Page 21 of A Rose Among Snakes

Rosida’s cheeks colored as she looked down at her gown. Someone’s tongue clicked as all the ladies began fussing with their dresses. When Rosida looked up again, her gaze burned bright with hatred. “What would you know about Clavo?”

“It’s where she’s from,” Kezara interjected before I could reply. I nodded, going along with the lie.

Tossing her heavy curls, she threw both of us a venomous smile. “Thank you for the compliment. Kezara, please come over for tea soon, it’s been too long.”

“I would love that,” Kezara said, her voice sticky-sweet.

Rosida crossed the space between them and kissed her on both cheeks. As she strode away with her pack of giggling ladies, she said, “Be sure to tell Velian I said hello.”

His name alone had a thrill shivering through me as images from our chance encounter in the greenhouse came back to me.

When Rosida was out of earshot, Kezara guffawed. “Did you see her face? Oh, Mihrra, that was amazing!”

“I couldn’t leave you to fend for yourself.”

Turning to face me, she grabbed my hands. “Thank you. I’m used to fighting my own battles with Rosida, but it’s nice to have an ally.”

I cocked my head to the side. “What do you mean?”

Kezara released my hands and quirked her mouth to the side. “Two years ago, when I was sixteen, a group of us were beingformally presented to Port Deering society. Rosida and I had met a handful of times before and got along well, but that day she clearly only saw me as competition. The presentation takes place at the Cliffside Inn, and the ceremony begins with the girls walking down the grand staircase to then be escorted by their father to the ballroom.

“I’d had a beautiful light pink gown constructed. It had a high neckline made of lace, and heavy, swirling skirts. I felt pretty until Rosida strode into the room wearing a gown the same shade of pink. She fooled me into thinking she was fixing the ribbon tied around my throat, and instead ripped the lace off the front, destroying my dress. She looked me in the eyes and whispered,

‘It’s fine, you don’t have a real father to escort you anyway.’”

My jaw dropped, but Kezara continued with her story.

“All the other girls filed out of the room as I stood there, stunned. Their stifled laughter had me too embarrassed to even look at my reflection until they were all gone. I sniffed back the tears and finished tearing away the lace to make it look like it was never there. It exposed more of my chest than was polite for a sixteen year old, but I refused to let Rosida win. Instead, I marched downstairs, ignored the scandalized whispering, and met Velian’s furious glare as he waited at the bottom of the stairs.

“I was the talk of the town for weeks afterward, and I still catch disapproving looks now and then from older ladies. To this day, Rosida likes to try and make me feel small… and sometimes it works. However, I always pick myself back up. And like I said, it was nice to have an ally for once.”

Her words wrung my heart, and I looked at the young woman before me. Everyone had an idea of who she was in their heads, but I had a feeling I was one of few people to see her true nature, if not the only. I had been fortunate in my friendships over the years, especially with Taz, but it was apparent Kezara had not.

With a sincerity that surprised me, I linked my arm through hers and said, “What else are friends for?”

Kezara’s answering smile was brighter than the sun.

Chapter Eleven

The next couple of weeks flew by. I had been occupied with tending to Kezara but found time to write to my family and Taz. Ambrelle had replied, chastising me for leaving and telling me about how all of her dreams had come true in her husband, Kersen. I was happy for her, but it was difficult to ignore the pit in my stomach, her words dredging up my embarrassment at being the oldest and still unmarried. The better bit of news was Kersen had gotten a job for Jehiam working on a farm in Frommhelm. The twins were their usual adventurous selves, and Jem was like a brand-new person. Her words eased some of the lingering guilt that wormed its way into my heart whenever I thought of my family. Here I was sleeping in a feather bed while they worked the farm.

Taz replied, but her letter was mostly a request for me to divulge as much gossip as possible. I couldn’t bring myself to admit she was right about Velian being handsome. She would be insufferable.

At Blaise Manor, things were interesting. Velian had been away most of the time on business, but when he was home, I felt his eyes on me. Whenever our gazes would meet, however, hewould quickly look away. If I was being honest, I felt slighted, but that was not important. I chose to focus on Kezara instead. It helped that she preferred to socialize outside of the manor. When we were not meeting up with her secret suitor, we were making social calls to other women from Port Deering.

This particular morning, I was accompanying Kezara to Rosida’s house for tea. The two women lounged in the sitting room, and while I was reluctant to leave Kezara alone with her, she told me to wait in the kitchen with the other staff members of the home. I was offered a cup of tea and carried on a polite conversation with the cook, who was a woman from Roben. She had left the village before I was born, but many people and things had not changed over the years, making for easy conversation. Within a couple of hours, the bell was ringing and Kezara was ready to return home.

In the carriage, she fidgeted in her seat, grumbling under her breath and smoothing her hands over her skirt.

“Is everything alright?” I asked.

She pursed her lips and crossed her arms. “Yes. Rosida is such a gossip, though.” She uncrossed her arms. “She told me that she’s heard whispers about me having a secret lover and demanded to know who he was.” She crossed her arms again. “I told her that was preposterous, but even if it were true, it was none of her business.”

I nodded, wanting to tread carefully. “Maybe it’s time to come forward with it. He says he wants to marry you, right?”

Kezara shook her head, curls bouncing, and stared out the window. “It’s more complicated than that.”

I snorted. “What is so complicated? It’s not as if he’s the Prince of Terrune.”

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