The effortless authority with which Taylor takes the lead is pleasant, though surprising for a woman. In spite of both of us wearing heels, we’re dancing literal and figurative circles around the other men and women here. She never looks down at our feet, only into my eyes or at the crowd of people around us.
“You know, my instructors would never teach me the ‘male’ part. Evidently, it’s improper for a lady to lead a dance, even if she’s to lead a region. Your tutors didn’t mind?”
“No.”
How verbose. “Maybe you could show me how to lead sometime.”
“Perhaps.”
Normally this kind of pithy conversation would bother me, but I’m more intrigued than annoyed. Dancing with me is exceptionally brazen, the kind of behavior one might expect from the spawn of a business owner, but she hasn’t tried to sell me anything or even mentioned my powerful father.
“You know, I saw you stalking around earlier.”
“Oh, yeah? How long have you been watching me?”
“Long enough to observe your trying not to get noticed.”
“It’s not often I can walk into any room unnoticed. I enjoyed the anonymity.” Her head inclines to indicate perhaps she thinks this is reasonable, but I can’t shake the feeling she knows I’m withholding. “I like to watch people.”
“Here I was thinking we would have nothing in common,” she muses. “What did you observe?”
“Typical gossip. Who’s sleeping with who, who made some deal they think is brilliant. Chief Jones is in the foyer licking his wounds because a crazy woman almost egged him into performing an execution in my ballroom.” Her eyes roll—atad bashful, a tad defiant. “Lots of people talking about Silas McGovern.”
“Not surprising,” she says mildly. “Leader McGovern’s assassination is shocking news.”
“The murder of his entire family is more shocking. Assassinating a leader at least has precedent in the early days after the Rift. Killing his children is horrendous. The eldest wasn’t even ten years old.”
Taylor remains neutral. “I suppose the perpetrators felt it a fair trade for their freedom. It is not a forgiving place for most.”
Via an illegal backchannel, I’ve seen the photographs of men and women lynched from sturdy oaks, murdered for committing “crimes against nature.” It strikes a dissonant chord deep within me. “Evil doesn’t excuse evil.”
“What would you propose?” Momentarily stumped, I shrug. It’s not often anyone actually gives a shit what I think. “You are the next region leader, Miss Piccolo. You surely have some idea of how to negotiate, even with traitorous rebels.”
“Negotiation isn’t exactly strong in the Piccolo genes,” I reply. “What would you do?”
“I don’t matter.” She dances us out of the way of two guests drunkenly clawing each other with ravenous intent. We exchange a chuckle and continue our dance on the fringes of the floor. “You are the heir. It is what you think, what you do, that matters.”
“I…I don’t know.”
Based upon the little scoff she emits under her breath, Taylor doesn’t find this believable. My involvement in running the region has steadily increased, especially as efforts to distract me with a suitor have been unsuccessful. I want to do my duty, but the amount of power involved scares me to death. And part of me isn’t afraid of the power. I don’t like that part of me.
“I suppose I would try to understand what the rebels want and reach a compromise without the bloodletting.”
Taylor smiles, her practiced feet coming to a slow stop. “And you said you didn’t know how to lead. You ably defused the situation between myself and Chief Jones.”
“That’s nothing. Being a good hostess is what proper ladies do,” I say with only a slight edge of sarcasm. “Not leaders.”
“Maybe you are both. Though, admittedly, I am not well versed in what proper ladies do.”
“No? You dance like one.”
“I am glad my form is acceptable, though I do not enjoy dancing.” Off my look, she elaborates, “Just because I can, does not mean I like to.”
This woman is a host of contradictions; she possesses Underclass sympathies, but she dances like someone well bred. She claims to not like dancing, but by how closely she’s holding me, I’d say she’s not hating it. “So, why are you dancing with me? Because I stopped Chief Jones from arresting you?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, please, I don’t believe for one second you’re only dancing with me to repay favors. I’ll find out who you really are,Taylor. And what you really want,” I say with a wink. “I can be very persuasive.”
