“Thank you,” I said to Warren. “This is all very considerate of you.”
A wistful look crossed his face. “It’s my pleasure to—”
The door burst open, and amazingly enough, it was Mira who entered. Jasper glared. “I told you lot not to—”
“They’re here! They’re here! I don’t understand it, but they’re here.” Mira was breathless, her eyes wide.
“Who?” asked Jasper. I think he expected a flock of angry suitors.
“The other girls! The other ship.” Mira turned to me. “Adelaide! Tamsin’s alive!”
Chapter 20
I rushed out with the others, all of us nearly tripping over one another as we tried to get through the doorway at the same time. In the foyer, we found chaos. A group of at least twenty people mingled in the room, and our girls were running down the stairs into the throng, adding to the disarray. The noise of a dozen conversations filled the air and mostly came through as an indecipherable buzz. I stared around for a moment, unable to make sense of it all, and then I spotted it across the room: a head of bright, golden-red hair.
“Tamsin!”
I pushed through the crowd, uncaring of who I ran into. She turned at the sound of my voice, and my heart sang at the sight of that familiar face. I barreled into her, nearly knocking her over with a giant hug. I didn’t care if she hated me and pushed me away. All that mattered was that she was alive and that at this moment, I could hold her in my arms. She was real and solid. My friend had returned to me.
And she didn’t push me away. She returned the hug, clinging to me fiercely. “Oh, Adelaide . . .” she began. Sobs choked her words. A moment later, Mira appeared, throwing her arms around the two of us. We stood there like that for a long time, the three of us locked together, full of joy despite our tears.
“Where have you been, Tamsin?” I whispered when I could finally bring myself to pull away. “Where have you been? We thought . . . we thought . . .”
Her brown eyes sparkled with tears. “I know. I know. I’m sorry. I wish we could have sent word sooner, and I’m sorry for everything back in Osfrid—”
“No, no.” I squeezed her hand. “You have nothing to apologize for.”
Until that moment, I’d only been looking at Tamsin’s face, taking in the features of this friend I loved so much. But now, after a chance to catch my breath, I could see so much more. She wore a dress of deep blue-gray, made of some plain fabric. It had no ornamentation or frills. Her hair spilled across her shoulders without any obvious styling and was covered by a simple kerchief. Glancing around, I saw the other missing girls dressed similarly.
“What happened to all of you?” I asked.
Before she could answer, a loud stomping on the floor drew our attention. Gradually, others began to notice, and the din of conversation faded. Jasper, seeking to be heard, stood on top of a chair. I was pretty sure I had never, ever seen him look so genuinely happy.
“Friends! Friends! You’re witnessing a miracle right before our eyes. Something none of us thought possible. I’ve just learned that—as you can no doubt tell—the Gray Gull wasn’t lost at sea! It sustained great damage in the storm and was blown off course—far, far north to the colony of Grashond.”
I turned to Tamsin in disbelief. The northern colonies were known both for harsh conditions and a harsh population. They were also nearly four hundred miles away.
Jasper peered around. He looked as though someone had just dropped a giant bag of gold at his feet. Which, I supposed, someone had. “Who do I have to thank for this? Who do I have to thank for saving my girls?”
For a moment, nothing happened. I could see now that along with our missing girls, there were some men who looked like sailors. A few other strangers were dressed in plain clothing like Tamsin, and one of these got pushed forward. He was a young man with tawny blond hair and a surprisingly calm countenance, given this bizarre situation.
“I wouldn’t say any one person saved them, Mister Thorn,” he said. “Our whole community came together to care for them until the roads were clear enough for travel.”
A Glittering Court girl I didn’t know spoke up. “But Mister Stewart was the one who advocated for us. Who made sure we had places to stay and . . . and vocations to keep us busy.”
“I’m in your debt then, Mister Stewart,” said Jasper, offering a showy bow. “You have saved not just them—but all of us. Thank you.”
A bit of the young man’s coolness faltered at all the attention and admiration. “You can call me Gideon. And there’s no need to thank me. It was simply our duty under Uros. My only regret is that you had to worry about them for so long. The roads made no travel or communication possible until recently.”
“Well, they’re here now, and say what you want, but we still owe you a great deal—something I’d love to talk more at length about. But first, I need to speak to these gentlemen about certain commercial matters.” He nodded toward the sailors. “While I do that, Gideon—my brother and son would be happy to entertain you and your colleagues in our parlor. I’m sure you’d appreciate some refreshments after your journey. I have an excellent brandy I’ve been saving.”
“We don’t drink spirits,” said Gideon.
Jasper shrugged. “Well, we’ll find a beverage you can drink. Water or something. Mistress Culpepper, will you see that our new girls are taken care of? I’m sure they need refreshments too.” He eyed some of them askance. “And now that their journey is over, I’m sure they’d like to change out of traveling clothes and into their finer wares.”
A few of the girls exchanged uneasy glances. “We don’t have those, uh, finer wares anymore,” said one. “They’re gone.”
Jasper allowed himself only a brief flicker of surprise. His miraculous pile of gold had just gotten a little smaller. “Well, then, I’m sure we can put together a wardrobe from the other girls—especially the ones who are engaged.”
