Check out this blog post by a friend of mine, Heather Gray.

She started Wordy Wednesdays, and I think it’s a cute idea. Here’s mine, which you can also read in the comments over there, along with lots of other excerpts.

“Why would the Royal Princess fire Nicoletta?” Darius asked, putting his arm around the distressed lady‐in‐waiting. “Are you going to tell your sister that she was kissing me?”
“I should.” The ground seemed to sway beneath Mariana’s feet, and she grasped a nearby column for support. Something in his voice caused her to tremble. He’d never spoken to her so coldly, without a trace of the affection he’d shown her in the past.
Darius continued, “Will you also tell the Queen and Royal Princess I need to kiss other women because you’re afraid to let me touch you?”
“I’m not afraid.” Mariana straightened her back and lifted her chin, wishing she were taller. “It just isn’t proper to engage in…those kinds of activities before we’re officially engaged.”
To her chagrin, he burst into laughter. “I’m sorry, Mari, but can you be that naive? ‘Those kinds of activities,’ as you call them, are part of an adult relationship. You need to wake up and accept
this.”
She swallowed. “Then come back to the ballroom and dance with me again.”
He shook his head. “I like you, Mari, but I’m not going to marry you. I can’t afford to bond with a commoner.”
“Commoner? What are you talking about?”
“Mari, you can stop pretending. Everyone in the kingdom knows you’re not the King’s daughter by blood. How else do you explain your Insensitivity?”
Mariana felt as though her bones had liquefied. With great effort, she stayed upright until she found a nearby bench and dropped to it. The two other women rushed away, giving her sidelong glances as they passed. “Why would you say these things to me? I thought you had feelings for me. Real feelings.”
“I did. “He sat next to her and took her hand. “I was young. I thought your deficiencies wouldn’t matter, but I’m a Metal Sensitive, and I need to wed someone who can complement my Abilities. I have to think about my inheritance.”
He stared into the night on the other side of the balcony railing. Mariana wondered what he was seeing.
“I can use my abilities to strengthen the defenses of Sasoin. Maybe one day, I can add to our holdings. My sisters will need property to take to their own marriages, unless they wed above their stations.”
“My father will give me property.” Her argument was weak, for while Liliana had gotten a large estate, she was the Royal Princess and second in line for the throne until Grand Duchess Victoria delivered her child. Liliana’s husband, Nigel, had been of high noble blood, his father an Amar, a cousin of her grandfather.
Darius shook his head. “I cannot count on that, and there is still the issue of the Bonding. Face it, Mariana, I need to do better.”

This is from Pigsty Princess, my latest novel.