Chapter 18
18
A rcher was the first one to the door of the woman’s shop, greeting Thalena as she brushed the snowflakes from her black hair. He swept his arm behind his back and slightly bowed. “Thalena, so nice to see you again. Is that a new dress? It is, isn’t it? You have the most incredible taste. Where can I get a jacket in that color?”
Thalena laughed, swatting him away. “Archie Bramwell, you big flirt. Stop that.”
He looped his hand with hers and pulled her to a cluster of chairs in the middle of the store. “One day, that old husband of yours is going to kick the bucket and you and I are going to have a night on the town you’ll never forget. I’ll even let you buy me a drink.”
Her gasp was less believable than her laugh. “You’re a scandalous heartbreaker! You mustn’t say such things.” Her face turned a merry shade of pink as she sat, snapping her finger until Marik vanished into the back and reappeared with a tea tray.
I spent the next hour or so standing on a platform, staring at myself in a set of three mirrors as Marik tended to the measurements and hemming of the single gown I was to take home, making a note of others to be sent later.
“The seamstress will need to make adjustments, of course,” I said, picking at the fabric. “That won’t be a problem, I assume? And for the next, this shade is too light for my complexion in the winter. The fabric will have to be dyed.” I snapped my fingers at Marik, feeling slightly awful for the act. “Are you taking notes?”
“Y-yes, my lady,” Marik said over the pins in his mouth as he marked the gown for length. “Got it all in my head.”
I hadn’t asked about the price and honestly, I didn’t want to know. Each coin the members of the Fray had to spend to maintain their status must have been a burden. To have watched that homeless boy in the Hollow and imagine him freezing in an alley while you slept warm in your bed had to do something awful to their souls. But at least it proved they had one. Whatever the details of the transaction, I forced myself to ignore it. Lady Paesha would never consider the cost of a single gown. And that was my role. So, I didn’t.
Harlow and Archer sat with Thalena. The women had tea and gossiped in low whispers, while Archer sat with his ankle on his knee pretending to read a book. He might’ve fooled everyone else, but I’d watched his eyes. He hung on every word the women spoke. But then so did I because the topic had, of course, drifted to one of the biggest mysteries in Stirling.
“They say he has fiery red hair, but I think that’s nonsense,” Thalena said. “If the Lord of the Salt had red hair, he’d be too easy to spot.”
“I bet you’re right,” Harlow answered, sipping her tea. “I hear he has some kind of magic that makes him invisible. They say he could be right here at this very moment and we’d never know.”
“That’s unlikely.” Archer said, finally putting his book down. “Several gods are on the hunt. If he was using power, I think they would know.”
The gods?
As in plural?
What kind of man could run from multiple gods? Had I… Oh, shit!
Had I made a deal with a god to find the Lord of the Salt for his own gain and not to get home? Was I stuck here, hunting a man that even the gods couldn’t find? It took everything in my power to school my face into something remotely calm as Harlow looked down at the man stitching my hem.
“Sorry, Marik. It must be awful to hear his name.”
He solemnly dipped his chin before going back to his work. “Nothing to be done now, my lady.”
Thalena finally addressed me. “Our poor Marik here… he used to be one of us. But his fortune was stolen from under his nose and now we’ve taken him in as a sort of charity case. I have a very big heart when you get to know me. Isn’t that right, Archer?”
“The biggest heart in Stirling. That’s what I always say.”
It was a miracle she couldn’t see through his lie, but she just smiled and nodded. Still, I didn’t miss his wink in the reflection of the mirror when she turned away. I was beginning to panic that I hadn’t done my job well enough. Hadn’t quite laid it on thick enough. Since the Lord of the Salt was apparently everyone’s enemy, even the members of the Salt, it was looking like I was going to be here longer than I wanted to be.
I stewed over his name and wondered why he’d earned the title as the fitting went on. Harlow watched the door closely. Likely either pining for Willard or planning her escape if this all went downhill. The unsightly business owner, with an abnormally long nose and permanent scowl, hadn’t spoken another word to me, but the mirror betrayed her curious glances. I just needed to take it a bit further.
I traced my fingers along the waistband of the gown. “We should discuss this seam. Honestly, who is your head seamstress? Or do you have a tailor? Maybe I should speak to them directly.”
“I’m quite capable of relaying notes,” Marik answered with a glare.
