“I would love to get out and explore this,” said Mira.
“I don’t think Mistress Culpepper would approve.” The streets didn’t look unsafe, exactly, but it was certainly no place any of us would be allowed to go alone—especially after some of the behavior I’d observed at the docks. I pointed toward a man standing on a corner, wearing a deep green uniform. “Hey, a soldier. That’s the first I’ve seen. I’d think there’d be more.”
Mira followed my gaze. “They’re around. But not as many as there used to be, now that most outside threats are gone.”
“Then who keeps order inside? The militia?” I asked. Cape Triumph had no official city guard as Osfro did. The military was usually charged with primary law enforcement in the colonies, with the rest delegated to volunteer and locally organized groups.
“Them. Other agents of the crown. Pirates.”
“Aren’t pirates, by definition, breaking the law?”
“Not always. Haven’t you heard how some of them walk the streets and help people in danger?” Mira’s face was alight, caught up in the heroic drama she loved.
“No. When did you hear that?”
“I talk to the guards sometimes. It’s more interesting than listening to all the visiting suitors.”
“Oh. You mean the visiting suitors who’ll play an influential role in your future?”
“Those are the ones,” she answered with a grin.
Our destination was a vast hall on the opposite side of downtown. It was large, wooden, and plain, nothing at all like the grand ballrooms of Osfrid that were housed in ancient estates and castles. But this was apparently the largest place for a social function, and as we took in the crowds and guests gathered out front, I hoped it would be big enough to hold everyone. Our carriages traveled to a back door so that we could enter in private.
We gathered in an antechamber inside and were subjected to another inspection as Mistress Culpepper made sure our dresses and hairstyles had survived the journey. I spotted the Thorns huddled together, joined by a tall woman I’d never seen before. At first, I thought she was Sirminican, with her black hair and dusky complexion. But there was something about her that was different, the set of her high cheekbones and a general sense of . . . otherness. Her outfit, though made of nice fabric, resembled a riding dress with split skirts. It seemed out of place here, as did her hair, lying in one long braid down her back. That wasn’t fashionable anywhere.
I turned back and started to say something to Mira about it when I discovered that Cedric had come up beside us. His hands were in the pockets of a long, fitted knee-length coat of a steel-blue damask that enhanced his gray eyes. I’d never seen him in that color and was struck by the effect. It set off the auburn of his hair and could have easily passed him off as Osfridian nobility. Except that I’d never met any noble who made me suddenly feel so flushed and warm.
I realized then that Cedric was staring at me too and that maybe, just maybe, I wasn’t the only one feeling flushed. “You clean up well,” I said.
“So . . . do you.”
“Like you’ve ever seen me not clean up well.”
“Well, I’ve seen you when you’re . . .” He stopped, realizing Mira was here. “. . . when you’re in less elaborate outfits. Like that, uh, one time.”
“Of course you’d bring that up.” I took a bold step toward him and twirled to show off the decadence of the dress. “But this is a serious improvement. It’s like a dream. Not so much that other outfit.”
“Well . . .” He looked me over in a way that made my blush deepen. “I guess it depends on the type of dream.”
Mira cleared her throat and asked, “Is everything okay with your family? I thought I saw you and your father arguing earlier.”
That seemed to pull him back to the present, and he finally looked away from me. “Just more of our usual dysfunction. We were ‘discussing’ who’d do Adelaide’s introductions. He wanted to, but I argued it should be me, as you’re my . . . acquisition.” It was a term he’d always used freely in the past, but he stumbled over it tonight.
“And?” I prompted.
“I won.”
I grinned. “When don’t you?”
A rueful look crossed his face. “Well, it’s on the condition that you meet Warren Doyle first. So long as I arrange that, my father’s fine with everything else.”
After we made our grand procession in the room, interested suitors would approach Glittering Court representatives to arrange dances and conversations with us. It was to prevent us from being mobbed.
“Are you making mine too?” asked Mira.
Cedric shook his head and gestured to the tall woman. “Aiana is.”
Mira studied the woman curiously. “Who is she?”
“She’s Balanquan,” he said. “Does various jobs for us.”
Mira and I exchanged astonished looks. The Balanquan people, like the Icori, had been in Adoria when Osfridians and others from across the Sunset Sea had arrived. There had been no wars or territorial disputes with the Balanquans as there had with the Icori. This was partially due to their northern lands being less hospitable and partially because they made a more formidable enemy than the less advanced Icori. Their culture was supposed to be sophisticated and rich—albeit very foreign from ours.
“What is she doing here?” asked Mira. The Balanquans had attempted some arbitration for the Icori and Osfridians but mostly stayed away from us.
“Uncle Charles contracts her,” Cedric explained. “Usually, her job is following up with girls after they’ve married. If she sees anything amiss or any bad treatment, she . . . deals with it.”
Before we could ask for more details, Mistress Culpepper called us into formation to make our grand entrance. Just as before, I would lead. My hands began to shake with nervousness, and I fiercely fought for control. I’d been announced and entered alone in countless parties back in Osfrid. I was no stranger to crowds or displays, unlike many of the other girls. They might have completed their training, they might look the part of nobility, but what we were about to do was beyond what many of them had ever experienced. Some were pale, others trembling.
