The Glittering Court
Page 24
Most of the girls—like Tamsin—had been assigned to cooking the formidable feast that Mistress Masterson had planned. A few were in charge of games and music, and I was on decorating duty, along with Clara, of all people. She and I managed the task by splitting the rooms and staying out of each other’s way.
When it came time to decorate the drawing room, I was surprised to find Cedric and Mira talking inside. He’d made himself scarce during our exam days.
“You’re respectable today. Back to being a proper Adorian,” I said. He’d been dressed that way at our first meeting but often slipped into Osfridian styles for informal occasions. His overcoat, made of a heavy blue fabric edged in gold, hung nearly to his knees, as opposed to the shorter ones more common here. His boots were also higher than those of continental fashion trends. He didn’t just look proper. He looked dazzling—not that I’d ever tell him. “It’s like you’ve been to finishing school.”
“Well, some people might have trouble dressing themselves, but I never have,” he said. “We’ll be on our way in another month, so I figured I should look the part. My father and I need to be nearly—though not quite—as grand as the rest of you if we’re going to show we’re legitimate brokers. It’s all about image, or so my uncle says.”
In the months that had passed, I’d given little thought to Clara’s malicious accusations about Cedric and Mira. Now, having walked in on the two of them talking, my curiosity was piqued. “Are you distracting Mira from her tasks?” I asked, keeping my tone light.
Mira exchanged a knowing smile with him. “Cedric is explaining a game called hexbones to me. Mistress Masterson put me in charge of entertainment, but I don’t know many Osfridian games.”
“Hexbones?” I asked incredulously. “That’s just a dice game stableboys and messengers play.” I bit off any other words as Cedric shot me a sharp look.
“It’s a game played by many people,” he amended. “Most girls here grew up with it. The elite classes don’t play it, true, and it’s smart of you to be thinking ahead like that. But I’m sure for one night we can all relax a little.”
“Yes, of course,” I said. It’d been a while since I’d slipped like that. “But where are you going to get the dice? You think Mistress Masterson has a spare set?”
“Oh, I think Nancy Masterson might be more of a rebel than we think.” Although he still smiled, Cedric had an unusual air about him tonight. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but he seemed almost melancholy—certainly not a mood I generally associated with him.
“Did you call for me?”
Mistress Masterson stuck her head in the doorway, having just been passing by at that moment.
“Ah, no,” said Cedric. Mira and I tried not to laugh. “Adelaide was just discussing her plans for the room and was hoping you’d approve.”
Mistress Masterson looked at me expectantly, and I tried not to glare at Cedric for shifting the focus to me. Quickly, I mustered a plan. “Uh, candles in all the windows and those gilt-edged blue runners for the tables. And if I move that sofa over there, it’ll open up that corner for conversation. It’d be nice to get some of that spiced incense too.”
Mistress Masterson nodded in approval. “Sounds like you’ve got it well in hand, dear.”
“And holly,” I suddenly said, looking at the mantel. “We should’ve gotten holly to make boughs. We always used to do that for winter parties in the capital.”
“That would’ve been nice,” Mistress Masterson agreed. “I didn’t even think about it with everything going on. Too late to get any now—the sun’s almost down.” She nodded toward a darkened window and, seeing my disappointed face, added, “Don’t worry. Clara had the foresight to go get fresh ivy and make some garlands. That’s almost as good.”
That only made things worse, knowing that Clara had one-upped me. Mistress Masterson left, and Mira gazed at the window for long moments before turning to Cedric. “Weren’t there some things you needed to take care of?”
“Yes . . . I should do that soon.”
When he made no motions to leave, Mira added, “You’ll have plenty of time before the party. Everyone’s very busy right now.”
“Yes . . . yes.” His smile returned, but I could see a tightness behind it, reinforcing that odd sense I’d gotten from him. “I’ll take care of that now.”
He started to walk out of the room and then paused by me. “Here.” I smiled as he pressed a set of dice into my hand.
“Of course. Of course you have a set.”
“It’s my spare, actually. We play all the time at school.”
