Chapter 10
The day of our engagement party had arrived, and I’d been dreading it.
Social affairs in high society were something I loathed, and this time I had a whole different family with their own set of expectations—plus my parents.
The fact the Durand family would be there was far from a comfort.
Angus and Mina would be analyzing my every move, making sure I upheld our family’s reputation, or else.
A knock sounded on my door, startling me out of the whopping nothing I’d been doing apart from absently staring at my pressed and hung-up attire for the evening.
“What’re you doing there?” Arielle said, sweeping into my room. She wore a gauzy pink dress that swished when she walked, and her eyes sparkled like she held a secret. “Meditating?”
I snorted. “I was never very good at meditation. Your mind is supposed to be blank, and mine always wandered.”
She plonked down next to me on the bed, with a casual familiarity I wished we actually had.
But no matter how hard I tried to get to know her, she remained a bit guarded and elusive beneath that sunny exterior.
It’d be easy to chalk her up as superficial, but I didn’t believe that about people.
Everyone had emotions, cares, fears—some people just chose to ignore or hide theirs away from the world.
“I’ve tried it a few times, but same,” she said. “Meditation class is boring as sin. Just like this engagement party is going to be, unfortunately.”
“Not looking forward to your debut as my fiancée?” I joked, even though the words tasted like ash on my tongue.
The more we talked about our engagement, the more my soul rioted.
When our arrangement was in the abstract, I could ignore it, but moments like this where we would set the date we’d be bound together by marriage…
they shredded the dreams I’d held from an early age.
Of finding something real. Someone who’d love me with a depth that rivaled the ocean.
Not this farce of a role I’d been forced to play by our families.
Arielle let out another tinkling laugh. “Papa and Mama have gotten off my back ever since you proposed, so I have to thank you for that. I don’t mind being married, so long as I’m free to do as I like.”
That was where we differed, I supposed. I hated the constraints of the society I was born into.
“We’ll enjoy the food tonight, the fanfare, and ignore the catty bitches who’ll have comments on my hair, dress, whatever,” Arielle said, swishing her legs back and forth. “They’re all jealous anyway.”
“What if I hate the fanfare?” I responded, my mouth drying at the thought of the spotlight. When it came to our society, that spotlight meant more focus on my mistakes, my inadequacies.
“Then you can stick to the food,” Arielle said. “I’ll navigate you through the rest.”
I offered a genuine smile at that. Even though she’d barely been around since I arrived here, the idea we’d be in this together tonight gave me a bit of solace. I’d been hoping for a bigger connection with the person I was going to marry, but for now, I’d accept a temporary alliance.
Hell knew I’d need it tonight.
“I suppose I’d better start the process of getting ready,” Arielle said, swinging her legs back and forth along the side of the bed. “I’ve got a lovely seafoam-green affair for the party.”
“Sounds beautiful,” I said, and she preened.
Arielle had a wild effervescence that felt impossible to pin down, impossible to know.
However, out of the Triton family, she was the only one willing to give me any acknowledgement.
Olivia and Pearl spent most of their time beneath the sea in New Atlantis, evidenced by the occasional glimpses I caught of them returning to land.
And whatever affairs Frederick and Darla got up to kept them far away from here.
Arielle hopped up from the seat she’d taken and strode to the door. “See you at the engagement party.”
With that, she vanished.
I made quick work of putting on my suit for the party tonight, the fabric form-fitting and well tailored in a way only money could buy.
Of course, I hadn’t gotten to choose it.
The colors were a deep navy with the insignia of the Triton family, since that was who I’d been bartered to.
My stomach churned, the suit a restrictive reminder of the society we were a part of.
However, I wasn’t about to bide the rest of the time until the party cloistered in my room. I stepped out and strode down the hallway. The estate hummed with an energy that had been lacking since I’d been here—probably because more people occupied the place.
Maribella strode in my direction, carrying a teetering stack of folded laundry. The top few towels shifted precariously, and I quickened my pace to nab them before they fell.
“Oh, no,” she said, shaking her head. “You don’t need to take those.”
“I’ve got nothing better to do,” I said, matching pace with her.
