“Well, we only have to bear most of these people for the occasional soiree,” Arielle said. “I don’t know about you, but I have no plans of getting heavily involved in the politics of either New Atlantis or Peregrine City.”
“My talents don’t lie in that realm,” I teased.
“Oh, and where do they lie?” Arielle responded, the flirt clear in her tone.
I swallowed in discomfort. This was my fiancée, and I should be able to respond to her advances. However, I’d always needed a connection, a comfort and depth for attraction that was difficult to find.
I’d only ever met one who sparked that to life, and they were forbidden territory.
“Not in business,” I responded, realizing I’d waited too long to respond.
“Thankfully, my father doesn’t need assistance there,” Arielle said cheerfully. “He likes to keep his pursuits private. Despite the human contacts he has here, most of his upper echelon are merfolk in New Atlantis.”
“What’s it like down there?” I asked as we meandered along the corridor that led to the ballroom. Bustle and noise filtered from our destination, but I wanted to claim a few moments of peace before we faced everyone.
“Terribly dull,” Arielle said. “And a bit depressing. The orichalcum miners are a morose lot. They live below in the Pockets.”
Ursuline’s family was from down in New Atlantis, and I couldn’t help but remember the distance in their expression, the flash of sorrow there.
“Please tell me you can at least formal dance?” she said as we neared the entrance. “My father’s going to be glowering at us the whole night. Reputation among his human peers and all that.”
“I’m trained in the basics,” I said. “Enough that I won’t embarrass us.”
We stepped up to the entrance. Already murmurs reached me, the genteel sort that came from others of our station rather than the comforting kind from the staff. I straightened my spine, mentally donning my armor.
“Come on,” Arielle said as she took the lead into the ballroom. “A glass or two of champagne and things won’t feel as dull.”
The room had been transformed in the hour I’d been away from it. The staff had set out the crisp cream tablecloths and well-lined place settings, and the chandelier lighting had been dimmed for better effect, as if the whole place flickered with tiny flames, and those wide windows showcased the sprawling yard. A few families that I unfortunately recognized milled around the dance floor, chatting amongst each other. A four-piece quartet had set up on a platform in the corner, and a light melodythreaded through the room, as formal and prosaic as these gatherings always managed to be.
“Oh, look,” Arielle said, yanking me in the direction of Theodore, one of the staff who walked around with a tray of champagne. We stepped in front of him, and he offered me a soft smile. Arielle didn’t even acknowledge him as she snagged a glass. I took one as well and mouthed “Thank you.” He bobbed his head in a nod. Before I could ask him how he fared during this, Arielle pulled me away.
Before the Vandergorns could intercept us, Arielle made another abrupt turn, and we were face-to-face with her family. Frederick, Darla, Olivia, and Pearl entered the room together, bringing with them a sort of hush. My parents clung on close behind the Triton family like barnacles, as if they could absorb wealth and stature just by proximity. Behind them were a few others who had similar sharp noses, taller height, and the pale and smooth skin of the Tritons I’d met. I assumed they were part of the family, even though many of the Triton connections wouldn’t be showing up tonight.
And I was one of the few humans who knew why.
The secret simmered under the surface, and when Frederick glanced in my direction, warning flashed in his gaze.
Understood.
I took a sip of my champagne, focusing on the fizz of the bubbles, the mixture of dry and sweet on my tongue. Better than focusing on most of the people here. Maybe once the events of tonight concluded, I could continue on my latest piece in the studio. The ability to regularly put paint to canvas without having to sneak to Jason’s soothed something in my soul, and it was the one good change that had occurred in the past month.
“Elrich?” Arielle said, tugging at my arm. “Let’s go mingle. I think I see the Friedrichs over there, and I abhor their oldest.”
“So we’re steering clear?” I asked, following her stare over to the four individuals who huddled together on the opposite side of the dance floor.
Arielle beamed at me at let out a peal of a laugh. “Oh, definitely not. I’m going over to gloat.”
I heaved a sigh.
This was going to be a long, excruciating night.
Chapter 11
An hour in, and I was begging for an exit.
My parents hadn’t said more than two words to me, and despite Arielle’s promise to stay by my side through this, her company had lasted all of fifteen minutes. When Darryl Gershwin started flirting with her, making eyes, she responded in kind, and they’d been glued to each other the entire night.
My stomach churned as I sat at a table, searching for an avenue out. A few, I think from the Jessenthal family, clustered on the other side, but no one engaged with me other than passing judgmental looks, which was fine. I wasn’t sure what to say to them anyway. Arielle spun around on the dance floor with Darryl, and I couldn’t help but feel like even more of a failure. This was the one thing I’d been required to do—marry the woman—and I couldn’t even hold her attention. My parents kept shooting me glares from a few tables over, as if they expected me to storm in, break Gershwin’s nose, and start dancing with Arielle. However, I couldn’t fake attraction there, and chances were, I’d only annoy her in the process.
