Chapter Five
Blackmail or Bluffing?
“Goodness,” Lady Vivian said, setting her gloves on the seat beside her. “You could cut the tension between you and Lady Sophia with a knife.”
I smiled. “I’m not sure my presence today pleased her.”
“I should think not. She’s been attending events in your name for the past six months.
When Lady Georgina told me you were attending today, I was quite sure she was wrong.
” She patted her cheeks. “According to your sister, you’ve been unwell for quite a while, so I was shocked to hear you say you’d fallen down the stairs. ”
“Gosh, six months? Really?” My eyes widened. “I’m ashamed to say I hadn’t noticed. It wasn’t until earlier this week when I realised many of my invitations were from lower-ranking noble houses and none were from the main houses.”
“How did you find out about today?”
“I asked the maid who’d brought me the invitations who’d sorted them, and she couldn’t lie to me. Apparently, my stepmother has overseen them for a few months. When she brought them to me, the invitations were already open.”
Her eyes twinkled mischievously. “That explains Lady Sophia’s missing RSVP.”
“Oh, I have no idea what you’re suggesting.” I rested my hands in my lap and smiled innocently. “As Lady Blair said, things do get lost. The messengers and errand boys only have so many hands, after all.”
“Of course.” She grinned. “Well, Lady Sophia was sufficiently embarrassed today, so I doubt she or Marchioness Vermillion will be replying to any of your invitations anytime soon.”
“I should certainly hope not. It would be terribly awkward if they did, since I only accepted one other and sent rejections for the rest.”
“Where else did you accept?”
“Marchioness Velian,” I answered. “It’s her first tea party, and with it being ten days away, I thought it would give me enough time to rest after the spring ball this weekend.”
Lady Vivian nodded. “Are you attending all the events?”
“No, only the ball on Sunday. I’m still recovering from my head injury, and I can excuse myself from the ball if necessary. I wouldn’t go at all, but I cannot refuse an Imperial invitation.”
“Quite right. Well, I will be at the ball escorted by Lord Ivan, so I will introduce you both then. My brothers will also be in attendance.”
In other words, she would introduce me to her brothers who, as far as I knew, were all single… and would all be deemed suitable marriage prospects by my father.
Hmm. Not the worst thing in the world.
“I would be honoured.”
“I must confess, Lady Alicia, I don’t have to pick up my cousin’s dress. I merely wished to speak more with you.” She tilted her head to the side. “I’ve heard many things about you, but none of them seem to match up to what I’ve seen of you in person.”
“I’ve heard something similar from my father,” I said gently. “But there is a theory that one’s personality can alter after a life-changing event, so if I’ve changed, then perhaps my accident is the reason. I suffered quite the severe head injury, after all.”
“That’s very true. I’ve seen mages who have undergone almost a personality transplant after a magical mishap.
Why, there was one around eight years ago who ended up speaking another language entirely.
My father had to bring in a translator to identify it as none of us had ever heard it before!
As far as I know, she transferred to the region the language was from and has lived there ever since.
” She paused. “Either way, I quite like you, and I especially like how you appear to have kept your sister in check. I was under the impression that your stepmother and siblings walked all over you.”
Wow.
There was a great view of me out there, wasn’t there?
“They may have in the past, but I almost died. It’s put a few things into perspective for me.” I smiled. “I have decided to live for myself.”
“A noble cause. Where are you going to collect your dress?”
“I was planning on visiting Madam Fontaine’s. I wasn’t able to get a dress made as I didn’t have enough time, so I was going to see what she had available.”
She eyed me speculatively, then reached back and knocked on the partition between us and the coachman. “Excuse me, coachman?”
Harry slid it open, leaning backwards. “Yes, Lady Trelawney?”
“Good sir, would you mind changing course to the Trelawney estate?” Lady Vivian asked. “We have some sudden business there before Lady Alicia visits the town.”
“Of course, my lady.” Harry pushed the partition closed once more.
