Swans.”

“And the rest?”

Leora’s face darkens. “Some go mad. Mentally unstable. They get taken away. I don’t know what happens to them. I’ve never dared ask. But occasionally, a Swan is injured in an accident. Three years ago, one of the men got carried away and beat a girl so badly she lost the use of her legs. She was given a wheelchair and a medical discharge and sent back to her family, after signing a nondisclosure agreement, of course.”

Nausea washes over me. There’s a sour taste in my mouth. A man beat her until she could no longer walk?

“Mother told me about a Head Swan who was attacked by another woman and left with scars all over her face. They allowed her to leave, too. I’ve often wondered if the same will happen to me and part of me almost wants it to. But I don’t know what I’d do on the outside. I have no family there. No life. All I’ve known is in here.”

“So, you’re saying that if someone was to attack me, I might be to get out of here?”

She shrugs. “Possibly. But it’s not really worth the risk, is it? Besides, no one’s going to try and maim you — you’d still be able to speak out and they’d get punished. No, if someone wants you out of the way, they’ll kill you. That’s what happens to the other Swans. As I told you, life here is tough.”

At the door to my bedroom, she turns to me. “I’ll come and get you in three hours.” She hesitates for a moment, then adds, “I know it’s easier said than done but try and relax. It won’t be so bad.”

Won’t be so bad. Going to bed with a man I don’t know or like, while the man I do love is lying injured in a dingy dungeon.

I’m not sure how things can get much worse.