I watched the servants take away my jacket, and after Lady Sarnai exited the room, Lorsa approached me. His tone was dismissive, as if I’d already lost. “Her Highness wishes you to take her measurements. Meet her in the Orchid Pavilion.”
Now? Dread unfolded in the pit of my stomach, but I nodded.
• • •
The Orchid Pavilion was in the heart of the Summer Palace, surrounded by shady willow trees, a medley of birds in gilded cages, a spectacular garden, and a courtyard of royal apartments where the shansen’s daughter resided.
I was sweating by the time I reached it. Lady Sarnai’s head maid cast me a disapproving look. “You’re late,” she said. “Her Highness hates it when her visitors are late.”
Late?I had come as soon as Lorsa told me.
“I’m sorry,” I mumbled.
The head maid thrust a handkerchief in front of my face, and I dabbed my sweat with it. Then the doors, tended by a guard on each side, slid open.
Lady Sarnai’s chambers were the grandest I’d seen yet. A rosewood table accompanied every silk-cushioned chair, and a square table in the front overflowed with ivory gambling tiles and hand-painted cards. In the corner were trunks that I imagined must be filled with gifts from His Majesty: the finest silks, jade combs, pearl hairpins, bronze cosmetic boxes, and sashes in every color.
Lady Sarnai was waiting for me by the largest window, seated before an embroidery frame. I couldn’t see her work from where I stood, but she seemed skilled with the needle—more skilled than I’d expected from a lady of her rank.
“Come closer,” she said. “You cannot take my measurements standing at the door.”
I also couldn’t take her measurements when she was fully clothed, but I said nothing about this. Lady Sarnai stood so a maid could remove her outer robe, and I unrolled my marked string. As Edan had noticed, Lady Sarnai’s proportions were not so different from my own.
Knowing the maids watched me closely, I took her measurements, noting her girth and height but averting my eyes from her bare neck and arms. One misconstrued glance was all it would take to send me into the dungeons. How terrible it would be if I, a girl, were jailed for staring lewdly at Lady Sarnai!
But not looking made my task difficult, and when my fingers brushed against the lady’s arm as I measured for sleeve length, she spoke: “You’ve a gentle touch for a man, Master Tamarin.”
I immediately panicked and bowed, as if the comment were a death sentence. “I’m…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
“Relax. For one so timid, you’re curiously on edge.”
I bit my lip. “This trial means much to my family, Your Highness.”
“Ah,” she said. “You have considerable skill for your age, Master Tamarin. I would say the gods must smile on you, but I noticed no shrine or amulets for luck on your table. Are you not superstitious?”
“I believe in hard work, Your Highness. Hard work and honesty.”
She laughed at that. “I see they’ve forgotten demon lore in the South, but one does not grow up in the North without being wary. All the beasts in the northern forests and jungles are said to be part demon.” She smiled tightly. “I would know. My own father sought to unleash their powers on Emperor Khanujin, but…one does not bargain with demons without paying a steep price.”
I bowed my head, hoping it would hide my stricken face. Why was she telling me this?
I stared at my feet and prayed for dismissal, but Lady Sarnai let the silence linger before noticing the stiffness in my fingers. “What is wrong with your hand?”
“I…I was hurt in the fire.”
“Pity. I hope it won’t interfere with your sewing.”
“It won’t.” I stepped to the side and stole a glance at Lady Sarnai’s embroidery. It was only half finished, but I recognized the shape of a tiger—the shansen’s emblem. I flipped my gaze back to the lady before she noticed.
She fluttered her fan at her neck. “I don’t know much about you, Master Tamarin. I was given reports on all the tailors, but the one on you—and your father—was lacking.” She closed the fan. “You are obviously talented. Why have you not tried to make more of a name for yourself?”
“A’landi was at war, Your Highness,” I said tightly. “I was called to battle.”
“In the Five Winters’ War?”
I finished my measurements, rolled up my string. “Yes.”
“Your two older brothers were killed in battle. Minister Lorsa mentioned this to me.”