Lady Vivian turned to me with a smile. “I had more than one dress prepared for this ball, and one of them simply does not suit me, but I think it’ll look divine with your colouring. Would you humour me by trying it on?”
“I couldn’t possibly accept a dress from you.”
“Of course, you can. I cannot see the eldest daughter of Marquess Vermillion attend the biggest ball of the year in a dress from the rack. Besides, as I said, it doesn’t suit my colouring.”
“Are you sure?”
“Quite sure.” She peered out of the window. “Ah, we weren’t too far away. We’re almost here.”
She was right. The Trelawney estate appeared before I knew it, and I quickly became acquainted with Lady Vivian’s no-shit attitude.
I was swept out of the carriage and into the mansion by her with our maids scurrying along behind us.
Lady Vivian gave orders as we moved, sending maids scattering through the house.
By the time we reached her dressing room, the most gorgeous green dress I’d seen in either of my lives was already waiting for us.
It was the exact colour of my eyes.
It had a strapless sweetheart neckline, and the bodice was adorned with exquisite silver beading that was concentrated in the centre of the bust. It stretched down as if it resembled a stomacher jewel, and the adornment lightly petered out as it reached the skirt.
The skirt itself was made of light material, and the layers of it fell like waves, giving it an almost asymmetrical look. More layers of a lighter material were attached to the waist, and the main layer had stitching that perfectly matched the beading of the bodice.
No.
Beading was wrong.
It was jewelling.
The dress was adorned with tiny diamonds.
There was no way I could accept this dress.
“Lady Vivian, I—”
“There are also matching gloves,” she said, taking a small box from a maid. “They’re quite short, but we felt long ones would take away from the bodice.”
“I can’t accept this,” I said quickly. “It’s far too much.”
“Nonsense.” She handed the gloves to Bella. “We’re the same height and about the same size, so it shouldn’t need too much altering. Everyone will help you try it on.”
“I can’t—”
“Think of it as a token of our friendship.”
Damn it.
She had me.
I stared at her for a second, then sighed. “You win.”
She grinned. “Then call me Vivi.”
“Only if you call me Allie.”
She clasped my hand in hers, and that playful twinkle was back in her eye again. “Deal, Allie.”
Lady Vivian Trelawney—your worst enemy or your most loyal friend.
I’d earlier wondered which one she’d be to me.
I had my answer.
***
“That was exhausting,” I said, collapsing into the carriage.
Bella giggled as she took the seat opposite me. “Lady Vivian is quite full of life, is she not, my lady?”
“That’s a very polite way of putting it.” I shook my head. “I’m very thankful for the dress, but it feels like far too big a gift. Especially since we’ve only just met properly.”
“She must have taken quite a liking to you. From what I’ve heard, she can be quite cold to those she doesn’t like.”
“Yes, I think Sophia had some of that treatment during the tea party today.”
“I suspect the marchioness will be unhappy when you return home. You should brace yourself for it.”
I waved my hand. “What can she do? The invitation was addressed to me. Father won’t be happy to hear they’ve been taking my invitations and Sophia has been going in my place. Besides, he’s already aware I was attending the tea party today as I told him yesterday. I did that deliberately.”
“You are quite wise, my lady.”
“Thank you. I think so.” I smiled at her. “I was prepared for a fight when I made the decision to respond to the invitations, so don’t worry so much. There’s nothing she can do to me this close to the ball.”
Bella eyed me concernedly for a moment, then sighed. “I suppose so.”
Gosh, she was so sweet.
I’d always been marginally uncomfortable with the power dynamic where a friendship was concerned between a lady and her maid in novels like the one that I was living in.
It sometimes felt as though the maid had no choice but to be friends with the lady she served, but I was now viewing it in a whole other light.
I could feel how Bella cared for me.
Granted, she didn’t know I wasn’t the Alicia she’d been serving for the past few years, but she also hadn’t treated me any differently. I was sure she’d noticed that I wasn’t necessarily the same person as before the accident, but she’d not said a word.
I could tell her the truth, but what good would that do? Would she even believe me? How would you even tell someone something like this? ‘The previous soul of this body died and I woke up here, sorry about that.’