“I’ll see to it,” said Mistress Culpepper. “And that they’re roomed properly.”
I pulled Tamsin close. “She’s staying with us,” I said.
No one seemed to mind who stayed where, so long as there was room for all of us. The second floor of the house became a frenzy of activity as girls were shown to their rooms, and everyone scrambled to provide the newcomers with clothes. Mira and I were raiding our own closets when Heloise popped into our room, her arms full of green dresses. She smiled warmly at Tamsin.
“You were the emerald, right? I inherited your spot, but I don’t need these anymore. Not now that I’m engaged.”
“Congratulations, and thank you.” The smile Tamsin gave her in return was genuine but tinged with weariness. After Heloise had left, Tamsin sat heavily on the bed, putting the dresses in a heap beside her. “To tell you the truth, I don’t care what color I wear anymore, so long as it’s not this blasted cheap wool.”
I sat down next to her. “Was it awful up there?”
“Not awful, exactly.” Tamsin frowned, lost in some memory. “But very, very different than what we’re used to. Gideon was right that they took care of us, and really that’s all that matters.”
I wanted more details about her time away, but Tamsin seemed reluctant. The Grashond settlers—who called themselves “the Heirs of Uros”—just barely escaped the designation of heretics in the eyes of the orthodox church. The Heirs kept the same liturgies and stressed the importance of priests and churches as the way to Uros, but they did so in a very simple way. No grand cathedrals. No gifts or decorations at holidays. No excessive food and drink. No elaborate clothing.
When Mira suggested cleaning up, Tamsin jumped at the chance. While she was away, Mira explained to me, “Maybe it wasn’t awful, like she said, but it couldn’t have been easy. And she must have been terrified. Sometimes, when you go through something like that, it takes a while for you to want to talk about it.”
Once Tamsin returned, cleaned and dressed in one of Heloise’s silk poplin dresses, she seemed like her old self again—very much like her old self again.
“Well, I’d better remember all my manners and get used to doing my hair and face again,” she said briskly. “It’s late in the season, but I plan on making up for lost time. I hope you’ve left some men for the rest of us. You must have both gotten slews of offers by now.”
“Not that many in the way of, ah, official ones,” said Mira. “But I feel optimistic about my future.”
Tamsin turned to me. “What about you? There’s no way you haven’t have had all sorts of offers. Have you settled on some promising young man?”
When I didn’t answer, Mira laughed. “She’s settled on someone all right. In fact, I think your arrival interrupted the marriage negotiations.”
Tamsin brightened. “Excellent! What kind of man is he? What’s he do? Is he in government? Shipping?”
“He’s the son of a crafty businessman who ships brides and other luxuries to the New World,” I said.
“What are you . . .” Confusion filled Tamsin’s pretty face. “But that doesn’t make any . . . you don’t mean . . .”
I sighed. “I mean Cedric.”
When Tamsin couldn’t formulate a response, Mira said, “It’s true. Adelaide’s caused quite a scandal around here. Your arrival might have been the only thing that could top this drama.”
I explained the situation as best I could, including the arrangement in Hadisen. Mira hadn’t heard that part yet. She kept her face neutral, but Tamsin’s expression filled with greater incredulity as the story went on.
“What were you thinking?” she exclaimed. “You turned down a future governor for . . . what, an impoverished student?”
“Well, he dropped out of the university. And he’s not impoverished.” I reconsidered for a few moments. “He’s just . . . um, without assets. But I’m sure that will change.”
“This,” declared Tamsin, “would have never happened if I’d been around to look after you. Mira, how could you have stood for this?”
“I had no idea,” Mira admitted.
“You’re her roommate! How could you not?”
A moment of awkwardness fell over us. A chagrined look crossed Mira’s face, and I could guess her thoughts. Under normal circumstances, she might very well have noticed something amiss with me. But we both knew Mira had been preoccupied by her own clandestine activities, though I still didn’t know what they were.
A knock at the door startled us, and I opened it to admit Cedric. “You’re not supposed to be in here,” I said, glancing behind him in the hall. “Are you trying to get us in even more trouble?”
“I think that’s impossible.” He shut the door behind him. “And with everything going on, no one’s going to notice. I had to take the chance to talk to you. Welcome back, Tamsin. It’s good to see you.”
She eyed him disapprovingly. “I wish I could say the same. I’ve heard you’ve caused all sorts of trouble for my friend.”
He grinned back at her, unfazed. “Well, she’s caused all sorts of trouble for me too.”
“Cedric,” I said, “you know this Hadisen plan is a terrible idea, don’t you?”
“It could solve our financial problems. And,” he added pointedly, “it gets you out of Cape Triumph.”
“I just can’t believe Warren would fold so easily. It’s an embarrassment to him. He should be outraged.”
“He probably is,” Cedric agreed. “And I’m not naïve. But maybe this saves face if he acts like it doesn’t bother him. Could be there is some ulterior motive, but I’d rather take my chances out in Hadisen.”
Tamsin straightened up. “So. This Warren. He’s available then, right?”
