But that only made her laugh more. “Nothing about you is delicate, Tamsin. And that’s what’s so great.”
We all went back to Wisteria Hollow to celebrate the wedding. Hosting it there had been a great concession on Jasper’s part, seeing as he still harbored a lot of resentment over what he saw as Adelaide and Cedric betraying the Glittering Court’s rules—even though her contract had been paid off as part of the settlement for Cedric’s labor following Warren’s arrest.
Mine, though paid as well, had a few loose ends.
“Excuse me, Mister Thorn?”
A couple of hours into the revelries, I caught Jasper alone by the rum punch. A party was still a party, and he’d been making use of the time by chatting up any prominent bachelors crossing his path.
He’d been about to walk away and halted in surprise. “Yes, Tamsin?”
“I wanted to talk to you about my fee, sir. I know Mister Doyle ‘settled’ it when I was away.”
Jasper scowled. “I’d say it was kind of him, except we all know there was a bit more to it than his sympathy.”
“Yes, sir. And I also hear there was a bit more to it than the base fee. He paid over it.”
“Yes—another happy outcome. It more than cleared your loan from Osfrid.”
“That’s the thing, sir. The ‘more’ thing, that is. Anything over and beyond the fee and outstanding debts should get split into a commission for you and surety money for me.” I paused, just to make sure he didn’t miss the next part. “And I haven’t received any surety money.”
“W-well . . .” he began, taken aback. “You also didn’t get married.”
“The contract just says anything over fees and debts gets split with me.”
“These weren’t normal conditions.”
“Then perhaps you shouldn’t have collected the fee, Mister Thorn.” I glanced across the decorated yard where guests laughed and danced. “Adelaide and Cedric have an attorney friend here I could ask to help us solve things.”
After a long, thoughtful silence, Jasper finally shook his head and made a sound that could have been a grunt or a laugh. “Blizzards and shipwrecks haven’t changed you, Tamsin. You’re as assertive as ever. More so, I think.”
“Why, thank you, Mister Thorn. That’s kind of you to say. Although assertiveness isn’t why the money’s owed. It is in the contract.” Orla’s words suddenly played through my mind: If you could get paid for overcoming impossible situations, you’d be a rich woman.
“What?” asked Jasper, seeing me hold back a laugh.
“Nothing,” I told him. “Just thinking that maybe those blizzards and shipwrecks really did pay off.”
I was in high spirits as I left Jasper, delighted to finally have a sum of money to call my own. It wasn’t enough to fix everything, but it would let me get a decent stock of Merry’s medicine to have on hand when she arrived. Distracted by my victory, I didn’t notice Gideon until I practically walked into him.
Unsurprisingly, the other Heirs hadn’t attended the festivities. By now, it was well known that he was breaking with them and going off to settle in Westhaven Colony tomorrow—as were Cedric and Adelaide.
“Tamsin,” Gideon said, catching my arm. “I’ve been trying to find you. I wanted to say goodbye now in case I miss you in the morning.”
My anger at Gideon had faded, and I gave him a swift hug. “Well, you could see me sooner than you think. I’ll be getting out there at some point to check on Cedric and Adelaide—and now you too, I suppose. I’m excited to see the amazing things you’ll be doing with your new church.”
“You and me both.” He smiled in his beatific way, and even after all this time, I saw it still affect some of my friends when they walked by us. “And I expect you’ll be doing some amazing things too.”
“I don’t know about that. I’m just trying to get by—not found religions or new colonies.”
“You would’ve been good at those things, you know,” he said, growing a little more serious. “You’re good at anything that’s ever handed to you—but it always seems to be assisting or adapting to someone else’s vision. But I wonder . . .”
“Wonder what?” I prompted, puzzled by this odd, philosophical tangent.
“I wonder what greatness you’ll be capable of when you’re the one in charge and giving the directions?” His smile returned. “There’s a saying, ‘The angels have a plan, and we assist.’ I think the opposite’s true for you.”
