From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

He stood with feet shoulder-width apart, his gaze on our little group.
The sunlight almost seemed drawn to him, caressing his cheekbones and
brow like a lover. His profile was flawless, the line of his jaw as chiseled
as the statues that adorned the garden and the castle foyyer.
“You know that it has to mean that he’s near,” Loren was sayying.
“Prince Casteel.”
Myy head snapped in her direction in shock. I had no idea what she
was talking about or how the subject had come up, but I couldn’t believe
she had actuallyy spoken his name aloud. Myy lips parted. No one other than
the Descenters would dare utter his actual name, and I doubted that anyy of
them would even speak it in the castle. It was treasonous to call him a
prince. He was the Dark One.
Dafina was frowning. “Because of the…” She glanced at me, her
brows knitted. “Because of the attack?”
It was onlyy then that I realized theyy must’ve been talking about the
attempted kidnapping while I’d been…
Well, while I’d been doing exactlyy what theyy had been doing earlier—
staring and thinking about Hawke.
“Besides that.” Loren returned to threading a blood-red cryystal to her
mask. “I overheard Britta sayying so this morning.”
“The maid?” Dafina huffed.
“Yes, the maid.” The dark-haired Ladyy in Wait lifted her chin. “Theyy
know everyything.”
Dafina laughed. “Everyything?”
She nodded as she lowered her voice. “People speak about anything
in front of them. No matter how intimate or private. It’s almost like theyy
are ghosts in a room. There is nothing theyy don’t overhear.”
Loren had a point. I’d seen it myyself with the Duchess and the Duke.
“What did Britta sayy?” Tawnyy placed her cup on the table.
Loren’s dark eyyes flicked to me and then moved back to Tawnyy. “She
said that Prince Casteel had been spotted in Three Rivers. That it was he
who started the fire that took Duke Everton’s life.”
“How could anyyone claim that?” Tawnyy demanded. “No one who has
ever seen the Dark One will speak of what he looks like or has lived long
enough to give anyy description of him.”
“I don’t know about that,” argued Dafina. “I heard from Ramseyy that
he is bald and has pointyy ears, and is pale, just like…yyou know what.”