Chapter 8 #2
Tapping the pages, Sarah raised her brows at Rose.
“What is important for you to think about right now is what they ask for besides your mere presence at court as an intimidation factor. From King Soren, there is a detailed appendix of what will be considered your included responsibilities. The contract also provides for this scale of bonuses depending on the difficulty of various special projects you might be asked to do beyond your standard duties. That’s where it gets interesting. ”
Rose took the detailed list from Sarah, somewhat intimidated by its length.
Standing around being ornamental and having a fearsome reputation, which she decidedly hadn’t earned yet, was one thing.
Being expected to perform some of these magics …
“I don’t know how to do even half of these,” she said with a sinking sensation, “especially not at these scales.”
Sarah patted her hand. “I’d venture to say that no one does. Remember that your education at Hendricks is only laying a foundation for you to learn. You’ll continue to grow in your skill and abilities, especially given challenges and problems to solve. I wouldn’t worry about that part.”
Something in Sarah’s tone gave her pause. “What part should I worry about?”
“This.” Sarah handed her a second appendix. “This is a list of expectations for your appearance, dress, domiciles, and so forth.”
Numbly, Rose took that list also. Also long, excruciatingly detailed, this appendix enumerated down to the jewels the sort of court style she’d be expected to maintain on a daily basis—and pay for.
“This is where I save you the math,” Sarah said crisply.
“In order to comply with this standard of living”—she tapped the seemingly endless list of purchases Rose would have to make, including …
a castle of her own? That hardly seemed practical—“you would have to spend out at roughly twice the rate of your standard wages.”
“But … but that means…” Rose had been reduced to stammering.
“Exactly. Unless you were able to perform many of these bonus assignments, and I do mean most, if not all of them, you would accumulate debt at a faster rate than you can pay it off. You might have opportunities to take on freelance work for extra coin, but those would have to be approved by your primary employer. I feel safe in advising you that King Soren is a possessive sort and unlikely to give that permission often or at all. Especially given Zarja’s cautionary tale, in that she lost Oneira because of a freelance job that enabled the sorceress to pay off her debt.
No one will want to make that same mistake. ”
Rose sat, stunned, unable to quite put two thoughts together. Her dreamy, sparkling future suddenly looked … grim.
“Fainting couch is there for a reason if you need a moment,” Sarah said, not unkindly.
“No,” Rose replied, though she didn’t sound convincing. “I’m just thinking it through.”
“Not a lot of romance to this part.”
“The other offers then,” Rose said, pulling herself together, “do they require me to spend less to maintain a particular image?”
“None of them ask for that degree of output, but all require some standard of living that you will have to pay for, outside of the board you’re given at your employer’s place of residence.
But they pay commensurately less. To be brutally honest, none of the offers so far will allow you to pay down your debt unless you take on extra or outside work—if you’re allowed to—and even then it will be a stretch. ”
“But that…”
“Isn’t fair?” Sarah grimaced. “No one is interested in making this system fair.”
“So, how do I decide?” For the first time since she was a child, Rose felt the weight of the blood geas, that gleaming wire net under her skin, its constriction tightening on her thoughts as she tried to think of ways out of the trap so neatly laid for her.
“Frankly, you choose the one you can live with, making the assumption you’ll live the rest of your life in that place, under those constraints.
Sometimes employers sell contracts, but not often and, if they choose to do so—or if they choose to lease you for a period of time to someone else—you won’t have a choice in the matter.
This is my job, to guide you on the least worst deal financially that will also allow you the best chance for personal happiness. ”
Personal happiness? That could mean Sebastien. She liked him better than anyone else and he brought her great satisfaction in bed. If she accepted Soren’s offer, she could relax her guard around Sebastien, as they’d firmly be allies.
Sarah read it in her face. “If you’re thinking that the answer is King Soren’s offer, first—you don’t know that His Highness Prince Sebastien will end up back in his father’s court, as he will also be obliged to choose a contract, and second …
I can’t advise that offer. Either financially speaking or as providing the promise for personal happiness. ”
“But it is my choice,” Rose replied stiffly.