A few strands of her practical bun had slipped out of place, and the sheen of sweat hinted at how hard she’d been working.
The staff operated in full swing right now, and Jacques was probably cursing up a storm in the kitchen with the rest of his sous chefs.
“The party is in your honor, sir,” Maribella said, a hint of a stern note in her voice. She was barely older than me, though, and she had a sunny disposition that didn’t confuse me the same way Arielle’s did. “I can handle these.”
“Consider it a favor,” I said as we wound down the grand staircase and into a room I’d only peered into before.
The ballroom was tucked away on the far right side of the estate, and I hadn’t much use for an empty, lavish place like that.
The marble floors glittered, and sea glass and silver chandeliers created a beautiful juxtaposition to the black tables and chairs surrounding the main dance floor.
Wide windows showcased the sprawling emerald meadows with hints of the crystalline bay creeping into view.
The preparation was underway, and other staff drifted by, all of them moving with a calm sort of precision given their expertise.
Maribella strode over to the nearest round table and placed the stack of cream linens down. “Now, you go. Get prepared for tonight. This whole party is in your honor.”
“Would it be terrible if I skipped out?” I teased, even though I sorely wanted to. My stomach flip-flopped at taking the step to making this engagement that much more real.
Maribella shook her head, an impish grin on her lips. “You won’t want to. Jacques snuck in your favorite crab soup, just for you.”
“Oh, the guilt card,” I said. “How did you know my weakness?”
“You’re too kind, Elrich,” Maribella said, her eyes softening. “Don’t think we aren’t aware of how you’ve made an effort to get to know each of us. It’s appreciated.”
My chest squeezed tight. I’d tried to form connections back at the Durand Estate, but whenever I got attached, my parents would use the person as a bargaining chip when I didn’t conform to what they wanted.
However, the Tritons didn’t seem to need the same ironclad control over me.
Maybe here, I could make the friends I’d always wanted.
“Thank you,” I said, skimming my fingers through my hair. “I suppose I’ll see you at the engagement party.”
“We’ll be watching out for you,” she said with a wink, and then she began to place the tablecloths over the rounds. I sucked in a breath and took my leave, heading over to the doorway.
The nervous energy inside me hadn’t abated, but I had no outlet, so I strode into the kitchen and stepped out to the balcony.
The bay glittered before me, but all I could see was those moonlight waves as Ursuline and I had soared through the water the other night.
My heart thrummed at the reminder, and the reality that in a few short hours I’d be publicly pledging myself to another twisted my gut.
I hadn’t seen Ursuline around all day. Would they even show up to this? The Triton family didn’t need their lawyer to bear witness to our engagement party. I wasn’t sure if I’d rather they attend or prefer they didn’t.
The idea of seeing them while celebrating my engagement sent a sharp shard through my chest.
The salt-soaked air offered a small comfort, and I basked in it for a little longer, the sun seeping through the layers of my clothing, all the way to my skin. I wasn’t sure how long I stood there, staring out at the bay, but I lost myself in the dreamy blue.
A rap on the glass behind me snapped me to attention. I whirled around to see the last two people I wanted to face.
My gut sank.
The door opened, and my father and mother stood in view. I could feel their criticism from here.
“What are you doing?” Angus asked, his voice sharp. “You look disheveled.”
My mother tutted and beckoned me into the house.
“You showed up early,” I said, disappointed. I’d been hoping for a little more time, hoping the party would be underway once they arrived and I could avoid them more easily.
The coolness of the estate slithered over me, along with the unease. My parents hadn’t reached out once since they’d bartered me off. Not a single call. Not even a message. And now I’d have to face them alone.
The silence between us spoke volumes. Of blood that had never formed a family. Of a discomfort we shared.
“Am I interrupting anything?” Arielle asked, stepping into the kitchen.
Unlike before, she now wore a seafoam-green chiffon dress that looked ethereal but sparkled with gemstones in the beading of the bodice.
Her copper hair was in glossy waves down her back, and the makeup she’d applied made her features pop, her skin flawless.
She had a natural beauty that was guaranteed to make admirers flock to her, and she transformed into elegance and class with ease.