25. Sparkling Ugly People
A few hours later, the ball was in full swing. Rose’s feet hurt and her shoulders and back ached from all the trays she’d been carrying. Allowing herself a moment, she rolled her neck and stretched. The champagne and food tables had just been restocked. Once she caught her breath, she’d take her empty tray to collect discarded dishes.
Being busy kept her from watching Prince Adrian, who was so handsome in his black suit. The ladies thought so, too, crowding around him at every opportunity. From experience, she knew he was adept at flirting, but it was painful to see the blushing females on his arm. As Crown Prince, he had a part to play, but he made his interest seem so genuine, always focusing on whomever he was with.
Rose was sure the inadequacy she felt was exactly what the Queen intended, reminding her of her place, blasting her with the proof that she was unworthy, even if the Prince chose differently away from the public eye. It was a good thing she’d already backed off and begun putting distance between them or her heart and pride would hurt worse than they already did.
Lady Julianna Clearwater’s public garden, which Prince Adrian had supported at the Assembly just the day before, was one of the hot topics of the night. All the mothers were sure it was the beginning of their courtship. A proposal was imminent before fall.
Tamping down resentment, she loaded her tray with empty champagne flutes, being careful of her roughness. It was hard with Lady Julianna everywhere. Lady Julianna, who was a proper miss, was well-bred with connections many of the males desired. The lady was also beautiful, genteel, and sweet.
Or so the mothers said.
His Highness also looked upon the lady with genuine fondness and danced with her three times. He spoke with her extensively during one of the breaks, allowing her hand on his arm. The Queen gazed at them with approval.
And it didn’t matter , Rose scolded herself as she walked toward the door to deliver the empties back to the kitchens. The Queen watched her with a self-satisfied smile as she sipped from a flute. Schooling her expression, Rose bowed her head in deference, cut by the razors in her gaze, though she wished she was immune.
Weaving through the guests, many in different stages of inebriation, she struggled to balance her tray. She’d almost made it out of the ballroom when one of the upper maids ordered her to clean spills. She took Rose’s tray, gave her a fresh rag, and turned briskly away.
Fine , Rose thought, wanting to snap the rag. It was all fine. This was only one night. Soon her year would be over, and she could leave this blasted place .
As she knelt to clean the first spill, there was chatter that the Queen was dancing with her brother, the former Duke Southby. He was one of the two human Dukes—the other being Lady Julianna’s father. Prince Adrian’s cousin Benedict had taken over the Southby titles recently. There’d been a dinner with the Royal Family, several weeks ago now, to celebrate.
Lady Julianna’s older brother Lionel was preparing to take over the Clearwater titles. Speculation was there’d be another dinner with the Royal Family when that happened since the Crown Prince was so close to the heir’s sister.
Gag.
Larkin, the scarlet tanager on her shoulder, cooed lowly in her ear, and she rubbed her cheek on his. “I promise not to vomit on you. All the inane chatter does make me sick.” Moving to the next spill as he chittered, she poked Larkin in the belly. “I am not jealous. Take it back, traitor.” The twitters in her ear sounded like giggles, and she suppressed a smile.
Kneeling, she cleaned the rather large puddle before her, and her fingers were stepped on. The male vampire who’d done it laughed and turned his back as she shook out her hand.
“Bastard,” she muttered, glaring as he joined a group of equally obnoxious males.
When her rag was sopping wet and the floor reasonably clean, she found a laundry chute, grabbed a new tray, and began stacking empties again. Prince Dimitri passed with a lady on each arm, giving her a salacious grin. His cheeks were rosy from drink, his hair a bit mussed as he winked licentiously.
She pretended not to see him. The sight of that male turned her stomach. The echo of his long-ago slap made her lip sting as she turned away .
From what she’d heard, the two Princes had once been the best of friends, doing everything together, closer than most brothers. Until the King named Prince Adrian heir.
Now, their heated rivalry was widespread and well-known. The King and Queen encouraged it, each playing to their favorite, only deepening the divide.
It was so very sad.
As Larkin ruffled his feathers indignantly on her behalf, Rose soothed him by rubbing his breast.
The second Prince put on such a charming and likable facade, Rose thought as he flirted with the females. They giggled and preened at whatever he chattered about. He flashed his white teeth, and Rose shuddered.
All these rich people were fake. The ladies showed off only to secure their futures. The males only wooed them to further themselves. No one was genuine, all were pretentious snakes trying to make themselves look best, often at the expense of others.
She’d heard one young lady praise a friend for charity work at one of the medical clinics. In the next breath, she’d turned to another friend, the first gone to dance, and blasted her to pieces for being too soft with those beneath them. Then, both criticized the first’s dress while she danced.
Under all the jewelry sparkle, lavish clothing, and perfect smiles were ugly, ugly people.
