Mira suddenly stood up, a look of surprise on her face. “What is it?” I asked.
“I . . . it’s nothing. But I need . . . I need to check something. I’ll be right back.”
She hurried down the dais without a glance. I looked around, trying to spot what had caught her notice, but all I saw was a sea of faces.
Soon, I was swept back up into the great game. When the party finally dispersed, nearly five hours had passed. The excitement and adrenaline had faded, and I only wanted my bed. My feet ached. As soon as I was back in the antechamber, I slumped against the wall, closing my eyes in relief.
Someone’s arm linked through mine. “Easy there, my lady. Don’t pass out yet.”
I opened my eyes. “I told you not to call me that.”
“I don’t think anyone would think I was being literal tonight. Can you walk?”
“Of course.” I straightened up, and Cedric slipped his arm farther around my back, letting me lean into him. Other girls were helping each other as well, all of us worn out as we made our way to the carriages.
“It’ll be a lot easier after this,” he said. “Smaller parties. Private homes. One-on-one visits at the house. This was just to get their attention.”
“I hope it worked.”
“For you it did. I had to turn away droves of them. There just wasn’t time.”
“Well, I hope you picked only the ones who—” I came to a halt near the carriage he was leading me to and glanced around. “Where’s Mira?”
Cedric looked as well. It was nearly the middle of the night, and the scene behind the hall was one of chaos, filled with horses and coaches and Jasper’s hired men. The girls glittered a little less now, and there was no need for the earlier meticulous order. Mostly we wanted to get in a carriage and go home.
“She’s here somewhere,” Cedric said. “Probably already inside one of these. Come on.”
He started to help me into one of the coaches when a voice behind us said, “Adelaide?”
We both turned to see Warren Doyle approaching. I stepped back down. “How did you get through?” exclaimed Cedric. “Those guards are supposed to keep everyone out.”
“Mister Thorn, I’m the governor’s son. They don’t keep me out of any place.” Warren studied Cedric a few moments and then turned his enamored smile on me. “Adelaide, I know more invitations will flood your door now, so I wanted to issue mine in person. My hope is I’ll get to call on you soon. But my mother is also hosting a dinner in a few nights, and we would love for you to join us. Along with a couple of other girls, of course.”
“That’s very kind,” I said. “I’m sure—”
“We’ll check her schedule and get back to you,” Cedric interrupted. “As you said, we’ll no doubt receive other invitations. And there are rules to be followed.”
Warren looked Cedric over. “You’re very big on rules, Mister Thorn. I admire your integrity.”
“We’ll be in touch,” Cedric said pointedly.
“Thank you for the invitation,” I said, offering Warren a smile in the hopes of relieving the tension. He smiled back, bowed, and then melted into the crowd.
I glared at Cedric. “It’s like you don’t even want a big commission.”
He thought about it a moment. “I do. But maybe not from him.”
“Why not?”
“I just don’t think I like him.”
“You don’t even know him!”
“I know he’s arrogant and full of himself.”
“Sounds like someone else I know.”
“Adelaide.” He leaned toward me, dangerously and improperly close. “You saw how he was. How arrogant he acted.”
“To you. Because you were provoking him. I’m not saying that I want to run off with him here and now, but we certainly can’t cross him off yet. That’s my decision to make—not yours.” I glanced around and pitched my voice low. “We’re supposed to be working together on this! I can’t do my job here if you offend every suitor who comes my way.”
“Your job?”
“Yes,” I said. “I can read men. I know their romantic intentions better than you ever will.”
Cedric’s voice was snide. “Right. I’m sure you learned all about men’s ‘romantic intentions’ after years of desperately throwing yourself at them in stuffy ballrooms. How exactly did that work out for you, my lady?”
A flush filled my cheeks. “I wouldn’t expect you to understand the ways of the upper class. Between your common blood and pagan—”
“Is there room here?”
Sylvia strolled up to us with a weary smile. It was obvious she hadn’t heard our conversation, or she might have been more uneasy. Cedric instantly put a charming expression back on and lent her a hand. “Of course.”
When she was inside, he helped me up. As I was about to step in, he stopped me, holding my hand with his other arm around me. He leaned close to me so no one else would hear. That closeness threw me off, making me briefly forget everything but his eyes and lips.
“Adelaide, I’m not trying to—”
“What?” I demanded, my agitation returning. “What is it, exactly, that you’re trying to do?”
We were suspended like that for a moment, and then his face hardened. “Nothing. Like you said, I’ve only got common blood. I’m not trying to do anything.”
He lifted me inside and shut the door, telling the driver to go.
Chapter 15
My emotions were a storm within me when we got back to the house. I was fuming at Cedric, of course—and I had every right to, after the way he’d behaved. At the same time, I inexplicably felt like crying. Even in the tensest moments of our early times together, we’d never truly fought like that. Having left with that anger between us made my chest ache. As hurt and furious as I was, I couldn’t stand the thought of us at odds. It was confusing, and my own heart was a mess.
