“Yes,” Ember admitted with a sigh. She hadn’t had a chance to explain the shoes to him last night during their dance. “Maybe I could try to arrange a meeting with him.”
“I do not think he noticed much of anything last night.” Bonnie finally lowered her book. “He was far too entranced by that lady in silver.”
Ember froze. “What?” she croaked.
Tiffany waved her hand again. “If I had had my sights set on him, I would have beenquiteput out. Once he saw her, Mr. DeVille had eyes for no other.”
“Her?” Ember whispered hopefully.
“The lady in silver,” Bonnie declared matter-of-factly. “She showed up late and danced only the one dance—with Mr. DeVille—but everyone was watching them. Her mask was so intricate, so different, and it was a perfect backdrop for her long red hair.”
Self-consciously, Ember pulled her simple braid over her shoulder, as if she could hide it from her sisters. “She sounds…lovely.”
“Mr. DeVille certainly seemed to think so.” Bonnie lifted her book once more. “She suddenly disappeared, and he went charging out the door after her. When he returned, he seemedquitedejected, and I saw him request brandy from a servant.” She shrugged, disappearing behind the open pages. “I assumedhe was so distraught at the way she had abandoned him, he went to get drunk.”
Did he?
How…delightful.
No,horrible.
Aye, delightfully horrible, of course. To have a man get drunk over her! How delightfully horrible.
But deep inside, a part of Ember gave a little shiver of excitement. A man had liked her company enough to drink when she was gone. How intriguing.
“Of course, we could not stay long enough to confirm my hypothesis,” Bonnie murmured, lowering the book just enough to cut a glance at Tiffany.
Ember turned to Tiffany. “You threewerehome earlier than I expected. What happened?”
She’d ripped both her stockings, running home last night like a crazed fox— Mare? A crazed mare? What sort of animal ran pell-mell?—
Oh, never mind.
The point was, she’d made it home just before her stepmother and stepsisters and had jumped beneath the covers on her bed, just moments before Machara had unlocked the door to check on her.
It had been hard enough pretending to be asleep, but it had been almost impossible to pretend when she was wheezing from all the exertion to get home first. Somehow though, her stepmother hadn’t noticed.
Tiffany, however, didn’t know any of that and waved her hand dismissively as she languished against the well’s upright post. “Mother objected to the way I chose to spend my time.”
“You were hiding behind a pillar with aknight, Tiffany,” Bonnie murmured from behind her book.
“I wasstandingbeside atreewith the most eligible bachelor in attendance,” her sister snapped in return.
Ah, so the man dressed as a knighthadbeen one of the Oliphant brothers.
“Really?” Ember prompted, just to be polite. “The Duke of Cashard?”
“It was Lysander Oliphant; I just knowit.” Tiffany sighed. “He danced with me,twice, and I noticed how close he held me as well.”
In armor? That must not have been very comfortable.
“Well…congratulations,” Ember hazarded, “but I thought your mother had her eye on the heir for you.”
“The Beast of the Oliphants?” Tiffany shuddered. “Have youseenhim? Like some sort of monster with all those scars. He was there at the beginning, scowling at everyone, but not for long, thank the Lord. Lysander is not only more handsome, but far more charming. A prince among men.”
Ember grinned as she collected the rest of the washing accessories. “A real charming prince, you might say?”
Tiffany snickered. “Do not be silly. This is not a fairy tale, and he is not perfect.”
“Oh no,” Bonnie began to giggle. “He is merely handsome, titled, and worth quite a lot of money.”
“Well…” Accepting the teasing in good grace, Tiffany shrugged. “Perhaps heisperfect.”
Tilting her head back to the sunshine, Ember shut her eyes and forgot about the fact she hadn’t had enough sleep last night, or that she’d missed her chance to sell Mr. DeVille her design, or that she’d lost a shoe.
She just stood with her sisters and laughed.