“Gideon, it’s a good thing you’re going off to an experimental religious colony, because that was complete blasphemy.”
“Goodbye, Tamsin,” he said fondly. His gaze focused on something behind me, and he gave a slight nod. “Tell him goodbye for me.”
“Tell who—”
Gideon was already walking away, and I looked toward the far side of the lawn. There, leaning against a tree in the evening shadows, was Jago, watching me with one of his half smiles. Ignoring the scandalized looks of Cape Triumph’s well-to-do, I lifted my skirt and tore off across the grass. I wanted to throw Jago against the tree and kiss him passionately, but in a show of great restraint, I simply clasped his hands tightly.
“When did you get to town?” I exclaimed. “You should have come to me right away!”
“You think I didn’t?” he laughed. “I stopped by the fort on my way into the city to ask for Harper. They told me he was at a wedding and then launched into this whole tale about how the groom was almost executed but saved at the last minute by the bride’s dazzling, divinely beautiful best friend as she led an Icori entourage.”
“Entourage indeed! And no one really said ‘dazzling, divinely beautiful.’”
“Well, they were thinking it,” Jago retorted with mock solemnity. “Just like I am now. You are . . . a vision.”
I flushed under his appreciative gaze, secretly thrilled that he finally got to see me in Glittering Court glory. The dress I wore was made of celadon silk, its off-the-shoulder bodice decorated with deeper green crystals. “You’re just saying that because you’ve mostly seen me in drab Heirs dresses or Icori traveling clothes.”
“Hey, I happen to like those leather traveling pants. A lot.”
I tugged at his arm. “Come meet my friends, and tell me where you’ve been.”
He shook his head and stayed put. “I’m underdressed—and don’t tell me no one cares. We aren’t married. We can’t flout society quite yet.”
“We’ll be able to soon enough,” I said. I went on to explain to him how I now had a paid contract and a little money on the side.
His eyes lit up, both with delight and speculation. “Huh. That makes a lot of things easier, doesn’t it? And you know what else’ll make things easier? The fifty gold I secured for us. That’s why I was late.”
“Fifty gold? Did you rob someone?” I clamped a hand to my mouth in horror. “Jago! You didn’t sell the horses, did you?”
“Look at the outrage! Why, Tamsin, is it possible you’ve grown to actually care about those horses?”
“I’ve grown to care about you fulfilling your childhood hopes and dreams! Now how’d you get the damned gold?”
“Well, I don’t have it in hand, but I will once we preserve and transport those newspapers you found at the house. I made some inquiries in Bakerston, and you were right about their value. They’re starting a college up there, and one of the professors offered a pretty hefty sum if I could deliver them. Of course, they aren’t mine. My deal with the old mistress is a small cut of anything I sell on her behalf in the house. She lives between here and Bakerston, so we had a chat, and I coaxed her into more than a ‘small’ cut for the sale since we’ll have to do some work to preserve them and because no one would have known they were worth something, if not for you.”
“Fifty gold . . .” I breathed.
“Not for a while, but, yes. I thought I
’d be scrambling for the rest of your fee, but it looks like we can get married right away and get all the things you’ll need for Merry. We’ll have to buy most of it here, I imagine, seeing as Rushwick’s pretty limited. You didn’t hear if they’re getting a school, did you?”
“No, and I’m not optimistic about it happening soon, what with how small they are. But with that much gold, we’ll make do. We’ll buy books.”
His smile seemed to be as much because of my happiness over the news as the news itself. “Don’t write that council off yet. You know who I saw on my way in? Myers, of all people. He made the trek out here. He’s going to drop off all the job advertisements at the newspaper office.”
“Really?” I was impressed enough to turn my thoughts from the windfall. “Maybe they’re getting their act together.”
“Maybe. He was chattering about how he didn’t have the time to go through applicants, asked again if you’d reconsider being assistant clerk and do the interviews for him.” Jago gently touched my cheek and then quickly withdrew his hand, remembering we were in public. “Can’t blame the guy for trying, though. We all depend on you.”