“Are you any good?” I asked. “Never mind. I already know you are. It’s a game that involves reading people and manipulating them.”
“Exactly,” he said. “You’d be a natural.”
Despite that jest, he still seemed tense. “He’s acting very strangely,” I told Mira when he was gone.
“Is he? I don’t know him well enough to know.”
“Don’t you?” I asked pointedly.
Her face was completely innocent as she shook her head. “I’m sure everything’s fine. Do you want me to help you move the sofa before I leave?”
She and I lugged it across the room, both of us surprised at its weight. “I’m starting to agree with Tamsin,” I said. “It’ll be nice to have flocks of servants to do this for us.”
Mira grinned back. “We’ll see. I don’t know if I did well enough to get a husband with one servant, let alone flocks.”
“Not like Tamsin,” I said.
“Not like Tamsin.” She laughed. Her face grew serious. “But I hope I did well enough to get . . . I don’t know. A choice. Or at least someone I can respect.”
“Still want to buy out your contract?”
She helped straighten the sofa. “I think Tamsin was right about that. I’d need some sort of job on the side—and I’m guessing that’s not allowed.”
“Um, yeah. Jasper would probably frown on that kind of thing. But it won’t matter. I know you’ll have your pick of amazing men. And if you’re worried about your scores, you can always retake the tests.”
“Right. They were so fun the last time.” She stepped back and joined me to survey our work with the sofa. “Do you need anything else before I go?”
“Not unless you can make some holly materialize,” I said wistfully. “It just doesn’t feel like winter without it.”
“I wouldn’t know, since we don’t have it in Sirminica, but I think this room will be fine.”
After she left, her remark made me feel worse—as though I owed her holly for a true Osfridian experience. When I finished with the drawing room, Mistress Masterson released me from my duties early to go get ready for the party. Neither Tamsin nor Mira had returned yet. I put on my best dress, a full-skirted gown of sky-blue brocade scattered with pink flowers. A pink chemise was worn under it, peeping through the slashed sleeves and around the boned bodice. As I laced it up, I thought ahead to what it would be like when we switched to Adorian fashions. The skirts were slimmer and more maneuverable, the bodices less structured.
When it came time to decorate the drawing room, I was surprised to find Cedric and Mira talking inside. He’d made himself scarce during our exam days.
“You’re respectable today. Back to being a proper Adorian,” I said. He’d been dressed that way at our first meeting but often slipped into Osfridian styles for informal occasions. His overcoat, made of a heavy blue fabric edged in gold, hung nearly to his knees, as opposed to the shorter ones more common here. His boots were also higher than those of continental fashion trends. He didn’t just look proper. He looked dazzling—not that I’d ever tell him. “It’s like you’ve been to finishing school.”
“Well, some people might have trouble dressing themselves, but I never have,” he said. “We’ll be on our way in another month, so I figured I should look the part. My father and I need to be nearly—though not quite—as grand as the rest of you if we’re going to show we’re legitimate brokers. It’s all about image, or so my uncle says.”
In the months that had passed, I’d given little thought to Clara’s malicious accusations about Cedric and Mira. Now, having walked in on the two of them talking, my curiosity was piqued. “Are you distracting Mira from her tasks?” I asked, keeping my tone light.
Mira exchanged a knowing smile with him. “Cedric is explaining a game called hexbones to me. Mistress Masterson put me in charge of entertainment, but I don’t know many Osfridian games.”
“Hexbones?” I asked incredulously. “That’s just a dice game stableboys and messengers play.” I bit off any other words as Cedric shot me a sharp look.
“It’s a game played by many people,” he amended. “Most girls here grew up with it. The elite classes don’t play it, true, and it’s smart of you to be thinking ahead like that. But I’m sure for one night we can all relax a little.”
“Yes, of course,” I said. It’d been a while since I’d slipped like that. “But where are you going to get the dice? You think Mistress Masterson has a spare set?”
“Oh, I think Nancy Masterson might be more of a rebel than we think.” Although he still smiled, Cedric had an unusual air about him tonight. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but he seemed almost melancholy—certainly not a mood I generally associated with him.