I hadn’t been given boundaries and fully intended on traipsing right over the top of them if it meant pushing my way toward more people that might know something about the Lord of the Salt. If the true currency here was secrets, then Thalena had to be a prime target for me.
“I’ve not seen you write down a single thing.” I stepped from the platform, “and quite honestly, after being robbed seconds from entering this godforsaken city, I’d say it’s not wise to trust anyone here… aside from my dear husband, of course.” I spun, staring Thalena in the eye. “I’m sure you’ll understand.”
“I only hire the best,” she answered, rising to the bait. “I’ve had each of my employees fully tested and their skills challenged to the highest limits to dress me alone. I would not lower my standards for my patrons.”
“I’m not entirely convinced,” I said, letting my eyes slowly wander through her exquisite shop. “I’ve seen no fewer than three snags and loose threads on your display gowns. Not to mention the rather underwhelming choice of fabrics. I require something far more refined, more… exclusive.”
Thalena’s eyes narrowed, and her posture stiffened. “Perhaps you are mistaken. My materials are sourced from the finest mills, and the craftsmanship is unparalleled.”
I raised an eyebrow, feigning boredom as I trailed a finger along the hem of a nearby gown. “In your opinion. But for me, such imperfections are simply unacceptable. If this is the best you can offer, I’m afraid I must take my business elsewhere.”
Truly, each piece was stunning. Most were made of silk or satin and in these frigid temperatures, I couldn’t imagine choosing to put it against my skin. But what would someone who didn’t have to spend time outside care?
Harlow cleared her throat. “I can speak for the quality Thalena’s workers produce. We should get something to eat. Take a break. Archer?”
“Oh, I’m not hungry,” I said, walking over to a wall of ribbons. “Shall we try another shop? Was the other one something starting with a ‘D’? I’m so terrible with details.”
Harlow’s eyes widened to the size of saucers as she grabbed Archer’s arm for backup. “She’s kidding, of course.” The laugh that followed was forced, but the glare at me wasn’t. “Aren’t you?”
I spun dramatically, lowering my chin as I lifted a brow to Thalena. “You’re hiding something, aren’t you?”
“I don’t know wh?—”
“I bet you’re just like my favorite girl back home. She keeps her best inventory in the back.”
Thalena paused. We both did.
She opened her mouth to retort, then snapped it shut. Then started again. “Marik, be a dear and bring Mrs. Noctus the Gideon dress. Slim the sleeve, drop the waist a fraction and pair it with the Tobens. Those will be the ones with the narrow strap.” She turned to Harlow, whose jaw was on the floor. “I must be off now. I’ve got tea with Roswen.”
“You can’t stay for just five more minutes?” Archer said, pulling his coin from his pocket to flip it in the air. “That’s too bad.”
“You know how these things are,” Thalena said.
“Thank you for coming by this morning. We appreciate the promptness and attention to detail. I’m sorry for the… you know,” Harlow said, eyes flashing at me.
“Don’t be silly. It’s a woman’s prerogative to know what she likes. I welcome you to peruse any of the other dress shops in Stirling. You won’t find another that’s more suited for the ladies of society. Of that, I’m sure.” She walked casually to the door before turning back to me, all pleasantries gone from her face as she pointed. “You should try on that hat, dear. It matches your strange eyes perfectly. Consider it a gift.” She waited, tapping her fingers on her purse until Marik darted forward and opened the door for her. With a huff, she strolled away, leaving a trail of pungent floral perfume in her wake.
Harlow sank into her seat the moment the woman was out of eyesight. “Thank the gods. Paesha, what in the world were you thinking?”
“Don’t be so dramatic. That went perfectly.” I said sweetly, eyes flashing to Marik before placing the hat on my head.
Harlow looked back at the door again.
Archer dropped his coin in his pocket and stole a hat from a mannequin, flipping it expertly. It landed with a plop on his head. He sank into the chair Thalena had been sitting in, swinging his legs over the arm as he swept the hat away in another parlor trick, occupying his hands as he asked, “Do we think she bought it?”
Marik stood, gathering his supplies. “She did. Don’t be too hard on Paesha, Har. If anything, I think Thalena finds her intriguing.”
“She was supposed to win her over, befriend her even. Not start a godsdamn war with the biggest gossip in Stirling.”
