The year is 1893, and war is brewing in the First American Kingdom. But Claire Emerson has a bigger problem. Claire’s father is a sought-after inventor, but he believes his genius is a gift granted to him by his daughter’s touch, so he keeps Claire under his control.
As their province prepares for war, Claire plans to escape, even as her best friend, Beatrix, tries to convince her to stay and help with the growing resistance movement that wants to see a woman on the throne.
When her father’s weapon fails to fire on the World’s Fair’s opening day, Claire is taken captive by Governor Remy Duchamp, St. Cloud’s young, untried ruler. Remy believes that Claire’s touch bestows graces he’s never had, and with political rivals planning his demise, Claire might be his only ally.
The last thing that Claire has ever wanted is to be someone else’s muse, but she finally has a choice: Will she quietly remake her world from the shadows—or bring it down in flames?
Brittany Cavallaro is the New York Times bestselling author of A Study in Charlotte and the Charlotte Holmes novels. With Emily Henry she wrote the young adult thriller Hello Girls. Cavallaro is also the author of the poetry collections Girl-King and Unhistorical and is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship in poetry. She lives in Michigan, where she teaches creative writing at Interlochen.