Some of the other girls began calling for me from the other side of the grounds. “Oh! They’re going to decorate the coach. I need to go—are you sure you won’t come with me, Jago? You should get something to eat.”
He shook his head. “No, not this time. I’m bone tired anyway. I’ll find you tomorrow, and we’ll start talking wedding plans. Wait’ll you see the deals I can get on decorations! Do you want to do it before or after Merry is here?”
“Oh. I . . . I honestly wish I could do it after all of my family’s here. Part of the plan was to bring them over when I . . .” The cheery mood humming through me all evening took its first dip. “Well, we’ll figure things out, I suppose. We always do.”
“Tamsin!” came Mira’s voice. “Where are you?”
“Go,” Jago said. “They need you.”
I squeezed his hand again and started to turn. “Hey, you don’t know where Mister Myers is staying, do you?”
“Myers? Branson Myers?” Jago asked, like he hadn’t just been telling me about him five minutes ago. “He mentioned some inn with...Arms in the name, I think. You aren’t going to take him up on that pitiful offer, are you?”
“That offer? No.” I lifted Jago’s hand and sneaked a kiss onto it. “See you tomorrow.”
* * *
After all the celebrating, most everyone at Wisteria Hollow wanted to sleep in the next morning, but the caravan to Westhaven departed just after sunrise. It left with as much fanfare as the one to Hadisen had, but this time, watching Cedric and Adelaide lead their horses, I no longer felt filled with dread. The world was bursting with optimism and beauty, and anything seemed possible.
“Stay out of trouble,” I teased Adelaide, hugging her for what felt like the fiftieth time.
“Me? Your record’s much worse than mine.” Her bright laughter faded as she blinked back tears. “Tamsin, I can’t say again how sorry I am for my role in it, for everything that happened back in Osfrid—”
“Oh, hush,” I scolded. “What happened to me is on me.”
“Still. I should’ve told you about Cedric, and my past . . .”
“I should’ve told you about my past.”
It was an awfully big secret to tell in such a hasty manner, but I’d kept it from her for too long. So, out it came, as quickly and coherently as I could manage, all about Merry and the medicine, and even a little about Jago. She listened with wide eyes, and I don’t think she blinked.
“Tamsin, I wish I’d known!” she exclaimed when I finished. “I wish I could’ve helped you . . .”
“That’s the past. But I could use your help now. You said you had a sum of money in Osfro, didn’t you?”
“Yes . . . I inherited it by getting married. But I’d have to send a letter to Osfro and then wait for it to come back here. But if you need money—”
“I need a loan,” I corrected. “And what I need it for is actually back in Osfro . . .”
* * *
The sendoff took longer than I expected, and I had no time to find Mister Myers before meeting with the governor and the Icori. Restless energy ate me up as the arbitration continued, but I kept up my smile and my calm. When we had a small lunch recess, I skipped eating and instead hurried off to an inn I’d inquired about earlier: the Duke’s Arms.
Through a bit of luck, I found Mister Myers as he was sitting down to eat in the inn’s common room. He jumped up when he saw me, nearly knocking his plate off the table.
“Miss Wright! You’re here! Will you do it? Are you accepting the job offer? That’s such a relief!” He nodded to a stack of papers. “I was actually on my way to the newspaper office, and it’d be so helpful if you could—”
“I’m not here to accept your offer,” I said, sitting in the chair opposite his. “I’m here to make you one. And I don’t have a lot of time, so I’ll just come right out with it: I could’ve practically run your office that first day. I was running it! I did more in that time than anyone else has done since . . . I don’t know. How long ago was Rushwick incorporated?”
He shifted uncomfortably. “I don’t know the exact date. It’s in some of the paperwork somewhere . . .”
“It doesn’t matter. What does is that you were offering me an assistant clerk’s job when I was neither assistant nor, in fact, clerking.”
