Brietta ran her fingers back through her auburn hair and shook her head. “Graduating early…because of my poetry? None of this makes any sense. I am not…I amnot ready!”
Brietta’s voice broke into a sob. I pulled her into a hug and let her cry onmy shoulder.
No one graduated from Ashmore early. The Ashmore founders made twenty-one the ideal age for marriage because women’s bodies were finished developing. Previous councils of Barons had pressured the Duke’s ancestors to lower the graduation age for a better chance at more heirs, but even that argument could not force Ashmore students into marriage before the supposed magic ageof twenty-one.
Besides, Duke Hyton had no desire to visit Ashmore for the last seven years, but had come unannounced just for Brietta? Duke Hyton was a boar of a man, but he was intelligent enough to haveulterior motives.
Anger burned in my stomach as I pictured the Duke using Brietta as a pawn in one of his games, but I calmed myself and continued consoling Brietta as shecried louder.
Annalisa groaned from the other side of the room as she sat in her undergarments at her dressing table. “Could you at least sob quietly, half-giant? I am tryingto concentrate!”
I glared at Annalisa. She rolled her eyes as she caught my reflection in her jeweled hand-mirror and applied a red wax mixture on her lipsand cheeks.
“Dinah, get me soot from the fireplace,”she commanded.
“Anna,” Dinah protested, holding her skirt in both hands, “I already put onmy gown!”
Each Senior wore a dress of white satin fabric that showed off some cleavage if a girl were blessed. The ball gown was adorned with black trim like the school uniforms, but each Senior had embroidered the trim on herown gown.
Our gowns were our only opportunity to show off both our embroidering talents and a little of our own personalities to the suitors. Dinah had embroidered her wrists and neckline to look like sheet music. Camille had stitched her sleeves with crawling vines. Annalisa never had the patience for needlework, but she had managed to sew simple flowers at the lowest part of her neckline to draw the suitors’ attention to her ample bosom. As for my gown, I had tobe sneaky.
I spent weeks embroidering the neckline and shoulders of my dress with hundreds of stars. Derrick would love the stars, but the two small ravens flying right over my heart were just for me—I wanted to remember home. Ashmore forbade House emblems in any form, but even the most eagle-eyed matron would not find the birds hiding in the night sky of myown creation.
The Suitors’ Ball gown was another important garment Brietta lacked—she was just going to the ball in her normal uniform. She would look underdressed and childish standing next to the four of us in our custom gowns, but no one could help her.
While I cared for Brietta, I had to outshine Dinah and Camille at the ball to ensure Derrick would marry me. I needed to devote what little time I had left to ensure everything about my appearance wasabsolutely perfect.
I worked out a loose thread from a star on my shoulder as Annalisa glared at her two best friends for refusing her command to fetch her some soot. As much as I had hoped either Dinah or Camille would be stupid enough to bend over the fireplace and stain their hems with soot right before they met Derrick, even they were too afraid to ruin their perfect white gowns. Their normal obedience to Annalisa’s ridiculous whims stopped when vying for theDuchess’s crown.
“You two are worthless!” Annalisa roared. She rose from her table and marched to the fireplace. Just as I had wished she would shove the two of them into the cinders, she instead bent over the hearth herself. Annalisa picked up some soot with her index finger, licked her thumb, and rubbed the two fingers together until she created a small drop of black paste. She returned to her vanity, grabbed her mirror in her left hand, and applied the paste to herblonde eyelashes.
“You know Headmistress Blackiston does not allow makeup at the Suitors’ Ball,” I said as I watched her nearly poke her eye out withher fingernail.
“She will not allowyouto wear makeup,” she snapped as she tinted her eyelashes black. “I can make it so subtle she willnever notice.”
Annalisa cleaned her fingers with a rag and stood up from the vanity. “Tighten me!”
Camille and Dinah rushed over and tugged her corset strings. As soon as Annalisa was gasping for air at a rate that satisfied her, someone knocked onour door.
I furrowed my brow. Who would dare bother us when the ball was only minutes away? I got up from my bedand answered.
Julietta stood in the doorway with a large pile of white fabric folded up inher hands.
“This is for Brietta,” she said as she handed methe fabric.
I unfolded the pile and the fabric came tumbling down. I raised my arms as high as they could reach to keep the fabric off the floor—it was aball gown.
Brietta gasped and left my bed to take the dress frommy hands.
“Since you will not be at Ashmore much longer,” Julietta said, “we figured you would not miss your bed linens forone night.”
Brietta’s eyes watered as she held the dress. “Jules, you are themost wonderful—”
“All the Juniors stitched it together,” Julietta cut in, blushing at the praise, “the fourth-years made most of the skirt, so do not dance too wildly tonight. I cannot guarantee the integrity ofthe construction.”
I could guarantee the dress had no integrity. The sleeves and the hem of the skirt were uneven, the bodice would hang too loosely, the neckline was too straight, and the fabric was thin. Still, a gown of bedsheets was better than wearing theschool uniform.
Brietta smiled for the first time in hours. “It isperfect.” Her smile dampened my cynicism over the linen frock and I walked over to help her intothe dress.