Mistress Culpepper told me to go. I wished I could see Mira and get one last look of encouragement, but she was in line behind me and out of sight. Then, I caught sight of Cedric standing near the door. He met my eyes and nodded. I stepped forward.
“Adelaide Bailey, diamond,” someone announced.
The hall might have been simple in nature, but the Thorns had gone to a lot of expense and labor to convince the guests otherwise. Flowers and candles, linen and crystal . . . if not for the rough wooden walls and exposed beams above, this could have passed for an affair back home. A walkway had been cleared through the room for us to proceed to a raised dais on the opposite side. Guests lined the aisle, orderly and quiet, with none of the coarseness from the docks. These were the elite of Adoria, well-dressed, with wineglasses in hand as they studied us politely. Women were mingled in the crowd: mothers hoping to help their sons, or society ladies who were simply curious.
I walked smoothly, serenely. I was the best of the Glittering Court. I was the new nobility and the old nobility, the descendant of Osfrid’s founders. Soon, I would take my place with Adoria’s founders. This was what all my struggles and manipulation had been for. As diamond, I would meet the city’s most elite. I would attend the most exclusive functions. And I would pull in the highest price—and commission—ever seen by any of the Thorns’ jewels.
I reached the dais, where one of Jasper’s hired men helped me ascend the steps in my elaborate dress. I took my place at the center of a long table, which held glasses of water. Mistress Culpepper wouldn’t allow us to eat here, so we’d had to do it beforehand. Although the next girl was making her entrance, I saw many eyes still on me, and I met them as confidently as Osfrid’s queen might have.
r /> Mira drew a lot of attention when she entered. In my opinion, she was the most beautiful of the group. Jasper might have grumbled, but I had no doubts that many men would be glad to have her as a wife, Sirminican or not. Thinking of her spirited nature, I thought the trouble might come in her consenting to be a wife. It made me smile, just as I met Warren Doyle’s eyes in the crowd. He smiled back, thinking I’d done it for him.
When we were all seated, the high-society decorum degenerated a little. Cedric, Jasper, Charles, and Aiana were immediately solicited for introductions, with suitors and their representatives lining up to get a chance at us.
Mira, seated on my left, remarked, “It’s going to be a long night.”
Despite what seemed like initial disorder, things soon progressed. Cedric came for me and took my arm, escorting me across the floor. “Ready to meet your greatest admirer?” he asked.
“I thought you were my greatest admirer.”
“I’m just a humble man. Not an absurdly rich and doting future statesman.”
I studied Warren Doyle as we approached. His face was alight, and he shifted excitedly from foot to foot. His coat was cut like Cedric’s, fitted and buttoned to the neck in a bronze shade. He looked like he was trying to remain calm and serious, but his face broke into a grin as we grew closer.
“If it makes you feel better,” I said softly, “I like your coat better.”
“Well, don’t tell the poor guy. I think he’d burst into tears if he knew you thought less of him.”
I managed to stop myself from laughing, but a grin still crept out—which Warren again thought was for him.
“Mister Warren Doyle,” said Cedric with no trace of his prior teasing. “May I present Miss Adelaide Bailey.”
I gave the delicate curtsey driven into us at Blue Spring, and Warren took my hand, still smiling broadly as he shook it. “I know I should be more decorous, but I can’t help it . . . I’m just too excited. You probably think I’m uncivilized.”
I smiled back, amused at his nervous eagerness. “Not at all, Mister Doyle.”
Cedric gave a small bow and a wink to me that Warren didn’t see. “I’ll leave you two to talk, and then I’ll come back for your next introduction.”
He left, just as the string quartet began to play. Warren held out his hand and swept me into a dance. “You must call me Warren,” he said. “I like to be straightforward.”
“That’s what I hear. You may call me Adelaide.”
“I know our time tonight is brief. And I know you’ll have a dozen men trying to turn your head with all sorts of charm and pleasantry.” He paused. “I’m not always so good at that—at idle small talk, simply for appearance’s sake. I know some ladies like that, but as I said—”
“You’re straightforward,” I finished.
“Exactly. If I know what I want, I pursue it. And I’ll be honest, I want you. While we were waiting for your ship to arrive, I knew without a doubt I would come asking for the star of your cohort. Seeing you at the dock only confirmed my decision. And seeing you now . . .” He shook his head. “Well, I’ll tell you simply. I didn’t look at any of the other girls out there tonight. You truly are a diamond. And I can’t imagine any other wife but you.”
Even knowing what I did about him, I was bit overwhelmed. “Wow . . . you come on very . . .”
“. . . straightforward?”
I laughed. “Yes, but I think ‘strong’ was what I had in mind. Or maybe ‘intense.’ You’re very kind—very flattering. But I don’t know that I deserve this when we hardly know each other.”
He looked abashed and missed a step, but I was quick enough to recover for both of us. “I know, I know. And I’m sorry. I sound like a desperate fool, but I’m—you know what I’m facing, right? Governorship of Hadisen? At only twenty-three?”
