She takes a step, which seems to rob him of further words. Then another step. Another. Each one less tentative than the last until she stops before him. Slowly, she reaches a hand to his hair, running her fingers along the seafoam strands, studying them with keen interest. I feel like Dorian and I should leave, but I’m too afraid to move. Too afraid I’ll shatter their moment. Nadia runs her hand along the side of his face, then the curve of his jaw. Finally, her lips curl into a smile and she crushes him with a hug. “Dax,” she whispers.
His arms wrap tightly around her, and my eyes begin to water at the sight. He’s done it. He shifted forms and confessed his feelings. Or at least started to. I imagine he has much more to say, and I doubt he wants an audience for it. I nudge Dorian to start sneaking away, but as soon as we take a step, they break apart. We freeze, but Podaxis and Nadia only have eyes for each other. They stand apart just a moment before Podaxis rushes in and claims her lips with his. Just as fast, he pulls back, expression turning to terror.
“I’m so sorry,” Podaxis says. “That was brash—”
Nadia takes his collar and pulls him back to her, and his words are lost in another kiss. She winds her arms around his neck while he pulls her close, hands moving up her back, her neck. Hair pins clatter to the ground.
“Go, go,” I whisper to Dorian. Stifling our laughter, we skitter away backstage.
* * *
Later that night,I’m back at the Church of Saint Lazaro. I sit in the front pew, bundled in my sable-trimmed coat. Dorian’s sisters sit to my right, whispering furiously while stealing giddy glances at me now and again. To my right are Podaxis and Nadia, their fingers laced together. At the end of our pew, closest to the aisle, Glint McCreedy holds out his notebook, pen poised and ready to write at the first sign of anything interesting. Behind me, the nave is packed with spectators. It caused quite a stir when the sign outside the church stated the pageant is back on for a final Blessing Ceremony. I bite my lip and suppress the urge to fidget, doing my best to keep my hands in my lap. My eyes remain fixed on the dais, although it’s empty for now. Any moment, the pageant will begin.
I remember the first time I was here. It feels like an eternity ago. So much has happened in the week since I came here, seeking to end a man’s life. Even more has happened in the span of today, and I do wish I were snug in my bed. I’d even take stealing in the streets over this. The last thing I want is to become an exhibition, especially after my little speech I gave last time I stood on that dais. But Father Viktor insisted the bridal contest be postponed no longer. Tonight, the pageant ends.
And a new life for me begins…
I still don’t know what that entails. After tonight, everything changes. I’m a princess who no longer needs to hide. I’m a woman in love. I have my sealskin back. I can go anywhere, do anything.
Whatever I do, I’ll do it withhim.
My heart feels warm at the thought, and my nerves begin to calm. Just then, a figure steps onto the dais and goes over to the pianoforte. It’s Initiate Jeremy. He starts into a song, and the audience goes silent. My pulse quickens as a door to the side opens. Father Viktor enters the nave, followed by Brother Billius. Then it’s him. My love.
The three step onto the dais, with Viktor at the center. Dorian stands just off to the side. His eyes seek the front of the audience. It takes him less than a second to find me. When he does, his posture visibly relaxes, and his face flickers with a smile. I can tell he’s trying hard not to let his affection show too much. It’s not time yet.
Next, footsteps sound down the aisle from the far end of the nave, and the three remaining contestants—Briony, Greta, and Vanessa—take their places on the dais. I study their faces, wondering if they’ve been informed of tonight’s surprise. All seem in good spirits. Briony wears her signature gray wool dress although her demeanor is as confident as if it were a ballgown. Greta stands with a hand on her hip, chin raised, lashes fluttering as Sam Sputnik catches photographs from his tripod. I feel a flash of sympathy when my eyes land on Vanessa. Despite my opinion of her, I hate that she was tied up in a wardrobe by Zara. The girl didn’t deserve such cruelty, not to mention the murder of her chaperone. I seek signs of grief, but her expression is as haughty as ever. At least the bruise over her eye where Franny Delafonte punched her has receded.
Father Viktor steps forward and presses his fist to his heart. “Welcome, children of the Almighty, good people of Lumenas, to our final night of Brother Dorian’s bridal competition. May Saint Lazaro’s Holy Fire forever warm our hearts.”
“Blessed be His Holy Fire,” Dorian and Billius utter back.
Viktor spreads his arms out in a shrug. “Tonight is a bit unconventional. Not only has Brother Dorian chosen his bride, but his choice is a woman he’s already eliminated.” He pauses dramatically, which gives the audience ample time to gasp and whisper. It seems Viktor is learning the ways of a proper showman.
From the corner of my eye, I see Glint McCreedy’s pen fly over his notebook. I glance back at the three girls on the dais but find no shock on their faces. That must mean they’ve been fully briefed on tonight’s happenings. Relief runs through me, and I find my nerves settling further.
Viktor speaks again. “Before we get to Brother Dorian’s final choice, I’d like to hear from our three remaining contestants.” He turns toward the girls, voice lowering with sympathy. “I know you must be dreadfully disappointed that the man you’ve been courting has lost his heart to someone else, someone the three of you already saw leave the competition. Still, I have a feeling your experience wasn’t in vain. Vanessa Courter, tell us what life has in store for you after tonight.”
She steps forward with prim grace, then holds out her hand. The light catches something sparkling on her finger. “I said yes to Brother Billius.”
Another wave of gasps rolls through the audience, even from me. I look to Billius and find his lips curled into a smile. His gaze slides to Vanessa, his ruddy cheeks turning pinker. I still can’t help thinking of his gaze as leering, but if it works for Vanessa, I suppose I’m happy for them.
“Congratulations, Miss Courter and Brother Billius. I wish you two the best of marital bliss.”
Vanessa steps back in line, but not before I catch a soft smile on her face as her eyes flash toward her fiancé.
“Greta Garter,” Viktor says, “tell us where we can expect to see you next.”
She walks nearly to the center of the dais with swaying steps. With a shake of her hips, she says, “I’ve secured the lead role inThe Governess and the Rake.”
I’ve no idea what that means, but a few people in the audience let out whoops and whistles. Dorian’s sisters lean their heads together. “Oh, I’ve read that book,” Tabitha says. “It was mentioned in Queen Gemma’s Recommended Reads column a few months ago.”
Beatrice whispers back, “They’re making a play of it? Won’t that be…scandalous? That book is rather racy.”
“This is Lumenas, dear girls,” Glint McCreedy says, inserting himself into the conversation. “There’s no such thing as scandalous when it comes to theater.”
I stifle a laugh and return my attention to the dais.
“Congratulations, Miss Garter,” Viktor says. “I’ll be sure to attend opening night. Briony Rose, what will you be doing next?”
