The Glittering Court
Page 83

“Don’t,” interrupted Warren. “Don’t tell anyone yet.”
“I understand the need for control of the situation,” said Cedric. “But I also need to get moving on this.”
“Don’t speak to Mister Doyle that way,” snapped Elias.
Warren gave him a withering look. “He’s right. We do need to move—but I’m not delaying because of any need for control. I’m delaying for your own safety.”
“How so?” I asked.
“As much as I want to believe Hadisen is a wonderful, righteous place . . .” Warren shook his head. “Well, the lure of gold is irresistible to some—it makes them do terrible things. There are still raiders and bandits who’ll swoop in on prosperous claims to scavenge what they can—and aren’t afraid to hurt those who own them. Aside from having the proper workers and equipment, I’d like to make sure you have proper security before this project begins.”
It was a hard argument to counter. We’d all heard stories of claim-raiding brigands, but I’d never expected we’d run into them. I’d never expected our claim would have the potential to be so rich.
“That’s very kind of you,” Cedric said at last.
Warren gave him a wry smile. “And don’t worry—I will make sure this is done expediently. Don’t worry about your timeline.”
I hoped he was as sincere as he seemed. “Thank you.”
Warren promised he’d have news for us soon. A servant came forward to show us out, but I lingered a moment with Warren, unable to hold back my curiosity.
“How is your search for a bride coming?” I asked softly. “I expected you to be married by now.”
“I expected it too,” he said with a chuckle. “I’m considering a few possibilities, but . . . well, you’re a tough act to follow.”
I found it odd he’d be considering any possibilities, seeing as how certain things had seemed with Tamsin when I left. “I’m sorry,” I said, needing to say something.
“No need to be. It’s over and done.” He regarded me speculatively. “Have you heard any news from Cape Triumph? From the other girls in your cohort?”
“I had a letter from Tamsin that she sent a while ago. Nothing from Mira yet.”
“Mira . . .” I’d seen him have several conversations with her, but the confusion on his face seemed legitimate.
“My Sirminican friend,” I prompted.
“Ah, yes. Her. Of course. The one interested in books.”
Now I was lost. “Books?”
“Whenever we hosted events at my parents’ home, she was always asking about books. Mother isn’t as . . .” He paused to give me an apologetic look. “She isn’t as open-minded as we are, so she was more than happy to let your friend stay in the library as long as she liked.”
“Of course she was,” I said. Typical Viola, hiding away “unsavory” elements from her party.
Cedric and I returned to White Rock’s central district with mixed feelings. “More delays before we can get married. More sleepless nights,” I teased.
“Well, I think the sleepless nights will actually come after we’re married, but yes . . . it’s frustrating.” We came to a stop, and he stared off at the busy White Rock residents and their rebuilding. “And he’s not wrong about bandits. Sully was telling me about some. It happens.”
“I really need to meet this Sully.”
Cedric smiled fondly. “He’s a character, that’s for—”
“Mister Thorn?”
We both turned around at the unfamiliar voice. But when I got a good look at the speaker, I realized he wasn’t so unfamiliar after all. I immediately froze up, but Cedric recovered quickly.
“Mister Garrett,” said Cedric, extending his hand in greeting. “A pleasure to see you. I didn’t know the McGraw Agency had business out here in the wilderness.”
Silas Garrett, the royal investigative agent, regarded us speculatively. “His Majesty has business in all the colonies, and I am but his humble servant. You . . .” He frowned, taking in my rough clothes and disheveled hair. “You were one of the girls at Wisteria Hollow?”
I was getting tired of having the difference in my state constantly being reinforced. “Yes. I’m Adelaide Bailey.”
I stated my assumed name firmly. I didn’t know what had happened with the search for my former self, but if he’d seen my portrait, I was pretty sure he would’ve identified me immediately. Surely I hadn’t changed that much.
“I’m surprised to see you here. I thought you girls married up? Unless you’ve found some successful prospector . . .” Again, his tone told me he found that hard to believe, given my appearance.
“Things change,” I said. “And you never know—anyone can make their fortune out here. But it’s certainly a lot of hard work.”
“Hard, sweaty, dirty work,” Cedric confirmed. “Not like the glamorous life of a McGraw agent.”
Silas guffawed. “Not that glamorous. Lots of hard and dirty work there too.”
Cedric wore the bright, dazzled look of someone in the throes of hero worship. “Come on, don’t ruin it for us. I don’t suppose you can tell us anything about what you’re working on? The case you mentioned that was so top secret?”
“Still top secret,” said Silas. His tone was gruff, but I got the impression he liked the attention.
I picked up on Cedric’s lead. “What about your associate’s case? That missing noblewoman? You can tell us about that, can’t you?”
“Not much to tell, I’m afraid. That other agent got delayed up north, and I’m sure last night’s storm hasn’t helped things. But I expect he’ll arrive soon. He may end up out here, for all I know. Rumor has it the lady in question might have fled to some of the outer settlements.” Again, his eyes fell on me, and I laughed.
“I have a hard time believing that—at least if she’s anything like the noblewomen I worked around. I remember our household was in an uproar when my lady cracked a nail just before some fancy gala. Someone like her could never handle this.” I held out my hands and pulled off some of the wrappings. The bleeding had stopped overnight, but they still looked pretty terrible. Silas actually flinched.
“My goodness,” he said, looking away. “That . . . must hurt quite a bit.”
“That’s life out here, Mister McGraw.” Cedric gave him a polite nod of farewell. “And now we’ve got other things to attend to. Good luck with your case.”
We strolled away casually, but I groaned as soon as we were out of earshot. “Why do I have the feeling that the latest ‘rumor’ he heard came from Viola Doyle?”
“Because, as previously established, you’re a smart and intelligent woman. And Viola Doyle is a vindictive one.”
I came to a halt in front of some shops where men busily hammered away, making conversation difficult. “If that picture gets shown in Cape Triumph, the other agent doesn’t even have to come to Hadisen himself. All it’ll take is some enterprising bounty hunter trekking out here to claim his prize.”