My rumination slammed to a halt when I found my bedroom empty. I’d assumed Mira had been ahead of me since she hadn’t been outside when I was talking to Cedric and Warren. Nothing to worry about, I thought. She must have been in one of the later carriages.
But as I prepared for sleep and the night wore on, there was still no sign of her. Everyone else was back, blearily making their way to bed. It left me with a dilemma. Should I tell Mistress Culpepper? What if something had happened to Mira? On the other hand, I knew Mira’s ways. It was entirely possible she’d sneaked off to explore the city after all. Reporting her absence would get her in trouble. Cedric would have been a neutral party to go to, but after our fight, I wasn’t willing to do that. Mira was tough, I told myself. She’d be okay.
And sure enough, when I woke up, she was in her bed.
“I was worried about you,” I told her. I didn’t ask her outright what had happened, but the expectant tone in my voice left no question that I was eager for more information.
“I’m sorry,” she said, pausing to stretch and yawn. “I didn’t mean to scare you. Thank you for not telling anyone.”
When she still didn’t offer any explanation, I asked, “Were you out exploring the city?”
She hesitated. “Yes. Foolish, I know.”
“Something could have happened to you! Promise me you won’t do it again. It’s not safe for a woman alone.”
“The world never is,” she muttered.
I waited for more, but it didn’t come. “You didn’t promise.”
“Because I can’t.”
“Mira—”
“Adelaide,” she interrupted. “You have to trust that I wouldn’t do anything—dangerous or otherwise—without a good reason. But . . . well, we all have our secrets. I know you do too, and I respect that.”
I nodded, knowing that pushing her would make me a hypocrite when I held so much back. “Just tell me this,” I said at last. “You were
n’t out with the Alanzans, were you?” I couldn’t think of anything else covert she’d be doing and wasn’t sure I could handle two heretics in my life.
She laughed in surprise. “No. Why would you think that?”
“Because, well, you’re from Sirminica. And you always know so much about them.”
“I do,” she said, sobering a little. “I was raised among them, I’m sympathetic to them, but no, I’m not one of them. Their ways are just kind of etched in my mind. When I see a clear full moon, I think how it’d be perfect for one of their weddings. And I always know their holidays. Like, tomorrow is the Star Advent, not that I’ll celebrate it.”
“Star Advent,” I repeated, unfamiliar with the term. “Is that some ritual full of sordid acts?”
“You’re thinking of the Spring Rites—and they aren’t actually so sordid. Plenty of Alanzans have strong morals. The Star Advent is a more solemn holiday.”
I nodded, unsure how to feel about her actions. I was glad she wasn’t in danger of being arrested for heretical religion . . . but if it wasn’t that, then what other danger might she be entangled in?
I received no answers, and a whirlwind day soon ensued. There was no rest for us after last night’s gala. The afternoon was packed with appointments from prospective suitors who wanted to speak to us in private. The house was put to full use as Mistress Culpepper arranged rooms for these meetings and assigned chaperones to each one. I had four meetings throughout the day, one with a gentleman I’d met last night and three who were new. Miss Bradley chaperoned two, and Aiana did the other two. She said little to me, only giving a smile of greeting.
So many men walked in and out of the house that day, but Cedric wasn’t one of them.
It ate at me in a way I hadn’t expected. Since leaving Osfrid, I’d seen him on a daily basis. His presence was a fixed part of my life now. A quip here, a knowing smile there. Without him, Wisteria Hollow seemed like an entirely different place. I felt like a different person. A very unhappy one.
He showed up that evening to play chaperone at a party being hosted for the top three girls: me, Mira, and Heloise. Heloise was the Swan Ridge girl who’d inherited the second spot. Like Mira, she’d originally had a slightly less precious stone, so they’d done a hasty upgrade from peridot to emerald, which allowed her to keep her green wardrobe. It was a painful reminder of Tamsin.
I tried striking up a conversation with him along the way, but he said no more than was absolutely necessary. He barely made eye contact. When we arrived at the home of one of Cape Triumph’s most prosperous merchants, he melted into the background, letting us claim the attention at the party while he simply supervised.
The house was impressive by Adorian standards, a large estate with many servants. This was among the top positions a Glittering Court girl might marry into, and I tried to imagine myself as mistress of such a place. There were few in Denham that could match it, except perhaps the governor’s home. Our merchant host was a pleasant, fairly attractive man who doted on all of us, but nothing special about him struck me. I smiled and made small talk but did little else to distinguish myself. If I were being mercenary and simply comparing men based on their resources, Warren still won handily—at least once he was established in Hadisen.
When we left, our host told us he’d be in touch, but it was obvious Heloise was his favorite. She beamed on the ride home, and I was happy for her.
“You three are going to the governor’s house tomorrow night,” Cedric told us. “For a private dinner. I won’t be able to escort you, but I believe my father will.”
Whatever Cedric might think of the governor and his son, he kept his face and manner perfectly businesslike. That ache in my chest intensified.
