The music halts abruptly, and I enter the room, finding her stepsister, Ember, rising from the pianoforte. Like the first time I saw her, she wears a large bonnet that almost obscures her face. She offers me a smile, which I return behind Imogen’s back.
“Go away,” Imogen barks at Ember. “You too, Clara.”
Another girl, one I’ve only met once or twice, sits up from where she’d previously been lying on one of the couches. Nearly identical to Imogen with her blonde curls and pouty face, Clara whines, “I was here first. Besides, I have a headache.”
Imogen strides up to her sister, hands on her hips. “It should be better now that Ember’s racket has been cut off. Now, get out so I can speak to darling Gemma alone.”
With a huff, Clara stands and drags her feet to the door, giving me not even a moment’s glance.
As soon as the door is closed, Imogen rounds on me. “I cannot stand the suspense. Come and explain this nonsense at once, for I feel I might faint.” Eyes unfocused, she takes her sister’s place, lowering onto the couch and patting the seat next to her.
I ignore the gesture and claim the chair across the table instead. “It is as you already know. I’ve accepted a job.”
She stifles a cry of alarm, bringing a hand to her lips. “Gemma, you cannot. Have you any idea how this looks? No man wants a wife who works outside the home. It makes you seem…poor.”
So many arguments spring to my lips, but I crush them with a false smile. I know where my justifications will get me with Imogen. Bloody nowhere. Which means it’s time for me to take the lead. Leaning forward, I prepare my lies behind a mask of apology. “Imogen, I know how distressing this must be for you. Seeing me employed wasn’t part of your designs for my happiness, and I know my father tasked you with finding me a husband. But I’m not sure anyone could have refused the job I was offered.”
“How so?”
“It’s just…my employer. He’s not a person one can say no to.”
She scoffs. “It’s easy enough when one is rich like you are. What use could you possibly have for a job?”
There’s no answer I can give her that will make her understand, so I’m left with but one thing to say. Lowering my voice, I infuse my tone with a conspiratorial air. “Imogen, dear, why did you never tell me a fae royal lives in Vernon?”
She pales, mouth falling open. “Excuse me?”
“Well, technically, he lives just outside of town. You’ve met him, though, haven’t you?”
Her face flashes between shock and irritation. I can only imagine how incensed she is that I appear to know something she does not. “A fae royal, you say?”
“Yes, and such a refined fae gentleman, at that. I thought for sure you would have met him, considering you are such a popular young lady in town. Then again, perhaps he has yet to make any acquaintances in Vernon. He has just taken up residence here. It’s his vacation home that’s nearby, and I have been tasked with managing it.”
Eyes wide, she shakes her head in disbelief. “He can’t be a royal. I refuse to believe it. What is he, some minor nephew of a lesser prince?”
“He is far higher than that, although I’ve been sworn to discretion regarding his title. But I promise you, your head would spin if you knew just how royal he is.”
“I still don’t believe you. How did you receive such an offer to begin with?”
“Oh, I saw an interesting ad in the paper.” When I see her opening her mouth to continue a similar line of questioning, I add, “Can you keep a secret?”
Snapping her lips tight, she scoots to the edge of the couch cushion, leaning so far forward I fear she might take a spill to the ground. “Tell me at once, Gemma.”
I lower my voice further. “My employer is in want of a wife.”
Her expression hardens and a flash of rage sparks in her eyes. Her tone turns cruel, cold. “Oh, and let me guess? That’s the real reason you’ve accepted this job. You’re hoping to scheme your way into his bed chamber, then secure a royal husband. You think you’re clever, but royals don’t marry their servants.”
My fingers ache, begging me to curl them into fists, to twist my lips into a sneer. Instead, I plaster on an innocent smile. “Oh, no, you mistake me. I am not asking you to keep this secret on my behalf, but for my employer. That is why he’s asked me to be discreet. He wants someone to love him, not for his money and his title, but for himself. And I fear if word gets out that such a wealthy and refined fae royal is seeking matrimony, he’ll be inundated with callers and he’ll never be able to find true love. And he must find love quickly. He is to be married in three months’ time.”
All suspicion and scorn dissolve from her face, replaced with hunger. “Three months? Why so soon?”
“Isn’t it just as you’ve told me before? A man with a mind to marry has no time to waste. A woman in search of his heart must act with haste.”
“And you honestly don’t plan on trying to claim him for yourself?”
I place a hand on my chest. “Saints, no. I assure you, my employer has no desire to make me his wife, and we’ve already agreed our relationship is strictly business. Like you said, royals don’t marry their employees. I am out of the question.” I pause, releasing a wistful sigh. “But I do feel like I should help him. If only I could find the right person for him without inviting the attention of every woman in Vernon. It would make things so much easier.”
Imogen’s lips part, and I know the seed has been planted in her mind. She’s all but salivating over the tempting morsel I’ve laid at her feet. Placing a hand on her heart, her voice comes out soft, controlled. “Oh, Gemma, you are a good soul. I believe you are right in what you hope to do for your employer. It would be cruel to unleash all the women of Vernon on him at once.”