“I suppose so,” I said in surprise. “And he’s motivated to find a wife . . . but he’s only got a week left before he leaves.”
“That’s all I need.” Tamsin glanced at Cedric. “If you can arrange some meetings for me.”
“It’s too soon,” I said. “Even for you.”
Mira nodded in agreement. “Tamsin, you need to rest and recover this week—not chase after some man on your first day back. Take it easy. Let Warren go. There are others.”
I studied Mira curiously, but as usual, her expression betrayed nothing. I remembered her various efforts to engage Warren. Now that he was available, was it possible she was trying to push out Tamsin as competition?
“Something tells me I’m not going to be part of the family business anymore,” Cedric told Tamsin. “But if you want to throw yourself right into the thick of things, my father’s not going to object. I know he’d like to close a deal with Warren—if you really want him.”
Tamsin glanced between Mira and me. It was obvious Tamsin was going to ignore our suggestions about resting. “Is there a reason I wouldn’t want him?” she asked.
No one answered right away. At last, I said, “He seems nice enough most of the time . . . sometimes he’s closed-minded . . .”
“Closed-minded in what way?” Tamsin asked with more interest than I’d expected.
“Religion. The Icori. No more than most around here, I suppose. But his mother’s the really terrible one. She’s the one you have to watch out for.”
“Mothers-in-law are always terrible,” said Tamsin airily. “Let me meet Warren, and I’ll decide if he’s worth my time.”
Cedric turned back and took both of my hands. The open gesture startled me. “Things are going to move very quickly now,” he said. “We have one week. Most Hadisen settlers have had months to prepare.”
I squeezed his hands back. “Well, if we’re doing it, we’ll do it right. How can I help?”
“Most of it’s going to be on me—equipment, figuring out the claim.” He reached into his pocket and handed me a bag of silver. “You can help by taking care of your clothes.”
“What do you mean, take care of?”
He gestured to my organza dress. “This isn’t going to really work in Hadisen. You need something that can withstand some wear and tear.”
“I figured you’d just mend anything I needed.”
A little of his tension faded. “Well, I did enjoy that the first time.”
“I knew it! You’re not as good at hiding your thoughts as you think you are.”
“Well, actually, you were the one who wasn’t hiding that much—”
“Ugh,” groaned Tamsin behind me. “Will you stop already? I just endured one agonizing situation. Please don’t put me through another.”
Cedric flashed her his winning smile, only to be met with a scowl. Turning back to me, he closed my hand over the silver bag. “I mean it. You’re going to need a whole new wardrobe out there. I’ll ask Aiana to help—she’ll know what to get.”
“Where did this silver come from?”
“I have some savings of my own.”
I knew what those savings were for. “Cedric, you can’t—”
“I can.” He rested a hand on my cheek. “If this all works out, it won’t matter.”
There were no more protests to make. We’d signed on to this plan, and I wasn’t going to argue with him anymore. We would stand by each other and make this work. Hopefully.
“Just tell me this,” I said. “If things go horribly awry, can we just go run off into the wilderness together?”
“Sure. But we’d have to leave all civilization behind. Sleep under the stars. Wear animal skins.”
“Hey, watch it,” warned Tamsin.
Cedric looked at her in surprise. “There was nothing improper about that at all.”
“I know what you were thinking.”
“Can I at least kiss her goodbye?”
“No,” said Tamsin.
“And here I thought things were difficult before you got back.” Cedric dared
a kiss on my cheek. “We’ll talk later. I’ve got to go break the news to Nicholas Adelton—assuming he hasn’t already heard it from some gossip.”
After Cedric was gone, Tamsin shook her head. “I don’t know how you got by without me.”
Despite the complications with Cedric, I still couldn’t get over the wonder of having her back. I gave her another fierce hug.
“Me either,” I said. “Me either.”
Chapter 21
Tamsin wasn’t kidding about jumping right into the Glittering Court’s busy world. Some of the new girls were clearly still in shock from all they’d endured. But for those, like Tamsin, who were ready to get back on track, Jasper had no problem helping them. A new wave of parties and one-on-one meetings were arranged for that week, and in no time, Tamsin’s reputation had spread, making her one of the most sought-after. Mira and I helped prepare her as best we could for life in Cape Triumph, but she seemed to need little adjustment. The settlers from Grashond were still around, and while Tamsin was polite to them, I noticed she went out of her way to avoid them. They were a disapproving lot, and Gideon—the young minister who’d helped save them—seemed especially troubled by the Glittering Court’s social whirlwind.
Meanwhile, I dropped out of the public eye and began preparations of an entirely different nature. As Warren had predicted, there were a number of families who were interested in having an interim teacher while Hadisen became established. I made an arrangement to help the children of multiple families with their studies. One of the families, the Marshalls, had a claim within riding distance of Cedric’s and offered to give me room and board.
Mistress Marshall was a stout, pleasant-faced woman with six children. “We’ll need the children to help around the homestead during the day,” she told me in one of our meetings. “But you can help them with their lessons at night.”
“That would be great,” I said. “I could help Cedric on the claim during the day—if you don’t need me around the house, that is. I want to earn my keep.”