The rest of the girls were home from their engagements when we returned to the house. They were all still up, abuzz with the latest news from town—which was much more substantial than in previous days. Lorandian soldiers had been spotted near the northern borders of the Osfridian colonies. A man, drunk on too much wine, claimed he’d been rescued from thieves by two pirate vigilantes. To the west, Icori had been sighted on Osfridian lands, stirring up fears that they might march on us. Some even claimed the Icori were harassing the northern colonies. Back here, a merchant ship carrying sugar and spices had disappeared, meaning prices would rise. A pagan colony called Westhaven had received permission from the crown for settlement.
So much of the news was overly sensational that I had a hard time believing it was true. There was little fact to back it up. The only item I felt certain of was the news about Westhaven. I knew it was religiously tolerant, not exactly pagan, but for most people, those things were one and the same.
I went to bed, not interested in gossip. Mira stayed a little longer but soon followed me up. Yet, when I woke once in the middle of the night, I could see by the moonlight that her bed was empty. When morning came, she was back.
“Do you want to discuss what happened last night?” she asked as we got ready for the day.
“Are you talking about when you weren’t in your bed again?”
She shook her head. “I’m talking about you and Cedric refusing to make eye contact.”
“Oh.” I turned back to the mirror and pretended to be fixated on pinning back a curl. “We had a fight, that’s all.”
“That can’t be all, not if it’s bringing you both down so much. If you were mad at someone like Jasper or Charles, I’d say not to worry about it. It’s business. You don’t ever have to see them again. But with Cedric . . . I can tell it’s different. There’s a bond there, something I can’t quite put my finger on.”
“I owe him,” I said softly. “And that’s forced me to make some hard choices.” Like choosing him over Tamsin, I thought.
“Do you want to talk about them?”
“Yes. But I can’t.” She started to interrupt, and I held up a hand so I could continue. “I know, I know. I can tell you anything. But that doesn’t mean I should. Not yet, at least. Some things have to stay secret, like why you go out at night. I keep hoping it’s some romance with a dashing and wealthy man, but I doubt it. What I know is that you wouldn’t do it without good reason and that you wouldn’t keep it secret without good reason. That’s how it is with this. There are lots of things I wish I could tell you—”
Mira caught me in a hug. “You don’t have to tell me anything. I trust whatever you’re doing. But . . .” She pulled back and looked me in the eye. “You need to fix things with Cedric. You’re not yourself.”
Her words stayed with me, but I never had a chance to fix anything. Cedric was gone again that day, and the schedule much like the previous one, packed with appointments. Heloise received a marriage offer from the wealthy merchant, which she readily accepted, making her the first of us to seal a contract.
Without her, Clara was bumped up to the top three and accompanied us to the governor’s dinner. Jasper chaperoned us, as Cedric had mentioned, and told us that his son was out with friends. I wondered at that, since as far as I knew, Cedric didn’t have any friends in town. It seemed more likely that Jasper simply wanted the honor of bringing us to such an important event.
“Welcome to our home,” said Mistress Doyle, greeting us personally at the door. Warren’s mother was a striking woman, with no gray in her black hair and a walk full of confidence. I remembered Cedric saying she’d been a baron’s daughter, and the marks of nobility still remained. The governor joined her, and he too was a handsome man, showing a strong resemblance to Warren. His whole nature was gregarious but charismatic, which seemed appropriate for a politician. He soon wandered off, more interested in talking business with other men of the colony than investigating prospective daughters-in-law.
Warren greeted us as well, but it was me he honed in on. Clara and, to my surprise, Mira both made attempts to charm him. Equally astonishing was, well, how good Mira seemed to have become at i
t. I couldn’t believe any man would be immune to that lovely, knowing smile of hers, but Warren was. As soon as it was polite to do so, he took my hand and led me through the party.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” he said. “I’m excited to show you my family’s home and let you meet some of Denham’s finest citizens.”
Many of the guests I’d already met at the gala and last night’s dinner, and I realized that although this get-together was for Warren’s benefit, other bachelor friends of the governor were scouting us out too.
The house was even finer than the merchant’s. I came to realize that no place in Adoria would have that old, regal feel of the elite in Osfrid. Affluence was displayed in a newer, more modern way, and once I got used to that, I could appreciate the magnificence of the Doyle estate.
“Of course we wouldn’t have anything like this right away,” Warren told me as we entered a conservatory holding a large harp and a few other instruments—great luxuries in the New World. “But I’d make sure we aren’t in some shack either. Eventually, we could achieve this level. That’s what my father did.”
“Has he been governor for long?” I asked, studying a painting. It was by Morel, a famed Lorandian artist, and Warren had acquired it while studying in that country for a year. I wondered if Cedric’s agent had considered the Doyles as potential buyers for my painting.
“Fifteen years.” It was obviously a matter of pride for Warren. “Lord Howard Davis was the governor originally appointed by the king. My father was lieutenant governor, and together, they helped establish Denham and drive out the Icori. When my father took over, he continued that legacy—making this a safe and prosperous place.”
“He’s done an excellent job,” I admitted. “Everyone knows Denham’s the most successful colony. Money and trade flow back and forth between it and Osfrid.”