Coraline frowned. “Strategizing about what?”
“Yes, strategizing about what?” Seth repeated.
Phoebe gave a bit of a start, quite as if she hadn’t realized anyone but her friends would be able to hear her, before she shot a glance to Seth, then sent Annaliese a look that clearly begged for assistance.
Unable to ignore an unspoken request for help from a girl who obviously didn’t want a man she and her friends found dreamy to know they were cooking up some shenanigans, Annaliese returned her attention to Seth. “Since I’m going to assume there’s another lady code that pertains to disclosing key points when it comes to strategizing, you’ll have to puzzle that out on your own as well. With that out of the way—and no, now is not the time to do that puzzling—any thoughts as to what attraction might have drawn Norma Jean and Velma’s interest?”
Seth gave his stubbly chin another rub. “I saw a sign advertising a mermaid when I first arrived, but...” He nodded to Coraline. “You’re one of Norma Jean’s good friends. What do you think? Mermaid lady? Or was there another attraction that might have appealed to her more?”
“They weren’t going to see the mermaid lady because we realized that it wasn’t a real mermaid, merely a woman in costume,” Coraline admitted.
When Coraline didn’t expound further, the thought sprang to mind that getting a girl to talk when lady codes were evidently involved was quite like pulling teeth. However, since this wasn’t exactly the moment for teeth pulling, Annaliese summoned up her stern look again.
“Should I assume that therewasa specific attraction Norma Jean wanted to see, and an attraction you’re now going to tell me about, even if it breaks an entire slew of lady codes?”
For the briefest of seconds, Coraline didn’t respond, until Annaliese crossed her arms over her chest and arched a brow Coraline’s way, soliciting a wince in return.
After exchanging a look with Phoebe and Mabel, she returned her attention to Annaliese. “I suppose this is one of those rare times when a code is meant to be broken. But know that it wasn’t Norma Jean who wanted to see a certain attraction, it was Velma. She wanted to watch a magician saw a lady in half.”
A sense of relief was immediate. “Considering some of the other more questionable attractions I passed today—such as the fortune teller who claimed to tell people exactly how and when they’ll die, an attraction that could have left Norma Jean and Velma unable to sleep for weeks—going off to watch a magic show is probably not all that concerning.”
“Except that Velma didn’t simply want to watch the show. She wanted to be the volunteer who gets sawed in half,” Coraline admitted before she winced again. “After Velma said that, Norma Jean swore she’d figure out a way to make that happen, and unfortunately . . . Norma Jean’s very good at figuring things out.”
Three
“I don’t believe the wordincompetentsufficiently describes my aptitude as a decorum instructor, since a competent instructor wouldn’t have allowed herself to become so distracted by the plight of a performing monkey that she managed to misplace two of her students,” Annaliese muttered, matching Seth’s every step as they strove to keep up with Coraline, who claimed to know exactly where to find the magician, information she hadn’t hesitated to divulge after Phoebe started asking how sharp everyone thought the saw was that the magician might be using on Velma.
Seth took hold of Annaliese’s arm and tugged her out of the oncoming path of a clown who was a bit wobbly on the stilts he was using, probably because one stilt seemed to be longer than the other. Once clear of the clown, he found himself reluctant to release his hold on her after noticing a group of men eyeing her a little too eagerly—rather as if she were a tasty bonbon they longed to devour.
Frankly, he couldn’t blame the men for their interest as Miss Annaliese Merriweather was an unusual-looking lady, possessed of a face that was oddly symmetrical, something that had fascinated him from the moment he’d laid eyes on her a few months before.
That symmetry had left him wondering long into many a night whether most ladies who drew more than their fair share of attention were also in possession of symmetrical faces, and if the rarity of that condition was what was behind humans in general proclaiming one lady possessed great beauty and allure while another lady whose face wasn’t equally proportioned was considered less alluring.
“Shall I take your silence as confirmation that you’re in full agreement about my incompetency, and that you’re now attempting to come up with a response that won’t hurt my feminine sensibilities, but will encourage me to abandon my relatively new instructor post as soon as I return to the academy?”
Seth pushed all thoughts of symmetry aside. “I wasn’t contemplating incompetency at all, nor is there a reason for me to contemplate it as I believe you’re being much too hard on yourself.”
“I lost your sister.”
“I doubt Norma Jean considers herself lost. Besides, my sister would have been capable of slipping away from a more experienced instructor after she decided she wanted to watch Velma get sawed in half. Norma Jean would find something like that to be excellent fodder for one of those plays she’s constantly writing. And, if you haven’t realized this yet, my sister is incredibly headstrong and is quite accustomed to doing whatever she pleases.”
“I would have thought your mother would have put an end to the whole doing-as-she-pleases directly after Norma Jean almost got herself abducted.”
“My mother rarely exerts any effort when it comes to Norma Jean and her antics because Mother fancies herself an invalid. Because of that, she spends the majority of her time tucked away in her chambers, reading books that always seem to involve pirates, a plucky heroine, and high jinks on the rollicking seas.”
Annaliese’s forehead furrowed. “Shefanciesherself an invalid? That almost makes it sound as if you don’t believe your mother actuallyisan invalid.”
“Considering she shut herself in her suite of rooms all last month because she was convinced she’d come down with a horrible case of scurvy, forgive me for doubting the legitimacy of my mother’s fragile health.”
Annaliese’s lips began to curve, the realization striking him a second later that her lips curved in perfect unison, neither side quirking up more than the other, which truly was unusual, and...
“You don’t think that magician is actually capable of sawing a lady in half, do you?” she asked.
Seth forced his gaze from Annaliese’s lips. “It’s just an illusionary trick. Frankly, I doubt he’ll choose Velma as his assistant because I would think his audience prefers watching a grown lady sawed in half over a child.”
“Except you said that Norma Jean is incredibly headstrong, and she might not take his no to Velma as a firm no, quite like she did with that thief who stole the phaeton.”
“Maybe we should pick up the pace.”
