The Glittering Court
Page 66

“Not that many in the way of, ah, official ones,” said Mira. “But I feel optimistic about my future.”
Tamsin turned to me. “What about you? There’s no way you haven’t have had all sorts of offers. Have you settled on some promising young man?”
When I didn’t answer, Mira laughed. “She’s settled on someone all right. In fact, I think your arrival interrupted the marriage negotiations.”
Tamsin brightened. “Excellent! What kind of man is he? What’s he do? Is he in government? Shipping?”
“He’s the son of a crafty businessman who ships brides and other luxuries to the New World,” I said.
“What are you . . .” Confusion filled Tamsin’s pretty face. “But that doesn’t make any . . . you don’t mean . . .”
I sighed. “I mean Cedric.”
When Tamsin couldn’t formulate a response, Mira said, “It’s true. Adelaide’s caused quite a scandal around here. Your arrival might have been the only thing that could top this drama.”
I explained the situation as best I could, including the arrangement in Hadisen. Mira hadn’t heard that part yet. She kept her face neutral, but Tamsin’s expression filled with greater incredulity as the story went on.
“What were you thinking?” she exclaimed. “You turned down a future governor for . . . what, an impoverished student?”
“Well, he dropped out of the university. And he’s not impoverished.” I reconsidered for a few moments. “He’s just . . . um, without assets. But I’m sure that will change.”
“This,” declared Tamsin, “would have never happened if I’d been around to look after you. Mira, how could you have stood for this?”
“I had no idea,” Mira admitted.
“You’re her roommate! How could you not?”
A moment of awkwardness fell over us. A chagrined look crossed Mira’s face, and I could guess her thoughts. Under normal circumstances, she might very well have noticed something amiss with me. But we both knew Mira had been preoccupied by her own clandestine activities, though I still didn’t know what they were.
A knock at the door startled us, and I opened it to admit Cedric. “You’re not supposed to be in here,” I said, glancing behind him in the hall. “Are you trying to get us in even more trouble?”
“I think that’s impossible.” He shut the door behind him. “And with everything going on, no one’s going to notice. I had to take the chance to talk to you. Welcome back, Tamsin. It’s good to see you.”
She eyed him disapprovingly. “I wish I could say the same. I’ve heard you’ve caused all sorts of trouble for my friend.”
He grinned back at her, unfazed. “Well, she’s caused all sorts of trouble for me too.”
“Cedric,” I said, “you know this Hadisen plan is a terrible idea, don’t you?”
“It could solve our financial problems. And,” he added pointedly, “it gets you out of Cape Triumph.”
“I just can’t believe Warren would fold so easily. It’s an embarrassment to him. He should be outraged.”
“He probably is,” Cedric agreed. “And I’m not naïve. But maybe this saves face if he acts like it doesn’t bother him. Could be there is some ulterior motive, but I’d rather take my chances out in Hadisen.”
Tamsin straightened up. “So. This Warren. He’s available then, right?”
“I suppose so,” I said in surprise. “And he’s motivated to find a wife . . . but he’s only got a week left before he leaves.”
“That’s all I need.” Tamsin glanced at Cedric. “If you can arrange some meetings for me.”
“It’s too soon,” I said. “Even for you.”
Mira nodded in agreement. “Tamsin, you need to rest and recover this week—not chase after some man on your first day back. Take it easy. Let Warren go. There are others.”
I studied Mira curiously, but as usual, her expression betrayed nothing. I remembered her various efforts to engage Warren. Now that he was available, was it possible she was trying to push out Tamsin as competition?
“Something tells me I’m not going to be part of the family business anymore,” Cedric told Tamsin. “But if you want to throw yourself right into the thick of things, my father’s not going to object. I know he’d like to close a deal with Warren—if you really want him.”
Tamsin glanced between Mira and me. It was obvious Tamsin was going to ignore our suggestions about resting. “Is there a reason I wouldn’t want him?” she asked.
No one answered right away. At last, I said, “He seems nice enough most of the time . . . sometimes he’s closed-minded . . .”
“Closed-minded in what way?” Tamsin asked with more interest than I’d expected.
“Religion. The Icori. No more than most around here, I suppose. But his mother’s the really terrible one. She’s the one you have to watch out for.”
“Mothers-in-law are always terrible,” said Tamsin airily. “Let me meet Warren, and I’ll decide if he’s worth my time.”
Cedric turned back and took both of my hands. The open gesture startled me. “Things are going to move very quickly now,” he said. “We have one week. Most Hadisen settlers have had months to prepare.”
I squeezed his hands back. “Well, if we’re doing it, we’ll do it right. How can I help?”
“Most of it’s going to be on me—equipment, figuring out the claim.” He reached into his pocket and handed me a bag of silver. “You can help by taking care of your clothes.”
“What do you mean, take care of?”
He gestured to my organza dress. “This isn’t going to really work in Hadisen. You need something that can withstand some wear and tear.”
“I figured you’d just mend anything I needed.”
A little of his tension faded. “Well, I did enjoy that the first time.”
“I knew it! You’re not as good at hiding your thoughts as you think you are.”
“Well, actually, you were the one who wasn’t hiding that much—”
“Ugh,” groaned Tamsin behind me. “Will you stop already? I just endured one agonizing situation. Please don’t put me through another.”
Cedric flashed her his winning smile, only to be met with a scowl. Turning back to me, he closed my hand over the silver bag. “I mean it. You’re going to need a whole new wardrobe out there. I’ll ask Aiana to help—she’ll know what to get.”
“Where did this silver come from?”
“I have some savings of my own.”
I knew what those savings were for. “Cedric, you can’t—”
“I can.” He rested a hand on my cheek. “If this all works out, it won’t matter.”
There were no more protests to make. We’d signed on to this plan, and I wasn’t going to argue with him anymore. We would stand by each other and make this work. Hopefully.
“Just tell me this,” I said. “If things go horribly awry, can we just go run off into the wilderness together?”