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She shakes her head, almost smiling now, but then she drops her gaze to her lap. “I don’t know,” she says.

“Are you refusing the request?”

“I mean…it could be fun, I guess. A night out.” Then she takes a breath. “But I don’t have anything to wear.”

“That’s easily solved.”

“It’s black tie, right?”

“Yes.”

“I might have something.” She frowns. “My mother lives nearby. I could run over and see if I still have an old prom dress or something. It probably won’t fit right, but maybe if I had it tailored⁠—”

“No.”

She closes her mouth. I don’t have the heart to tell her an old prom dress won’t work for a Vexley gala.

“I can take care of the dress,” I say. “My late mother had five closets full of former attire. If anything needs alteration, we’ll handle it here.”

“By tonight?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

“Hazel Fairchild.”

Ella’s expression softens. “You know Hazel?”

“I know of her. She’s the oldest maid in the house. It’s my understanding she worked as a seamstress when she was younger.”

“Right.” Ella’s voice warms. “Hazel can fix anything. She fixes our uniforms all the time.”

“So it’s settled, then,” I say.

“I don’t know,” Ella says. “If you keep letting all the maids off work today, Audrey will be furious.”

I chuckle.

“Is something funny?” she asks.

“Don’t you worry about Audrey,” I tell her. “I eat scarier demons than her for breakfast.”

7

ELLA

“Conversation first,” Nathaniel says. He removes his jacket and rolls up his sleeves, baring his muscular forearms. I try not to notice.

I fail.

“Don’t try to fake upper-class references,” he continues. “They’ll know.”

My stomach sinks. “Right.”

“That wasn’t an insult.”

“It sounded like one.”