“Did you call for me?”
Mistress Masterson stuck her head in the doorway, having just been passing by at that moment.
“Ah, no,” said Cedric. Mira and I tried not to laugh. “Adelaide was just discussing her plans for the room and was hoping you’d approve.”
Mistress Masterson looked at me expectantly, and I tried not to glare at Cedric for shifting the focus to me. Quickly, I mustered a plan. “Uh, candles in all the windows and those gilt-edged blue runners for the tables. And if I move that sofa over there, it’ll open up that corner for conversation. It’d be nice to get some of that spiced incense too.”
Mistress Masterson nodded in approval. “Sounds like you’ve got it well in hand, dear.”
“And holly,” I suddenly said, looking at the mantel. “We should’ve gotten holly to make boughs. We always used to do that for winter parties in the capital.”
“That would’ve been nice,” Mistress Masterson agreed. “I didn’t even think about it with everything going on. Too late to get any now—the sun’s almost down.” She nodded toward a darkened window and, seeing my disappointed face, added, “Don’t worry. Clara had the foresight to go get fresh ivy and make some garlands. That’s almost as good.”
That only made things worse, knowing that Clara had one-upped me. Mistress Masterson left, and Mira gazed at the window for long moments before turning to Cedric. “Weren’t there some things you needed to take care of?”
“Yes . . . I should do that soon.”
When he made no motions to leave, Mira added, “You’ll have plenty of time before the party. Everyone’s very busy right now.”
“Yes . . . yes.” His smile returned, but I could see a tightness behind it, reinforcing that odd sense I’d gotten from him. “I’ll take care of that now.”
He started to walk out of the room and then paused by me. “Here.” I smiled as he pressed a set of dice into my hand.
“Of course. Of course you have a set.”
“It’s my spare, actually. We play all the time at school.”
“Are you any good?” I asked. “Never mind. I already know you are. It’s a game that involves reading people and manipulating them.”
“Exactly,” he said. “You’d be a natural.”
Despite that jest, he still seemed tense. “He’s acting very strangely,” I told Mira when he was gone.
“Is he? I don’t know him well enough to know.”
“Don’t you?” I asked pointedly.
Her face was completely innocent as she shook her head. “I’m sure everything’s fine. Do you want me to help you move the sofa before I leave?”
She and I lugged it across the room, both of us surprised at its weight. “I’m starting to agree with Tamsin,” I said. “It’ll be nice to have flocks of servants to do this for us.”
Mira grinned back. “We’ll see. I don’t know if I did well enough to get a husband with one servant, let alone flocks.”
“Not like Tamsin,” I said.
“Not like Tamsin.” She laughed. Her face grew serious. “But I hope I did well enough to get . . . I don’t know. A choice. Or at least someone I can respect.”
“Still want to buy out your contract?”
She helped straighten the sofa. “I think Tamsin was right about that. I’d need some sort of job on the side—and I’m guessing that’s not allowed.”
“Um, yeah. Jasper would probably frown on that kind of thing. But it won’t matter. I know you’ll have your pick of amazing men. And if you’re worried about your scores, you can always retake the tests.”
“Right. They were so fun the last time.” She stepped back and joined me to survey our work with the sofa. “Do you need anything else before I go?”
“Not unless you can make some holly materialize,” I said wistfully. “It just doesn’t feel like winter without it.”
“I wouldn’t know, since we don’t have it in Sirminica, but I think this room will be fine.”
After she left, her remark made me feel worse—as though I owed her holly for a true Osfridian experience. When I finished with the drawing room, Mistress Masterson released me from my duties early to go get ready for the party. Neither Tamsin nor Mira had returned yet. I put on my best dress, a full-skirted gown of sky-blue brocade scattered with pink flowers. A pink chemise was worn under it, peeping through the slashed sleeves and around the boned bodice. As I laced it up, I thought ahead to what it would be like when we switched to Adorian fashions. The skirts were slimmer and more maneuverable, the bodices less structured.