“I don’t understand,” he said, his thin eyebrows tugging together into an almost straight line. “Do you want . . . the clerk’s job?”
“I want the town manager’s job.” I leaned in and tapped the papers on the table. “I know you need one, because I saw the advertisement. I’m the one who filed it with the other ads.”
“The manager? That’s not an easy job . . . I’d figured we’d give it to someone more . . .”
“Male?”
He winced. “It’s very complicated. There are a lot of things to keep track of. Town projects. Staff. Council meetings. Not many people can keep up with all of it.”
“I’ve noticed that,” I said dryly. “But by all means, you can go turn these ads in and hope a good candidate will apply, even though it’s unlikely you’ll have the time to interview them. Meanwhile, you’ve got me right here, ready to go as soon as I tie up loose ends in the city—loose ends that involve negotiating a bloody truce between two nations in Adoria! That alone should qualify me to manage your town’s government, even if you hadn’t already seen what I can do.”
“It’s unusual to have a woman . . . especially of your age . . . in that role, but . . .” He took a deep breath as he wrestled with the decision. “But . . . these are unusual times. Very well, Miss Wright. I will take responsibility for hiring you—and you’ll deal with all the rest of this?” He slid the stack of papers toward me with a hopeful look.
“Yes, but not for one silver a week.” I flipped through the pages until I found the manager posting. With his pen, I scrawled a new number on it and showed him. “Don’t look like that,” I warned, seeing his shock. “We both know that’s the going rate. And honestly, with my background, it’s a bargain.” I pushed my chair back and stood up. “It’s also my final offer. I have to get back to bringing about peace and prosperity now, but when you decide to accept, come find me at the town’s hall or Wisteria Hollow. Good day, Mister Myers.”
I’d only taken a few steps away from the inn when he came running out. “Miss Wright? Miss Wright? I accept!”
* * *
A job. A real job, one that would earn me respect and a hefty wage.
The thought of it left me walking on clouds as I returned to the negotiations. The money Jago and I had secured would take care of us in the short term. And the loan Adelaide was giving me would buy passage here for the rest of my family. As great as those windfalls were, the need for a reliable, con
sistent income had been eating at me.
Well, I had one now. Most incredibly of all, the money was coming from me and my talents—not the indulgence of a wealthy husband. I controlled my future.
We’d barely sat down for negotiations when the doors to our meeting room were flung open. Half the people at the table jumped, probably thinking an attack was coming, but it was Jago who burst in.
Orla brightened upon seeing him. “I’d heard you were back.”
Governor Doyle exchanged puzzled looks with his colleagues. “Who in the world are you, and how did you get in?”
“Jago, what’s going on?” I asked uneasily. As happy as I was to see him, the timing wasn’t exactly optimal.
Jago, as usual, didn’t look particularly unfazed at intruding. He’d cleaned up since last night but still wore his usual casual attire. Jerking a thumb behind him, he said, “Oh, old Lawson let me in. We go way back—cotton deal, you see. But that’s not why I’m here. Tamsin, the Sterling just came into port.”
Slowly, I stood up, my hands clenching the edge of the table. After a few steadying breaths, I said very quietly, “Gentleman, ladies . . . I’m going to have to step out for a moment. Lieutenant Harper, I’m sure you can fill in.”
Without waiting for approval, I followed Jago out the door, ignoring Orla and Harper’s concerned calls. As soon as I emerged outside, I broke into a run toward the docks. Jago fell right into step with me.
When we arrived, customs inspectors were just leaving the Sterling. Other ships were loading and unloading too, and we kept getting pushed back in the bustling crowd as we stood on our tiptoes to see what would happen next on the ship. Why were there so many tall people here today? Suddenly, a woman behind me squealed and surged forward, hugging an elderly man carrying a suitcase.
“It’s happening,” I gasped. “The passengers!”
And then—a flash of red hair. She saw me as I saw her, her rosy-cheeked face splitting into a grin. “Mama!”