Still, while he had her, he’d make the most of their time together.
19
Maeve was surprised to find that, in the handful of days off she had from her position to attend the spring festivals, she quickly began to miss not just Soren but also her students and Briseis. Without much of an excuse to leave the estate, she was soon commandeered to help her family prepare for the festival.
Dresses needed hemming, flower crowns needed braiding, and of course her mother had volunteered to bake an exorbitant amount of pastry. From the moment Soren set her down at the property line after taking her flying until late the next morning, Maeve was run off her feet.
Keeping busy helped distract her from missing him. She was usually excited for these annual festivals; they were a good excuse to see and be seen by others. Maeve had indulged in her fair share of festival dalliances. The celebrations were separate from normal time and rules; things that mattered before and after didn’t in those magical few days when the air was thick with blooming flowers and music.
Still, whenever her mind got a moment to itself, she couldn’thelp thinking about Soren and what he might be doing. He also had familial obligations; he’d said he was being put to work helping set up as well as minding Imogen Ahearn’s herd of prize goats.
As she donned her flower crown late that morning, redolent in sweet jasmine and bright peonies, she wondered if she might get a moment to speak with him. Even just a moment. She was curious to know what he thought of all the festivities. And wouldn’t it be something if she could lure him into a dance—
The swish of dark pink past her door caught her eye, and Maeve turned away from the mirror to call, “Blaire?”
After a moment, her sister’s head appeared around the doorframe, her expression wary.
“Yes?”
“Isn’t that one of my gowns?”
Blaire stepped into the threshold, revealing that, yes, she was wearing one of Maeve’s older gowns. It wasn’t a festival dress, and she didn’t recall seeing Blaire wear it before.
“Yes,” Blaire told the floor, “mama thought it would be all right.”
Their mother thought a lot of things would be all right.
Maeve waggled her finger, calling her sister further into the room. Blaire came, her face pinched, as though she awaited a tongue-lashing. The expression gave Maeve pause. Did Blaire think she’d mind so much about her wearing an old gown? Maeve did actually like that one, had been wondering where it’d gone from her closet, but the reason she’d stopped Blaire was to advise, “That hue of pink doesn’t suit you. Let’s try something else.”
Blaire blinked in surprise as Maeve opened her wardrobe and hunted at the back for what she sought. “Ah-ha!” she crowed, pulling out a cornflower blue festival dress from a few years ago. She’d worn it only the once, but now that she thought about it,this color was much better suited to Blaire.
“Oh, but…are you sure?”
“Absolutely. Now, turn around, I’ll untie you.”
Doing as she was told, Blaire turned and allowed Maeve to loosen her stays and pull the pink gown over her head. She replaced it with the blue, pleased already with how it looked against Blaire’s dark hair. She tied the ribbons tighter than she would for herself, she and Blaire of a similar height but her sister far lankier.
Turning her around, Maeve adjusted the sleeves before placing Blaire before the mirror and grabbing a blue ribbon to tie up some of her sister’s hair.
Maeve smiled to see Blaire’s wide-eyed look. “Oh, Maeve, it’s too nice, I can’t wear this.”
“We’re going to a festival, you should wear a festival gown.”
“Mama won’t like the neckline,” said Blaire, even as she traced the delicate embroidery along the bodice.
True, it was a bit more revealing of a gown than Blaire usually wore, and much more colorful, with its bright blue skirts and green and gold embroidery, but this was what special occasions were for.
“You let me worry about mama,” Maeve declared. To finish, she tied a matching ribbon with a gold pendant around Blaire’s slender neck. “You’re young and beautiful and deserve to feel pretty.”
Blaire’s cheeks stained pink. “Thank you, Maeve,” she muttered.
“Good,” said Maeve with a nod, linking their arms together. “Now, let’s go make everyone wildly jealous of you.” And despite Blaire’s sounds of protest, Maeve hustled her down the stairs and out to the festival.
She surprised herself again by walking with Blaire most of that morning. Her shy sister didn’t enjoy large crowds, and the extra attention from wearing such a bright, beautiful gown wasn’t something she knew how to handle. So Maeve stayed close.
It was the most time she’d spent with Blaire in…years, probably. Once she’d gotten over the initial shock of newness, as well as some treats in her belly, Blaire became chattier. She whispered the new gossip from the estate and Granach, and Maeve was interested to find that, being a quiet person, Blaire often went unnoticed and therefore learned and heard things others might not.
She provided plenty of warning about which of Maeve’s friends were now married. It proved useful when they ran into many of them. Maeve was pleased to see them and exchanged hearty greetings; she was even happier to find not all of them hustled their new husbands away from her as soon as they could.
