9
W hy Captain Greenwood’s daughter showed up in the dead of night wearing nothing but a rumpled dressing gown would surely be the topic of gossip for the rest of the week.
Lady Vanessa met me at the entrance, sleep mussed and disoriented by my sudden appearance, but welcoming nonetheless. She sent servants to prepare my room while my maid, Tizzy, drew me a hot bath. I was glad neither of them commented on my tear-stained cheeks.
The next day, I awoke in my own bed, surrounded by Misty and Pippin and their three-month-old kittens. It was well into the afternoon, a blade of golden sunlight slicing through the gap of my heavy velvet curtains. I took Daffodil, a sweet-tempered kitten despite being a ginger, and buried my face into her fur.
Are you going to tell me what happened? Misty said from above. She was perched on the headboard, her green eyes peering over me.
I almost sobbed at the sound of her voice in my head. “I missed you so much,” I croaked.
And I missed you. You’ve been gone for the better part of the month. Misty slinked down from her perch and rested her head on my shoulder. You’re upset.
“I’m fine.”
You don’t fall asleep in a pile of cats when you’re happy.
“I missed you and Pippin and the kittens. That’s all.”
I think you miss your husband.
“He’s not my husband,” I said resentfully. “And I see him every day.”
So it is about your husband.
I huffed. Misty placed a paw on my hand. Now let go of my daughter and tell me what happened .
I obliged, though reluctantly, and told her how Bennett had been acting and the whole debacle of him turning into a cat. Misty seemed amused by the latter.
Was he a calico?
“He was,” I said, surprised.
Misty sniffed. Thought so.
I laughed. It felt good to.
I wonder who would do such a thing , Misty meowed.
So did I. Giselle said the culprit would reveal themselves once Bennett returned to his normal self. Perhaps they would tonight. Whoever it was, they would surely be punished for crime against the crown. My heart seized at the thought of Bennett being the target of attack. Would they strike again?
It seems to me, Misty said, pulling me from my thoughts, that your fiancé has been preoccupied with work. Think of what he was like before he fell in love with you. He’s probably back to his old habits.
I stared at the ceiling. “Then did he fall out of love with me?”
Don’t be ridiculous , Misty said. No one can fall out of love with you.
I rolled over and buried my face into my pillow. “I don’t want to think about it anymore,” I mumbled.
Misty let me pet her for a bit before she said, You don’t think you deserve him, do you?
I squeezed my eyes shut.
“I’m scared, Misty,” I said quietly. “I’m scared Bennett will think the same.”
Misty meowed softly and nuzzled my cheek, her presence comfort enough. I had nearly drifted back to sleep when a knock came at the door, waking me and the kittens.
“Milady,” Tizzy called from the hall. “Miss Giselle is here for your dress fitting.”
I SURVEYED THE DUSKY lilac gown Giselle had whipped together for the Ambassadors Ball. The shade matched the hydrangeas in Queen Cordelia’s garden. It wasn’t unflattering, but I had gotten used to wearing sprightly greens or stately jewel tones. The lilac made me feel fragile.
“You look like a princess,” Giselle said. She pinned a jeweled brooch to my left shoulder. Gauzy chiffon flowed from the brooch to my opposite hip, then waterfalled to my feet.
I touched the matching comb nestled in my hair. Diamonds and pale amethysts, sparkling clear and watery pink. The latest fashion had all society girls wearing jeweled combs, but the pointed shape of mine looked far too much like a crown.
“Is this necessary?” I asked, prodding the sharp point.
“It stays,” Giselle said with a warning look. I lowered my hand. “I designed the whole ensemble around it.” She snipped off a loose thread before meeting my eye in the mirror. “I expected you to be at the palace.”
I looked away from the mirror. “Who made you do it?” I asked, ignoring her comment. “Is this another rebellion? Are you a part of it?”
Giselle raised her brows. “You think I would join a rebellion and betray the crown?”
“I-I don’t know. You left me alone with a stove!”
She laughed at that, though I was feeling far from amused. “Don’t fret, Narcissa. It’s not a rebellion and you have nothing to worry about.”
“I don’t suppose you’re going to tell me who it is,” I grumbled.
Giselle shook her head with a smile.
LADY VANESSA JOINED me for the carriage ride to the palace. She was wearing the same dressing gown she had donned last night, pale blue with tiny satin roses at the collar and cuffs.
“You didn’t have to escort me,” I said, half-apologetic and half-curious. She had nearly sprinted through the abbey gates when she saw my carriage leaving.
Now, barely out of breath and without a single strand of blonde hair out of place, Lady Vanessa leaned forward in her seat and gave me one of her wide-eyed, earnest stares. “Is there something you’d like to tell me, Cissa?” she asked.
She wanted an explanation for last night.
I fiddled with my hands, turning my engagement ring around my finger. The diamond sparkled as it caught the light. “I know I shouldn’t have come back last night,” I said. “It won’t happen again. Please don’t tell Father. It was...horribly inappropriate and I didn’t mean to shame you.”
Lady Vanessa furrowed her fair brows. “Darling, you didn’t shame anyone. What happened to you?”
I was glad the rattling of the carriage masked my shaking hands. “Bennett and I...fought.”
Lady Vanessa leaned back, looking surprised. “Really? In the middle of the night?” She lowered her voice. “Did he want to do something you didn’t?”
My face flushed when I caught her meaning. “No! He wouldn't—it wasn’t that.”
“Good,” Lady Vanessa said with a firm nod. Something told me she would’ve done something drastic if I’d answered otherwise. “Then was it a serious fight?”
“Serious?”
“Well yesterday your father and I fought about him leaving his soiled socks on my side of the bed,” Lady Vanessa said wryly. “But that’s hardly comparable to the fight we had when I found out he was a witch.”
“Oh,” I said. I never considered that Bennett and I would fight at all, much less the nature of our fights. He was nothing but calm and diplomatic and I....
“You’re frowning, dear.”
“It was my fault,” I said, easing back into my seat. I wanted to slump, but my corset refused to let me show such weakness. It was the only thing I could depend on to hold me together. “It wasn’t serious. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
Lady Vanessa raised an eyebrow, clasping her hands in her lap. “If it made you this upset, it must have been serious.”
I shook my head. I had been dramatic last night, that was all. Daylight always put perspective on things.
Still, as the pointed spires of the palace came into view, my throat tightened.