It sounded crazy, no matter how you put it.
Harry stopped the carriage at the main street and helped me out.
Bella had our cloaks hidden in a gift box, so it looked as if she were just carrying something I’d purchased.
Harry had given me a crudely drawn map of the shopping district yesterday afternoon, and I’d studied it hard, so I knew exactly how to get to Illusion from here without having to take the carriage nearby.
I bade him farewell, and Bella and I set out on our walk towards the tea shop. We ducked into an alleyway to put on our cloaks to hide our identities on our way there, and we made it without being seen by anyone.
Anyone who mattered, that was.
After entering the tea shop, I repeated the same greeting I had when I’d come last week. The woman behind the counter must have recognised my voice, because she nodded to Allegra who again took me upstairs.
This time, Bella went straight into the waiting room while Allegra popped open the secret door. “Mister Jinx is waiting for you, my lady.”
I barely stopped myself from laughing. Of course, he was. “Thank you.”
I ducked into the dim pathway, brushing away a low dangling cobweb. Jinx was sitting in the middle of the room, lounging back on one of the sofas as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
He probably didn’t.
His expression lit up when he saw me. “Lady Alicia. How honoured I am that you’re back so soon.”
This smarmy prick.
I pulled down my hood and met his eyes. “I suppose it’s only right that one of us is happy with this turn of events. Tell me, Mister Jinx, do you think I have nothing better to do than return to this place again?”
He held up his hands and gently shook his head. “As I told both you and your maid last time, there’s nothing I can do, my lady. My master is a very difficult man to see.”
“Am I to assume that your position hasn’t changed?”
“I’m afraid not.”
“Then we have a problem.” I waited until he looked up and met his gaze. “You see, I don’t like it when people waste my time. Even if you waste my maid’s time, you’re wasting my time.”
He smiled widely, shrugging with his hands held out as if it wasn’t his problem. “My lady, do remember this: I told you the first time you came here that not just anyone can see my master.”
“Do I look like just anyone to you, Mister Jinx? The last time I checked, the eldest daughter of House Vermillion, the empire’s first sword, was not just anyone.”
He stilled at the bite in my tone.
“When I ask for a meeting, I expect it to be granted. That said, I know that your master is a very busy man, so I’ll be gracious.
” I walked over to him and loomed over him, folding my arms across my chest. “I expect to hear a positive response from him within the next three days, by the end of the spring ball.”
Jinx held up his hands again, shrinking back from me as far as the sofa cushions would allow. “I don’t think that’s possible.”
“Then I suppose I’ll have to pay him a visit at home.”
“I cannot give you his address, my lady.”
“You don’t need to.” I held Jinx’s gaze.
“Or perhaps I should invite my new friend, Lady Georgina Alansia, to my residence for tea so we can get to know each other better after her tea party this morning. On the other hand, I am a lady of marriageable age, and Duke Alansia has two sons in need of a wife, does he not?”
Jinx swallowed, panic flashing in his eyes. “My la—”
“My father would consider either of the Alansia sons a most excellent match for me. Perhaps I should request that my father arrange a meeting with His Grace to discuss an arrangement between me and his eldest son. After all, I am very interested in learning more about the future duke’s business dealings, if you catch my drift. ”
Jinx leant back so far that he almost melded into the sofa cushions. “All right, all right. I get the feeling you aren’t bluffing here, my lady.” He sighed, running his hand through his slicked-back blonde hair. “I’ll make sure he gets the message.”
I straightened and took a step back. “Three days. If I don’t hear anything by the time I leave the spring ball, I will ask my father to contact Duke Alansia. With haste.”
“I’ll tell the master, don’t worry.”
“Oh, and you should also let him know this.” I pulled up my hood and paused at the entry to the passage. “If he’s going to keep me waiting until the last minute, he should be aware that I only expect to be at the ball for an hour.”
Jinx sighed wearily. “Yes, my lady.”
I smiled. “Good day, Mister Jinx. I look forward to hearing from your master.”