Poison Read Free Page A

that they were face to face, her fire was dying. Snow White had never learned to harness her anger as Lilith had. The queen had watched her over the past three years, since marriage had made them family. The girl was quick to anger, just as quick to forget. Always thinking the best of people. Always wanting everyone to be happy. There were only four years between them but it felt like a lifetime. Lilith was a woman. She’d had to grow up fast. Snow White? She was still a foolish girl.
    ‘She was insolent,’ the queen said. ‘Not that I have to explain myself to you.’
    ‘You can’t dismiss her. My father would hate it.’
    Lilith raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly. ‘Your father isn’t here. I think you’ll find I’m in charge. And as for your punishment,’ she swung the door open slightly revealing the scraps of cloth on the floor, ‘you will no longer go out riding in breeches.’
    Snow White’s perfect mouth dropped open. ‘You cut up my clothes?’ Her voice had softened. The anger was fading into something else. ‘Why would you do something like that?’
    ‘It’s time for you to stop behaving like a child. This will be better for you in the long run. You can’t be wild forever, the world won’t let you. It doesn’t work like that. Trust me.’
    ‘Trust you?’ The tears were flowing free now, clear warm streams on the gentle curves of her face. ‘Why should I trust you? You hate me! I don’t even know why you hate me!’ Snow’s hands had balled into fists of frustration, and it seemed as if even the dust on the books that surrounded them scuttled away to hide from her anger. ‘Are you jealous that my father loves me so much, is that it? Do you want him all for yourself?’
    The queen was so surprised she burst into a fit of unexpected laughter. She saw it hit Snow like a punch. Laughter didn’t come easily to Lilith – her great-grandmother had taught her to hide her emotions where possible – and she doubted she’d had a belly laugh like this in all the three years of her marriage.
    ‘Oh, that’s priceless,’ she wiped a tear from her own eye, a laughing mockery of Snow’s own, ‘truly, it is.’ She gasped again as another wave of giggles threatened to overwhelm her. Snow was so wrong it was funny. She thought of the children’s bones her great-grandmother used to rap her knuckles with, took two deep breaths to contain her laughter and let the icy mantle that shielded her from the world settle over her once more.
    ‘I don’t love your father,’ she whispered, the sound somewhere between a hiss and a snarl. ‘I loathe him. He repulses me. He’s a stupid, fat, arrogant man.’ She stepped forward; a precise deadly movement. Snow White didn’t move.
    ‘You can’t mean that. You can’t. You married him.’
    ‘You foolish spoilt little princess. Is that what you think? It’s all about true love ? Love and marriage have nothing to do with each other.’
    ‘But he loves you,’ Snow said. ‘He always says he loves you.’
    ‘He wants me. That’s different.’ Lilith smiled. ‘And I want his power. Men take it so much for granted. You need to learn that the only way to wield it in the kingdoms is by making a great match.’ She leaned forward slightly. ‘Now he’s gone to war and I have it. I will train you to be a lady. I will find you a husband. Then you’ll be gone from here and I will have some peace .’ She spat the last words out before turning back into her room. She slammed the door in the dark beauty’s face and shot the bolts across.
    Beneath her milky complexion her face was burning and she rested her forehead against the cool wood for a moment. Only the sound of her own ragged breath filled her ears. No fists beat from the other side. Eventually, she straightened up and poured another glass of wine. Snow White had gone. No doubt crying on her bed already, mourning her dead mother and wishing her father had never married again.
    The candlelight was softly