I stared at him for a moment before I burst out laughing. My joyous sound caught the attention of the rest of the room, and more than one person gave me a disapproving look. I shrank beneath their attention.
“Perhaps some fresh air would be better than this stifling atmosphere,” he insisted.
“There you are, Mr. Crestmoor!”
The shout came from a middle-aged woman with ample body on her short frame. She swept up to the man’s side and latched onto his arm. “You are so cruel to me! I have been trying to speak to you all evening, and here I find you in this corner speaking with a young woman.” She paused and looked me over before she raised an eyebrow. “I do not recall seeing you before, my dear. With whom did you come?”
Oh boy. My lips ran as dry as my brain as I tried to remember the name of our benefactor. “I, um, I’m with-”
“She’s with me,” Crestmoor spoke up as he smiled at me. “She’s my protege for the evening. I hope you don’t mind, Lady Worthington. I couldn’t resist inviting such a beautiful creature to your party.”
“Mind?” she cried out with enough volume to catch the notice of all the people around us. “Why would I mind? You can invite anyone you wish, dear Mr. Crestmoor! She whipped her head to her right, and her eyes lit up. “If you’ll excuse me, darling, there’s someone else I must speak with! You two enjoy yourselves!” And with that, she swept herself away.
Crestmoor moved closer so he stood by my side, and our arms almost touched. His sharp gaze lay on where our hostess had vanished. “Quite an interesting woman, if one doesn’t mind listening to mindless prattle.”
I cleared my throat. “Thank you for saving me back there with her question.”
He returned his focus to me. “Have you no chaperone here, Miss-?”
“You can just call me Thorn, and I had someone, but he’s a little busy right now.”
Crestmoor lifted an eyebrow. “Him? Then you have a date?”
I laughed and shook my head. “It isn’t that serious. He just wanted to show me what one of these parties was like.”
“I see. And what do you think of them?”
I swept my eyes over the room and sighed. “I’m not really sure. There’s a lot of good food, but it’s, um-”
“Please, Thorn, you are among friends in my company,” he assured me with his sly smile. “Whatever is on your mind, I beg of you to speak it.”
I sheepishly smiled at him. “I guess it’s hard to get a word in edgewise with this crowd. They really like talking about themselves.”
Crestmoor stared wide-eyed at me for a moment before he burst into low laughter. He gathered himself quickly and nodded. “You’re quite right, Thorn. The present company is very fond of bragging about their achievements.”
“But you’re not like that?” I guessed.
He took a sip of his drink, and his dark eyes sparkled. “I’m so well known that I don’t need to brag. Everyone is already aware of my achievements.”
“I’m not.”
He paused mid-sip and studied me over the rim of his glass. “Well, one would need to be in trade to know my name. What happens to be your business, Thorn?”
“I’m a, um, a professional singer.” Pirate Companion wouldn’t have given me brownie points among that crowd.
His eyebrows shot up. “Truly? I might wonder that since I don’t recognize your name, you have yet to reach the heights of singing in the Celestial Hall.”
“I, um, not yet, but I’m still trying.”
“I might wish for a demonstration,” he mused with a twinkle in his eye as he offered me his arm. “Shall we?”
I blinked at him. “Shall we what?”
“Go out into the garden. I wish to hear this voice of yours. I may be able to set you up with an interview with an agent. That is, unless you’re bragging is as epic as the rest of those in our present company.”
I shrugged and looped my arm through his. “I don’t see why-” The false magic over my arm shimmered like disturbed water. I jerked my arm out of his hold and tucked my limb behind my back.
Crestmoor lifted an eyebrow. “Is something the matter?”
