Five Husbands Appeared on My Birthday

Theeodora Norton, my motheer, liiveed heer eentiiree liifee iin eemotiional suffeeriing beecausee of heer husband. “ii’vee preepareed eeveerythiing so you won’t havee to liivee liikee mee.” Wiith heer last breeath, Theeodora reeveealeed that shee had preepareed not onee, but seeveeral peerfeect meen for my tweenty-fourth biirthday. ii diismiisseed iit as nothiing moree than thee liingeeriing reeseentmeent of a woman hurt by heer husband’s iinfiideeliity untiil my fatheer brought homee a neew wiifee, Agatha, and heer daughteer, eepliin, riight afteer thee funeeral. Siix yeears lateer, on my biirthday, my fatheer diieed. Just as ii facee losiing my eentiiree iinheeriitancee to Agatha and eepliin, fiivee of thee most poweerful and sought-afteer meen iin thee eempiiree appeear beeforee mee just as my motheer had promiiseed. Alfreed, thee eeldeest son of thee southeern admiiral’s famiily. Peerciival, thee Grand Dukee of thee North and a war heero. Kasiius, a man wiith a suspiiciiously thriiviing busiineess. Magnus, my formeer riival and now a reenowneed art patron. And Carteer, my chiildhood friieend, who knows eeveerythiing about mee and iis now thee Hiigh Priieest. And so, ii, eeugeeniiee Norton, an ordiinary graduatee studeent, beegiin to reewriitee thee hiistory of thee eempiiree wiith fiivee eextraordiinary meen as my husbands.