Ari plops herself on top of the missive, face down, wings splayed flat. Her voice comes out muffled as she says, “I got fired.”
“Fired? From your modeling gig? Which one?”
She lifts her head, her parchment lashes heavy over drooping eyes. “All of them.”
“What did you do?”
“It’s not whatIdid,” she says, tone defensive. “It’s Spears Marketing’s fault. That’s the company I work for. They’re in charge of the adverts for Harvey Blandwell’s Hemorrhoid Potion and Intrepid Contraceptive Tonic, among others. Apparently there was a little outrage over my kitten photograph.”
“I doubt it was the photograph so much as the text.”
“Either way, this is the end for me. All my dreams have crumbled, thanks to the Modesty Committee.” She says the last part in a deep and mocking voice.
“What’s the Modesty Committee?”
She gives me a perplexed look. “Didn’t you see them outside the building? They had signs and everything. Why do you think I’m incognito today?”
I tilt my head, racking my brain. “Come to think of it, there was a group of women outside the building today, holding up signs on wooden stakes.”
“Didn’t they yell at you when you walked into the lobby?”
I think back and recall that maybe they did. I wasn’t in the best state of mind to notice much of anything, what with me skipping, humming, and reliving the euphoria of my weekend. “I just smiled at them and came inside,” I say with a shrug.
Ari stands up at once. “You…smiled at them? But you never smile at strangers. You hardly look at them. Why would you smile at my archenemy? Not just mine but your own.” At my furrowed brow, she continues. “They don’t just have it out for Spears Marketing. They’re on a mission to outlaw so-called inappropriate media of every sort and have waged war against every publication in the city that features mature content. It rose to a peak this weekend, with them standing outside bookstores, libraries, and newsstands, shaming anyone who even thought of buying what the Committee considers filth. Didn’t you hear them shoutingKeep smut out of our children’s handsandBare chests belong in the bedroom?”
My pulse kicks up. This can’t be good. I look around the editorial floor, at my colleagues scrambling from desk to desk or furiously writing. I was so caught up in my own happy bubble, I hadn’t sensed the tense mood until now.
“It’s all here,” Ari says, tapping her foot on the missive she’s standing on.
I pull it out from under her so fast, it sends her tumbling through the air. I scan the headline of the missive:Changes in Production Schedule Effective Immediately. It looks like a general notice sent to everyone at Fletcher-Wilson, which explains the mass panic. If we’re forced to make changes to our production schedule due to the current outrage from the Modesty Committee, it will affect everyone.
“Miss Daphne,” says a deep and stoic voice. I glance up to find Mr. Fletcher standing on the other side of my desk. “Please come to my office. I have unfortunate news.”
CHAPTER FORTY
MONTY
Walnut Avenue is the most upscale street in downtown Jasper, home to gentlemen’s clubs, high-end dining, a private ballroom, and an opera house. I spent many family outings of my youth on Walnut Street, amongst the affluent, snobbish, and incredibly boring patrons it caters to. I’ve made it my mission the last few years never to step foot on this side of town unless necessary for work, and I wouldn’t be here today if I didn’t have a reason.
The most important reason in my life.
I take a drag of my cigarillo, the floral smoke calming my frazzled nerves as I make my way past familiar buildings, brushing past aristocrats and wealthy businessmen in top hats and frock coats. My body recoils at how smothered a full suit makes me feel, but I needed to dress the part to prevent any delays in fulfilling my mission. My workday starts in an hour, so I don’t have much time. I’m determined to do this today.
I stop outside an enormous brick building with white columns along the first floor and tall arched windows lining the second. Gold lettering spells outThe Magnoliaabove an enormous pair of double doors with gold handles. My stomach tightens but I remind myself this is necessary.
Every Monday when my father is in town, he starts his day drinking tea and reading his broadsheets at The Magnolia, his favorite members-only club. It’s been his ritual for as long as we lived at Sandalwood Manor, my family’s city home. Which means, unless he’s off on business, he’s here now.
I take a deep breath and approach the butler at the door. I give him my name, and he disappears inside for only a handful of seconds before he returns to escort me inside. I’m not surprised at how quickly my visit was approved. Despite having disinherited me, Father likely kept me listed as family at the club, to make it easy should I ever want to come crawling back.
But I’m not crawling, nor am I coming back. I’m facing him head-on. I’m doing what I was always too afraid to do before.
The butler leads me into a wide room with mahogany walls and a white coffered ceiling. Dozens of tables paired with leather chairs are set throughout the room, most of which are filled with male—primarily human, as far as I can tell at a glance—occupants. I find Father at his usual table, his broadsheets out and a fat cigar between his lips. He doesn’t look at me as I claim the empty leather chair across from him, as if my presence is no surprise.
“Are you here to tell me I was right?” he says, turning a page in his paper. “You and that fae girl are an item after all, aren’t you?”
My fists curl on my armrests. Of course that’s how he greets me. “Good morning to you too, Father.”
“I looked into her,” he says, finally deigning to set down his cigar and broadsheets. He gives me an exasperated look and lowers his voice to a whisper. “She’s not a proper match. I know you need a fae wife so when your children are born…” He relays the rest with an arched brow, and I know exactly what he means. He’s always been adamant I take a fae wife so that when I conceive heirs, any fae nature they exhibit will be easily explained. “You cannot come back to the family unless?—”
