Page 131 of A Curse of Hope and Shadows: Part I
“I had a task to—”
“No,” said the woman stiffly. “Do not lie. I despise liars.” She regarded Adeline carefully for a moment, as if trying to discern a type of weed in her garden. “You don’t lie often, do you? At least, not without cause. Maybe one lie. The same one. Over and often.”
Adeline chilled. This was worse than the fortune-teller, something colder and far more sinister.
“I didn’t want to watch the other guests arrive,” she said, feeling compelled to tell the truth,frightenednot to. “I… I’m going somewhere, during the ball. I’m nervous about it. I was seeking a distraction.”
The lady smiled, not kindly. “Surely the guests are distraction enough? Are you not awed by their beauty, their splendour?”
She spoke as if she wasn’t one of them, whilst still opening her arms as if inviting Adeline to admirehersplendour. Her voice rippled, like a soft snarl.
“They aren’t the beauty I seek,” Adeline whispered. She felt like she was standing beside the banks of an overflowing river, waiting for the ground to rush out from underneath her, powerless to move.
The lady tilted her head. “What a fascinating answer.” She rose from the window seat, taller than Adeline could have imagined. “Well, I suppose I am expected elsewhere, little maid. Be careful of where you seek that beauty… and what you’ll do to get it.”
She swept away without another word, leaving something like a trail of ice in her wake, brittle as glass. Adeline took several careful, steadying breaths, wondering what had just happened and how to explain it.
Just a guest,she told herself.Nobility often holds a power like that. Nothing more.
She finished her task and crept back onto the landing to watch the remaining guests assemble, trying to lose herself in the beauty like the rest of her peers.
It did not work.
Finally, all the guests were settled in the ballroom, and the servants slunk away to their rooms or duties.
Adeline made her way to Dimitri’s room, stopping outside his door, the rush of all she shouldn’t feel twisting into fear.
Dimitri answered before she could knock, as if sensing her presence. He grinned at her, smile wide and breaking. His left ear twitched, his tail lashing behind him.
All thoughts of the strange woman evaporated. Everything evaporated, until there was nothing in the world but the two of them and that beautiful, blossoming smile.
Be careful of where you seek that beauty.
He glanced down the corridor to check it was clear, and seized her wrist. “Come with me.”
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see!”
His smile was pure mischief, and it delighted and terrified her at the same time, even as her heart dropped when they stepped into the family wing of the manor.
She should not be here.
Dimitri didn’t notice her hesitance. He pulled her into a gilded chamber sprawling with gowns and jewels, every surface, every hook, every manakin dripping with opulence, a treasure trove of satin and silk.
The Von Mortimer Family wardrobe. Adeline wasn’t sure a vault could contain more in terms of riches.
Dimitri turned back to face her. “Pick out a dress,” he instructed.
“What?” Adeline asked, certain she misheard him.
“Pick out a dress. Any of them. Take your pick.”
“Are... are you serious?”
“Yes. It’s a loan, just for the night. I can’t take you to the ball, but I can at least give you a pretty dress.”
Adeline clapped her hands to her face, tears prickling her eyes.