“Of course.” Sarah gave her a wistful smile. “You will be the one to seal with your own blood whatever contract you choose. I can only offer my best advice. Shall we go through Queen Zarja’s offer in detail?”
Hours later, Rose returned to HASP, eyeing the dignified edifice with a considerably more cynical attitude.
She understood now why Sarah Older had insisted on a six-hour appointment.
Following the bruising introduction to the reality that would be the rest of Rose’s life, they went over every offer in painstaking and painful detail.
Sarah had done her the dubious favor of calculating the rates of likely debt accumulation or payoff—almost always the former—for every offer.
Not that Rose didn’t appreciate the extensive preparation Sarah had put into the effort.
The numbers simply didn’t lie. At one point, with a pounding headache, Rose had taken advantage of the fainting couch, just to rest her mind a moment.
Sarah had produced a restorative drink, a fizzing blend of fruit juices with a solid punch of alcohol.
Not enough to muddy her decision-making, Sarah had explained wryly, but sufficient to soften the blow somewhat.
Though nothing could truly soften the stark choices Rose faced.
All she wanted was to find Sebastien and forget herself for a few hours in his arms, in the sheer sensual bliss of his touch.
He had a way of banishing all her thoughts until she existed only in the moment, floating in an erotic cloud of blessed sensation.
These last weeks with him had been the happiest of her life.
She hadn’t realized the true depths of her loneliness until Sebastien filled that hole.
He was the balance she’d needed without knowing it and he would be able to reassure her that her life could still be a good one.
She wanted nothing more than to tell him all about the appointment, but Sarah had reminded Rose before she left that her counsel was private and contained proprietary information.
Rose wasn’t to share any of it. With anyone. She probably shouldn’t have told him where she was going, but she could trust Sebastien not to tell.
“I’m sure you understand now,” Sarah had said with a significant lift of her brows, “that I wouldn’t be in business at all if the academies knew what kind of advice I’m dispensing.
As far as someone like His Majesty King Soren …
Well, he might find executing me the simplest way to silence me.
Especially should you decide to refuse his offer.
He can’t know that I advised you against it.
I’m trusting you to be discreet, with my very life. ”
So, instead of finding Sebastien—she shouldn’t really seek him out publicly anyway—Rose headed straight for her tower room.
Pacing in a circle, Rose paused at one of the tall windows with its expensive glass, looking out at the wintery landscape.
Though it was technically early spring, deep snow blurred the contours of even the stern walls surrounding the academy grounds.
She’d never before felt like a prisoner, but the sensation settled into her bones as if she’d been physically chained.
A familiar knock rat-a-tatted on her wooden door, unmistakably Sebastien. She went to unbolt and open the door for him. Nina and Nonna, tongues lolling in happy greeting, trotted in with him.
“It’s not close to lights-out yet—” she began, cut off by Sebastien’s welcoming kiss.
His arms came around her, comforting and warm, his sunshine scent as delicious as his heated mouth on hers.
The world resettled into place, full and meaningful again.
She fell into the dreamy dizziness that Sebastien brought her, his personal gift of being fully alive.
“I couldn’t wait a moment longer to see you. ”
She laughed, charmed by him, soothed, feeling as if she’d come home. “Silly,” she said. “I’ve only been gone a few hours.”
“More important,” he added, pulling back to scan her face with an eager smile, his gorgeous green eyes alight with excitement, “I couldn’t wait a moment longer to hear your news! How many fabulous offers did you receive and just how wealthy and infamous will you be, my queen?”
She tugged away from him, keenly aware of the secrets she’d been enjoined to keep, and bent to pet the hounds, using long ear rubs as an excuse to avoid meeting Sebastien’s questions.
More than anything, she wanted to tell Sebastien everything, as she’d become accustomed to doing.
They’d lie entwined together at night, watching the dancing shadows cast on the ceiling from the fireplace, and tell each other stories of their lives.
Sebastien had become her best friend, knowing more about her than her parents ever had, even her father.
She should be able to tell him everything from this so very important day.