“I’ve heard that as well. A great honor.”
“And a terrifying one,” he admitted. He glanced around uneasily. “I haven’t told anyone that, certainly not my father, who helped secure the post. I’m glad—I really am. But it’s not going to be easy, and I don’t just mean the labor of setting up the colony—which is certainly formidable. I want Hadisen to be a strong place. A good place of upstanding and prosperous citizens. Not everyone will let me do that. People are always watching you in politics—always wanting you to fail. Even when they pretend to be your friends.”
I didn’t speak and simply gave him a nod of encouragement. But he’d touched upon an old memory, the way the nobility in Osfrid also put on pleasant faces only to attack when advantageous. Even across the sea, some things didn’t change, and I found myself growing sympathetic to Warren Doyle.
“I have colleagues and advisors I think I can trust, but one can never be sure,” he continued. “And that’s why I need a smart, competent wife. My true ally. The one person I know I can trust, to give me good counsel while helping me keep up appearances with fashion and culture and all the other things the elite like to pick apart.”
“I don’t think you need much help with fashion and culture.” No matter what I’d said to Cedric, Warren was dressed exceptionally.
“I’m surrounded by powerful family here—and a mother who keeps up with trends. There? I’ll have nothing. Except you. And believe me when I’d say you’d have all you could dream of. Luxury at your fingertips. Complete control of the household.”
“Again—flattering,” I said. “But you don’t know anything about me, aside from my rank. There’s more to marriage than that. How do you know we’re . . . compatible?”
His answer was swift. “Because you haven’t instantly said yes. You’re a thinking woman, a woman who can assess things. And that, Adelaide, is exactly what I’m looking for—what I most admire.”
Cedric appeared at our side the instant the music ended. “Adelaide, it’s time for your next introduction.”
Warren caught hold of my hand as I stepped away. “Please— consider my offer. I know I must sound desperate and am certainly doing this all wrong—”
“Please, Mister Doyle,” said Cedric. He seemed a little surprised but mostly amused at what he no doubt considered more of Warren’s dizzy infatuation. “It’s time for her to go.”
Warren didn’t release me, even when I tried to remove my hand. “You’ll hear all sorts of offers tonight. All sorts of pretty words. You’re beautiful beyond compare, but ask yourself, how many want you for your wisdom? To be a partner?”
Cedric’s smile was gone. “Mister Doyle, your time is up—”
Warren was undaunted. “And how many will match the lifestyle I can give you? The queen of a colony?”
“That’s enough,” exclaimed Cedric, losing the civility. “You are not above the rules here, no matter your rank or resources, Mister Doyle. We’ve set down specific guidelines, and if you can’t follow them, our guards will have to remove you.” Cedric forcibly pulled me away, causing Warren to stumble and look understandably astonished.
“Did you just hear yourself?” I exclaimed, once Cedric had led me away. “I did. And so did several people nearby. You’d better hope your father doesn’t find out what you just said.”
“I don’t care about him.” Cedric’s dark expression showed he no longer found Warren Doyle amusing. “That’s twice now Doyle’s been out of line.”
“One last impassioned plea wasn’t exactly out of line,” I countered. “You could have been a little more diplomatic before turning to threats.”
My next dance was with a major in Denham’s army whose career was on the rise. He’d just been put in charge of leading soldiers out to Osfrid’s southernmost colonies to investigate Icori border raids. He waxed on about my beauty, making all sorts of poetic analogies, like how my eyes were the color of bluebells in the spring. After him came another magistrate, one who ranked higher than Mister Collins. He was followed by a bishop of Uros—a man who seemed f
ar more concerned with worldly than spiritual affairs.
On they went, running together. I was eventually given a break and sat on the dais with Mira, trying to cool myself with a crystal-covered fan.
“It’s exhausting,” I said.
“Tell me about it,” she said, covertly rubbing her sore feet under the table.
“I take it more than a few men were fine with marrying a Sirminican?” I knew the answer; she’d been as busy as me.
“That remains to be seen,” she said with a sly smile. “It’s hard to know anything about them now. Mostly all they do is go on about my beauty and use pretty words.”
I glanced at her in surprise. “That’s almost exactly what Warren said.”
“Really?”
I nodded. “That all these men would try to flatter me—but that he was the only one who’d make on offer to me based on my qualities and his need to have a partner whose counsel he could trust.”
Her eyebrows rose. “I didn’t hear anything remotely like that from my lot tonight. I still think that initial offer was presumptuous, but . . .”
“But?”
“Maybe you shouldn’t dismiss him so quickly.”
“Why, Mirabel Viana, I never thought you’d say such a thing.”
She scoffed. “Well, that was before I’d heard my hair likened to the night sky.”
“Was it the major?”
“Yes,” she said, and we both fell into laughter.
We said little after that, enjoying our brief rest. We watched the crowd, the other girls dancing and flirting with their admirers. Most had overcome their initial shyness and were soaking up the attention. Clara in particular seemed to be loving it. She was dancing with the major, and I wondered what compliments he had for her. Apparently, he was trying to increase his odds by talking to all of us.