Summary

Chapter 1 opens with Beatrice Clayborn riding in a fiacre alongside her maid Clara. They are on their way to a dress fitting when Beatrice jumps out, sensing that the powerful grimoire she has been searching for is inside a bookstore called Harriman’s. Beatrice finds the book. It supposedly contains a powerful spell to make Beatrice’s magic fully her own, and not her future husband’s. It turns out that another woman in Harriman’s, Ysbeta Lavan, is looking for the same exact grimoire. Her brother, Ianthe, introduces them. The Lavans are a powerful and wealthy family. Beatrice’s father, a businessman, would benefit greatly through a connection to this family. For this reason, Beatrice accepts Ianthe’s offer of friendship and hands over the book to Ysbeta. Ysbeta is cold and even rude to Beatrice, making Beatrice instantly regret her decision...