Tes rolls her cherubic blue eyes—the only angelic part of her—at the sentiment, and the rest of them shift uncomfortably in their seats, like I’m a schoolmarm about to scold them.
But I don’t let their reactions deter me. I skip over the heartfelt emotions and cut right to the point. “Things have changed since we signed our contracts, and I know you must have noticed. I know we’ve always sought to use our Gifts to help our clients and provide a service for our community, but I can’t be the only one who’s had to scale back on appointments with those who truly need me in favor of those who can pay me the most.”
No one says anything for a minute. Tes is the first to work up a response. “My clientele hasn’t shifted much.”
I force back an eye roll of my own. Tes’s Gift of bending metal doesn’t exactly lend itself to charity, though she will often offer her skills to building houses throughout the city, assuming they will provide options for those who have a lower income, and for those Gifted who are in need of shelter. I turn to Rosa and Helen. “What about the two of you?”
Helen shrugs, but her throat bobs as she swallows, belying her casualness. “I’ve still been able to make time to help victims identify their attackers.” Her ability to read memories has often been usefulto those who have suffered a crime. Helen’s olive cheeks turn a light shade of pink, and I wonder if her relationship with Stratford City’s law enforcement has changed. I wonder which victims—and which attackers—are getting the benefit of her time now that Lady M is in charge of managing it.
Rosa straightens in her seat, her thick black hair falling over one shoulder in a cascading wave. “I’m still seeing all my old clients in addition to my new ones.” It sounds like a brag, but we can all see the dark circles under her eyes, the dullness in her normally luminescent golden-brown skin.
“You’re only sleeping for four hours a night,” Bianca points out. It’s unlike her to speak so boldly, so I know she must be worried about Rosa. The two often work together, as Rosa’s Gift allows her to suppress specific parts of the mind, including pain receptors.
Rosa opens her mouth to argue with Bianca, but I hold up my hand. “I don’t want this to turn into a fight. We’re all on the same side here. I just wanted to check in and see how you all were faring under this new system.” I really want them all to tell me I am right. Not just because I want to be right, but because I need them to see what Lady M is doing to us, and to the club.
“Lady M isn’t wrong, Cate.” Meri finally speaks up, having bitten her tongue for far longer than normal. “We have been living here for mere pennies, bringing in such a scant amount that we can barely cover our own room and board.”
“But we didn’t come here for wealth,” I argue. “We came here to have a safe home, and to help people when we can.”
“We’re still doing those things,” Bianca says, though she doesn’t sound totally convinced. “We all just needed a little shift in perspective.”
I look around the table at the women I have considered my bestfriends for most of my life. Not one of them meets my eyes. “So you are all happy, then? With how everything is going?”
“I’ve been able to send money back to Talia, in addition to paying down my debt here,” Meri tells me. “Things are still rough there.” Her voice softens, and I know she is thinking of her home province. “It’s different for you, Cate. You and Andra have been here for so long. You don’t have the connections back in the provinces that the rest of us do. Of course we want to help our clients, but we also want to help our families.”
The others nod, and it’s a stab directly in the heart.
Because these women are my family. I hadn’t realized they didn’t consider me theirs.
I sit back in my chair. I had hoped to come here and gain some allies. Not that we’re waging a war, but the truth of the matter is I don’t trust Lady M and I certainly don’t trust her motives.
But maybe I’ve been reading this situation all wrong. Maybe the one they should all be wary of is me.
—
Bianca comes tomy room a few hours later, an hour before Callum Reid is scheduled to arrive for his first lesson, to help me into my dress, pull the laces on the corset that transforms my already generous figure into nothing but ample curves.
“Have you seen Andra today?” I grip one of the posts of my bed as Bianca yanks on the ties at my back.
“Not today, but I’ve been busy seeing clients.” There’s a hint of something in Bianca’s voice, something that makes me want to poke and prod, ask her if she still thinks Lady M is the best thing to ever happen to La Puissance, despite what she insisted on earlier today. Maybe away from the rest of the girls she’ll be more open with her feelings.
But I don’t push the topic just yet. Bianca wants to see the good in everyone.
Bianca finishes lacing me up and helps me step into one of my favorite costumes. The bodice is all gold glitter, sparkles covering my chest and torso, leading down to a frilly gold skirt that’s short in the front and long in the back, showing off my shapely legs.
She tucks a gold-and-diamond-studded comb into my hair, which I’ve pulled up into an elegant updo. “Do you know how you’re going to handle him?”
I shrug, as if I haven’t been pondering this very question. I didn’t tell anyone—even Andra—about my ulterior motives in meeting with Callum Reid. Everyone thinks he’s coming to see me because I’m Lady Caterine and my reputation precedes me. No one knows my plan to make him fall in love and spill state secrets.
I have mere days to make Callum Reid trust me enough to reveal his plans for the Scotan killing period. If I were anyone else, I might be concerned. But once I have His Highness under my spell, once he finds release at least once in my presence, I can twist his emotions and make him trust me. I don’t think it will take more than a day or two before I have Callum Reid positioned exactly where I want him: falling at my feet and head over heels in love. The thought sends a quickly-becoming-familiar shiver racing down my spine.
Bianca smooths the skirt of my dress. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
“Of course I do.” I push my shoulders back and my chest out, studying my reflection in the mirror above my dressing table. I line my lips with my signature red paint, letting it act as a shield of sorts.
Bianca blows me a kiss and leaves me alone with my thoughts. I might feel confident about my ability to manipulate Callum Reid,but I can’t hide the irritating feeling in my chest that none of this is going to go how it should. I may not have the Gift of Sight like my sister, but my intuition is rarely wrong.
And speaking of my sister, I haven’t seen her since yesterday morning. I haven’t had the chance to tell her the good news—that in just a few days we’ll be free of the control Lady M is trying to exert over us. I had been hoping to see her this morning, to see if she could give me any hints as to what might be headed my way. But I guess I’ll have to go into this first meeting with Callum Reid without her guidance. The thought sends another flight of butterflies through my stomach, not the good kind.