I lifted the edges of my dress, walking toward her to stare down my nose. “I did exactly what needed to be done. Weren’t you paying attention? She was so distracted trying to prove herself to me, she didn’t question any of it. If she believed for one second I was a Salt she wouldn’t have bothered at all.”
Archer’s chuckle began quietly but quickly grew to a full obnoxious laugh as he watched his sister stand with her mouth hung open.
“This is not funny,” Harlow said, swatting his arm. “Stop laughing.”
“You don’t have to be a mother hen in every situation. Look at her,” he said, gesturing toward me. “She’s got it under control.”
“But how did you know about the dress in the back?”
When I used my magic, there were times when it would pull me like I was hooked on the end of a fishing line, blindly following a tendril of power until whatever I hunted was near. But there were other times, few and far between, when I could see slivers of space around my targets. Visions of spaces in shadow. Thalena’s back room was the first I’d seen in Stirling, because something here with the magic was different, but I couldn’t tell her that. When people learned of my power, they had a tendency to use me. I was done being used. Meddling gods, dead bosses, fictional husbands and otherwise.
I walked behind the folded partition and started unbuttoning the dress. “I used to know an amazing tailor. He always kept his best work a secret. But Thalena seems the type to collect her worker’s finest for herself. I acted on a hunch. And I was right.”
I dressed quickly in the first gown we’d decided on, hissing as Thorne’s little golden book turned hot, nearly burning my skin.
His little love note inside was so endearing.
Paesha darling,
Since it’s been a few hours, I’m going to go out on a limb and assume you’re being difficult. Stop it.
Usually Right,
Thorne Noctus
I slid the pencil free and promptly drew a middle finger before signing,
Always right,
Paesha
Charming.
Would you happen to know where the vase that was in the entry hall went?
My house is vanishing,
Thorne Noctus
Sir Thorne Noctus the Third,
My room is boring.
Your new interior decorator,
Paesha V.
Paesha Noctus,
See how there’s no V in your name? It’s the same as how there’s no ‘The third’ in my name. And you stole flowers?
I wasn’t aware I was hiring,
Thorne N.
Thorne Noctus, the seventeenth,
You realize that I’m the only one seeing your messages, right? There’s exactly zero need to address them so formally, other than to flex your pretentious muscles. And about the flowers, I borrowed them. You can have them back when they die. Promise.
Not to toot my own horn, but you can’t buy skills like mine,
Paesha
How’s the dress shopping going? Thalena can be difficult.
Biting my lip, I contemplated how much to tell him. But Archer cleared his throat, and I knew they were waiting. I quickly scrawled,
We’re best friends now. See you at home, grumpy.
See you for dinner. Oh, and Paesha darling? You really should consider art lessons. I have no idea what you’ve drawn up there.
Use your vibrant imagination, husband.
With the snap of the book, I walked out from behind the partition to see the twins standing at the door.
“Har, if Will isn’t coming… maybe we should go up to the castle instead.”
“That is not up for debate, and you know it,” she said, warily. “Willard will be here. He promised.”
“But—”
“Let’s leave family matters off the table, okay? For one day. Please.”
Archer glanced at me, clearly weighing how far he wanted to push her. “You know we have to do this.”
“Stop it,” she ground out.
She stared at the street for several moments, watching people pace up and down. Time stood still as she waited. We all did. I sat in the chair, listening to the quiet sounds of Archer’s pacing.
He stepped behind his sister, softening as he placed a hand on her back. “He’s not coming. If we don’t go now, we’ll miss it.”
“I know,” she whispered.
“We’ve always been the best team anyway, yeah?”
She nodded, taking a large breath in before she faced me. “We have an errand to run. You’ll take the carriage and go straight back to Thorne’s house. The driver knows how to get there.”
“Listen, if you need help with something, I could?—”
“No!” they both said at the same time.
Harlow pushed the door open. “Just head back to Thorne’s.”
I saw myself in her at that moment. The familiarity with the disappointment I harbored in my soul was vast. I’d lived a good portion of my life in that state. It was why I didn’t trust a soul. A trait my parents had given me upon their abandonment.
“I’ll see you later then.”
We stepped out of the shop, splitting ways. They turned right, and I was to go left, and I did, until I was sure they could no longer see me. Then I hiked up my new dress and dashed into an alley, following them all the way through the city without either of them having a clue.