“Visiting right after the proposal?” I scoffed. “People will talk.”
Really, you have a dizzying intellect.
The contents of my vanity rattled as I searched the drawers for rouge. “I won’t let her win.”
My. Even when she’s in the dungeons your life still revolves around that woman.Misty turned up her tail and sauntered out the door, which Tizzy had left open.I’ll be in the kitchen when you decide to pay me some attention.
***
THE REST OF THE DAYpassed uneventfully. I took my breakfast and lunch in my chambers, mainly to avoid Father. Whenever I did see him, I caught him throwing apologetic glances at me. I wondered if he was the one who proposed the idea of marriage. Protecting the royal family—and thereby the kingdom—was his duty. If that involved pulling me into an arranged marriage, I couldn’t blame him.
But the possibility of all this being Mother’s plan still gnawed at my consciousness. Scenarios of every shape and form ran through my head. It was possible she still had access to her network of thugs. Perhaps they were the ones inciting riots, if not the actual assassins. But how? I was no longer sending messages to them through rodents and pigeons. Could she still have people working for her, even without her wealth and position?
I pressed my forehead against the window in frustration, the icy glass burning my skin. Even after years of living with her—of assisting her with the most unscrupulous schemes—I could not fathom how her mind worked.
Maybe Misty was right. I was in shock. I was being paranoid. After all, six months of solitude being broken by an assassination attempt could not be good for my health. I made a discontented noise in the back of my throat and collapsed onto the window seat.
A light tap next to my ear nearly sent me to the floor.
Lady Vanessa, of all people, stood on the other side of the window, smiling sheepishly. She had a plate in hand and a furry shadow against her skirt, which, if I wasn’t mistaken, was Misty.
I lifted the window with some effort.
“You missed dinner. I thought you’d like some dessert,” Lady Vanessa said, placing the plate on the windowsill.
“Thank you.” Pumpkin pie with a dollop of whipped cream on the side. Just how I liked it.
“And this little lady has been scratching at your door for some time,” she said, lifting Misty from the grass.
“Oh,” I said, grimacing. I had kept the door locked after lunch and somehow didn’t hear a thing. Misty jumped through the window and hissed at my outstretched hand. She stalked away.
I would have to sleep on the floor tonight, it seemed.
“May I?” Lady Vanessa asked, gesturing to the window seat.
I fiddled with my sleeves. Avoiding her forever was impossible. And after her outburst at Maddox last night, I figured the best thing would be to appease her.
She hopped onto the windowsill with the nimbleness of a woman half her age and settled comfortably beside me.
“Help yourself,” she said, gesturing to the pie.
I cut into the slice with a fork, though I had no intention of eating it in front of her. It felt a little too familiar.
Lady Vanessa leaned forward, clasping her hands before her knees. A few blond curls fell from her chignon. Even with disheveled hair she looked beautiful.
“If you don’t mind me asking, how are you feeling, Narcissa?”
I blinked, shifting in my seat. “Perfectly fine, thank you.”
She didn’t look convinced. “I see.”
A beat passed. I continued to push the pie around the plate, smashing the crust into crumbs.
“I was in an arranged marriage once,” Lady Vanessa said. “I was seventeen—younger than you. My father said it was my duty to marry into a good family. Preferably one with...influence, as he liked to call it.”
I glanced at her, wondering why she was telling me this.
“I was stubborn at first. Having the freedom of choice taken away from me was suffocating, especially at my age.” She sighed and straightened her shoulders. “But even then I knew I had to do it. My family was depending on me. We were on the brink of financial ruin, but my father had a title that was respected enough to make the match. Can you guess what happened next?”
