Fragments of Thorns and a Cradle

In the kingdom of Kailak, a knight's household includes a squire, an attendant knight, and a concubine bound to serve his bed.Marie is the slave and concubine of Endymion, Marquess of Gwendel and lord of San Arzok. She has borne him two sons and is expecting a third child. To everyone else, Endymion is ruthless. With Marie, his devotion is inseparable from cruelty.He cannot bear to see her cry, yet no one wounds her more deeply. And Marie knows that her tears can bring this unpredictable man to his knees.Within a household ruled by rank, possession, and old wounds, their tangled bond unfolds across generations.