Page 16 of The Shadow of Breninsol
…Probably not.
“Hmm…” Lauressa gave a contented sigh as Eleanor ran the comb that was missing a few teeth through Lauressa’s soft, long hair. “It’s so relaxing having your hair brushed.”
Eleanor produced a noncommittal throat-clearing, hoping this served as an answer.
“What’s it like? The palace?”
“It’s like everyone says,” Eleanor replied, hoping that’d put an end to the questions.
“Can’t you tell me?” she asked.
Eleanor looked up from separating Lauressa’s soft brown hair into sections, seeing the woman’s reflection in the broken mirror. Then, she realised what she was asking: to take her away from this place, even if only in her dreams.
Lauressa likely didn’t know anyone who’d been to the palace; like everyone else in the kingdom, she relied on rumours and second or third-hand accounts. But Lauressa had aspirations and liked the finer things, judging by the mirror-finding expedition she’d been on. Eleanor wondered what otherdiscoveries the woman had uncovered while exploring that part of Breninsol.
“Close your eyes,” Eleanor replied, more quietly than she’d anticipated, and saw Lauressa comply in the mirror’s reflection. “Imagine a room bigger than any you’ve ever been in. Bigger than the welcome room. A room so tall that you can’t see the ceiling in the low light,” Eleanor said as her fingers started the nimble process of plaiting the small side sections.
“Bigger than the sculpture hall in the museum?” Lauressa asked, surprising Eleanor that she had been to the Kingdom’s Museum.
“Bigger. Taller, wider, and longer.”
“But that’s…” Lauressa trailed off, trying to imagine a room of such size.
“Hmm, that’s just the ballroom.”
Lauressa gave a sharp inhale, but Eleanor continued. “Now, imagine that large room with several chandeliers. You know the one in the welcome room?”
“Yeah,”
“Imagine one bigger, heavier. Three times the size of that one, and there’s several of these massive chandeliers.”
Lauressa inhaled. “So many,”
“The walls are pure white marble, and…you know the gold decorating your mirror?”
“Yeah?”
“That sort of style decorating the walls with the white marble.”
“And that’s just one room?” Lauressa asked with an awestruck voice.
“Yes.”
The rhythmic tug of Eleanor’s hands, weaving the small braids on the other side of Lauressa’s head, lulled her into thoughts of immense riches. The soapy scent of the woman’s hair, a mix of vanilla and something floral, filled Eleanor’s senses as shebraided, each golden strand a whispered hope for the woman’s dreams.
“I’m going to be chosen next time,” Lauressa gave a little head nod, to confirm her ambition. “And I’m going to be picked in the Collection. I have to be.”
Eleanor gave a small smile in the mirror and murmured. “I’m sure you will.”
Before Lauressa tried to start another conversation with her, Calla poked her head into the room. The scarf covering her bright blonde hair matched her blue eyes that looked warily at Eleanor.
“Oh, don’t mind Eleanor. She’s not as stuck up as we thought,” Lauressa said as she waved her hand to encourage Calla to come in.
Eleanor resisted the urge to raise her eyebrow and concentrated on the task at hand. Eleanor had been at The Ladies Grace long enough to hear most of the gossip, even the whispers that circulated from each of Breninsol’s pleasure houses. She’d kept to herself, not interfering with any of the ladies, and they’d left her alone. It dawned on her that they had left her alone due to a misunderstanding about her being a snob, not because she desired a solitary life. She once again reminded herself that, instead of living a life where no one bothered her, she was bothering herself with people.
Calla’s reluctant hesitancy morphed into a bright grin as she plopped onto the floor in front of Lauressa. She pulled out a small leather pouch from a frayed pocket in her dressing gown and shook the pouch. “Look what I got.”
“What? What is it?” Lauressa asked.
