“I am not a child,” he muttered.
She withdrew her hand, brows furrowing. “Very well then.”
I closed my eyes, hoping there wouldn’t be another family outburst just because my idiotic brother couldn’t keep his temper in check. People were already looking at us, some greeting Father and others blatantly staring at me.
Last summer when Father pronounced me as his daughter and not the late Earl Whittington’s, he received some disapproval for having me out of wedlock. But it seemed that his noble services to the kingdom outweighed his sins. I, however, had nothing to redeem myself.
Many among the guests were Mother’s friends, or rather, noblewomen who befriended her out of fear and desire to advance their own positions. The same women who sang my high praises now looked at me in contempt. My hair was on full display, half piled up with pearl pins and half cascading down my back. Tizzy chose the style for me as I had no preference, but now I wished she had covered my head with a scarf. Anything to hide the glaring fact that I was my mother’s daughter.
“Do my eyes deceive me? Greenwood!” a hearty voice exclaimed.
“Hello, old friend,” Father said warmly to the gray-haired gentleman who approached us. The dark mustache on his upper lip made him instantly recognizable.
Lord Frederick Huntington was one of His Majesty’s most trusted former advisors. He had stepped down to join the Royal Guard as a commander next to Father instead, claiming that regulating royal affairs was far more strenuous than maintaining palace security.
If I recalled correctly, he lorded over some parts of Coriva. Mother didn’t like him. She didn’t like any of Father’s friends.
“When was the last time you attended a ball?” Lord Frederick asked.
“Why, just last month. I was outside armed to the teeth. Didn’t you see me?” Father said, eyes twinkling.
Lord Frederick laughed a deep, bellowing laugh. “I see the cold hasn’t damaged your humor.” He turned his bright gaze to Lady Vanessa, Maddox, and me. If he was surprised by my presence he didn’t show it. “Ah, greetings! A rare family gathering, I see.”
Lady Vanessa inclined her head. “It is the winter solstice, after all. ”
“So it is! Unfortunately, that wasn’t reason enough for my wife and daughter to join me,” he said with a rueful smile. “They insisted on going to the opera to see some new singer or whatnot.”
“Celeste Carr from the Grand Alevine Opera?” Lady Vanessa asked. “She has been making quite a name for herself lately.”
Lord Frederick shrugged. “Ah yes, that’s the one. My Izzy has been talking nonstop about her, though just a month before she was begging me to take her to the palace to see the crown prince. But I suppose young girls enjoy a good show more than anything else!”
“Shame.” Father clapped him on the shoulder, clearly wanting to change the subject. “Say, Frederick, how is the security at Huntington Abbey?”
“Horsefeathers, Greenwood. You’re concerned enough about palace security. Why must you involve yourself with mine?”
“My son has recently taken interest in becoming a guard,” Father said, motioning for Maddox to step forward. Maddox looked ready to deny the blatant lie, but to my surprise, he forced a smile and joined Father and Lord Frederick in conversation.
No doubt the rest of the night would go that way for him. I took some pleasure in the fact that Maddox would have to suffer as much as I would.
Lady Vanessa touched my arm. “You look beautiful tonight,” she said, retracting her hand when I met her eye. “Green suits you.”
The gown she lent me hung much better after it had been tailored to my measurements. Still, I didn’t feel beautiful. Not after Mother claimed I had grown gaunt.
“Thank you,” I said quietly.
“I suppose we should leave the men to their own devices.” A smile pulled at the edge of her pink lips. “Perhaps you can introduce me to your friends if any are in attendance?”
I glanced at the table behind her, filled with flickering candles in small glass orbs.
Friends. What a novel concept.
“Or perhaps we can take a trip to the refreshments table? A spiced cider will warm us up nicely,” Lady Vanessa said.
I racked my brain for a polite refusal. The truth was, I didn’t want to spend the night with her. Not with the pity and guilt in her eyes.
Before I could think of something to say, Lady Vanessa shook her head. “How silly of me. A young thing like you shouldn’t be chained to her stepmother all night,” she said with a forced laugh. It was the first time she referred to herself as my stepmother. She wasn’t looking at me anymore, which was a relief.
Instead, she stepped back and retrieved a candlelit orb, pushing it into my hands. This one had a blend of snowy blue and periwinkle glass, textured like a honeycomb. The surface felt like ice despite the large flame flickering within.
