Page 12 of A Rose Among Snakes

I jumped through the gap between the trees and almost crashed into a woman with an armful of woven baskets. She yelped and stepped back, preventing the collision. I mumbled a half-hearted apology, but my eyes were scanning the crowdedthoroughfare for Kezara. I walked down the path, my head swiveling from side to side.

“Ms. Blaise!” I called. No response. “Kezara!”

A man in bedraggled clothing sat on the ground nearby, and as I walked past, his hand shot out reaching for my ankle. I kicked out of his grip as he howled wildly, my heart pounding in my chest. A vein bulged in his forehead as his crazed laughter stole the breath from his lungs.

Ziffem.

Disgust roiled through me, and I had to resist the urge to kick dirt at him for scaring me. Instead, I turned away and continued my search, calling out Kezara’s name a second time. My breath caught as I spied a white feather poking above the heads of the marketplace. I pushed my way through until I found a break in the crowd, seeing a merchant selling colorful scarves from a stall. Beside it, the man dressed in all white draped a magenta scarf over the head of a petite woman. His guard waited by his side—every line of his body taut and ready to defend against any possibility.

My racing pulse began to soothe when I saw brown curls sticking out of the sides of the scarf. I’d found her. As I approached, Kezara’s friend leaned in and kissed her, placing his hands on her waist and pulling her body against his.

So, they were more than friends. And I was failing my chaperoning duties. Perfect.

“Kezara!”

Her friend broke the kiss and darted a glance in my direction. He whispered something in her ear, planted one more kiss on her lips, and then disappeared into the masses with his guard.

I picked up a handful of my layered gray skirts and marched over to her. My relief at finding her faded as my blood began to heat. I would not let this girl make a fool out of me. Kezara did not move from where the man left her next to the stall, but she jumped as I placed a hand on her shoulder. She wheeled to face me with wide eyes, but her cheeks were flushed and she held a finger to her lips as if she was trying to hold onto the remnants of his kiss.

“Oh, Mihrra, it’s you.” She moved her hand from her lips to pull the scarf from her hair.

“What happened? I thought you’d been abducted.” Ire laced my tone, and I inhaled through my nose, letting the cool air dampen the embers smoldering inside me.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to alarm you. I wasn’t thinking straight.” Kezara’s hazel eyes widened again and she gripped my hands. “You can’t tell anyone what you saw or heard. Especially Velian. He can’t know yet. Please.”

I stared back at her. Something in her expression softened me, and I bit my lip. Keeping her secret was likely the best way for me to keep my job. And I needed this job to get answers about my father.

“Alright,” I said, “I won’t say anything to anyone.”

Kezara visibly relaxed, her shoulders dropping as she released my hands.

My curiosity was piqued, however, and I decided to take a gamble. “I won’t say a word if you tell me who he was.”

Kezara stepped back and frowned, but a sparkle lit her eyes. “Crafty, Mihrra.” She crossed her arms and lifted her chin. “I can appreciate a bit of blackmail, but I can’t tell you. My lips are sealed.”

“Hmm… they weren’t a minute ago.” The words were out before I could stop them.

Kezara’s jaw dropped, and I held my breath, afraid I had gone too far.

Her burst of laughter broke the tension, drawing the attention of passersby. “I like you, Mihrra. I think this is going to work out just fine between us.” She linked her arm through mine and led us back toward the tavern where Milner and the carriage were waiting. “In fact, I think we are on our way to becoming friends.”

I had no idea what to say back. The informality of the Blaise siblings was not what I had expected. I had imagined such a prominent family would barely notice the hired help, and I would be able to keep my head down and get my work done. Never would I have envisioned the lady I served wanting to build an actual friendship. Perhaps that would be to my benefit, though.

Milner saw our approach and he had the brougham door open for us. This time, Kezara accepted his assistance into the carriage, smiling as she took his hand. We rode home mostly in silence while Kezara stared dreamily out the window. Studying her now, my opinion of her began shifting. She wasn’t an impetuous child; she was a young woman apparently in love, and love madeyou do crazy things. Or so I’d heard since I’d never been in love myself. There was no time for romance when you were the only one holding your family together.

As if reading my mind, Kezara broke the silence by saying, “I really love him, you know. This is not some immature infatuation. He wants to marry me. There are just a few…” she paused, searching for the word, “obstacles to overcome first. Can you imagine, though? Me, a–” she broke off mid-sentence. The dreamy look slipped from her face as her eyes darted to me, then back out the window, “-a bride. I can’t imagine myself as a bride.”

My brow furrowed at her strange behavior, but I said, “You will be a stunning bride.”

Kezara beamed, but continued staring out the window until the carriage came to a halt in front of the manor. Expression sobering, she grabbed my hand, “Remember, not a word, please.”

I mimed locking my mouth and tossing away the key.

She squeezed my hand, then climbed out of the carriage as the door opened. I followed behind her, but she paused with her hand on the iron handle of the front door.

“Have you had a chance to settle in yet?” she asked.

“No, I have not.”

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