With her tray full and heavy, Rose took a reprieve in the kitchens, just down two hallways. It was chaos with servers coming and going, as well as all the food prep and cleanup. Staff was everywhere, trying to stay on schedule and keep the nobles happy.
Rose set her tray on the counter with the others, giving a small smile to Hattie washing at the large sink. “They’re gluttonous tonight. ”
“Always are,” Hattie replied with a sigh, shaking her white head as she scraped uneaten food off a plate. “Yet so wasteful.”
Rose leaned closer to whisper, “Save some?”
Hattie winked and then glanced to Ms. Hutchins, who was sprinkling sugar over more cakes as she called, “Take this, would you, Rosie?”
Rose’s peace and good humor at feeling among friends faded as her head went light, her mind filling with a sudden vision.
“Rosie posie princess thee, climbing up the apple tree. Rosie posie come back down for you’ll surely bump your crown.”
She giggled from among the branches and gazed down at Leonidas, his blonde hair shining in the dappled sunlight as he stared up. She dropped a green apple to him as she bit into another, swinging her legs where she sat.
“You make the silliest rhymes, Leonidas.”
“Only to make you smile, little rosie. Come now, we should head back. You have lessons this morning.”
“After our apples are gone. Pleeease.” She drew the word out, giving him a pitiful look so he sighed, defeated . . . .
It faded and another took its place, one darker that made her shiver. It hadn’t quite formed when there was sharp pain across her face that brought her back to the kitchen, where Hattie and another older scullery maid stared at her with alarmed expressions.
Trying to catch her breath, her hand on her chest where there was sharp and heavy pressure, she realized she was slumped against the cabinets. Her dress was wet, and she realized a tray of champagne glasses had overturned on her.
“Rose?” Hattie questioned, hesitating because of Larkin the leopard growling from where he lay across Rose’s legs. “Are you okay?”
Rose stroked Larkin, reassuring them both, and sat up. “I am sorry. What happened?” She fingered her stinging cheek .
“You had an attack of some sort,” Hattie answered. “Fell into the counter, knocked the tray over, and went down.”
“Looked like you couldn’t breathe,” the other maid Rose didn’t know said. “You were making this terrible sound, holding your chest, and your eyes . . .”
“My eyes what?”
“They were glowing,” Hattie whispered. “I’ve never seen such a thing.”
Wondering what it meant, and if it could have simply been champagne in her eyes, she stood on unsteady legs. Everyone remained staring.
“I apologize for the commotion,” she said, taking a towel from a nearby table to clean up the mess.
“Don’t worry about this,” Hattie said, taking the rag from her. “Clean yourself and get back. Go,” she insisted, flicking her rag when Rose didn’t move. “Before the Queen notices.”
Ms. Hutchins pushed the tray of fresh sugar cakes into her hands, and Rose made her way out. The very conspicuous Larkin walked at her side, still in leopard form.
“You should shift again,” she told him, stopping several paces from the ballroom. He answered with a low growl, his tail twitching. “She only slapped me to get me out of the vision, Larkin. I am in no danger.” Another low growl and he pressed closer, almost unbalancing her. “Stop being so overprotective, you silly cat! Every noble is going to see you with me in this form. That is the opposite of blending in. I don’t need more attention.” She pointed to her shoulder. “Bird.”
But Larkin sat, curling his tail around himself as his golden gaze held hers. After several long seconds, Rose rolled her eyes.
“I suppose you will pacify the Queen when she throws a fit over this display then, hmm? ”
Larkin rubbed his head against her gently, making small purring and mewling sounds that made Rose freeze. Her heart stopped. Hazy images of a fluttering tanager swirled in her head.
She shook them away, walking into the ballroom with the leopard beside her. Larkin’s gaze swept over the people they passed as they made their way to the dessert tables. Conversations stopped at the sight of them, and even heads across the room turned, especially when Larkin shifted into a lion and growled lowly with his tufted tail swishing.
Rose almost kicked him to make him stop, her hot face humiliating her as she set the cakes down. Taking an empty tray—Ms. Hutchins’s little berry pies were just as popular as the sugar-coated cakes—she started gathering more dirties.
“That’s the Prince’s pet!” someone close said.
“I’ve never seen him before. How impressive to have a lion!”
“Didn’t you see him shapeshift? I’ve heard he can take the form of any animal.”
“Why is he with that nasty maid? What dark skin she has! And look at those ears! How disgusting!”
“I heard our kind Prince Adrian had freed a slave. That must be her.”
“Why in the world do they let her up here? She should be kept hidden away so no one is offended by her.”
Tired of the gossip, Rose stood and tucked her hair away to show off the pointy ears she wasn’t embarrassed by or ashamed of. She met the eyes of the portly older male who’d spoken. Lifting her tray to return to the kitchens, gasps and comments on her mighty attitude followed her as she walked away with her head held high.