He smiled the soft Reinholt grin he reserved for friends and family. “I won’t step on your toes, little K, but I do want to be prepared.”
“Crowe will prepare you as much as you need to be.”
“So, I understand we’ll be entertaining a special guest at our private table this evening.”
Katya couldn’t contain a grin. “I remember the first night you brought Brom. Mother made looking her over into an art form.”
“Ma’s good. Brom never suspected a thing. Has she checked out your girl yet? This is the first time you’ve brought someone to dinner. Unless you’ve been doing it since I’ve been gone.”
Katya thought back on all her past conquests and winced. “She’s the first. There was one other I considered—I thought I was in love—but Mother stared at me for a good five minutes before she said no.”
“Oh, that stare. It’s like she can tell if it’s real before she even meets the person.” He shuddered, his expression one of mock horror. “She always knew when we were sneaking sweets, too.”
Katya snorted. “She agreed to dine with Starbride after only a little stare.”
“Starbride?”
Katya could picture Starbride’s impatient look upon the repetition of her name. She nodded.
“Allusian?” Reinholt gave her a long look, a half leer hovering around his mouth. “You blushed, and now you’re grinning like a loon. Is consortship soon to follow our little dinner date?”
Katya’s stomach tilted to the side. “Mother wouldn’t be happy if I asked her to be my consort this early in our relationship, though we’re already known as a couple.”
“But you’d ask her if you could?”
“Yes.” Katya couldn’t keep all her feelings inside. That was the spell Starbride cast on her.
To her surprise, Reinholt gripped her shoulders and beamed. “I’m so happy for you, little K.”
She was surprised to find tears at the corners of her eyes. “Thank you, Rein. She makes me very happy.”
“Then I like her already. But if she’s good-looking enough to have caught your eye, I can’t promise not to have a look myself.”
“Eyes are fine. No hands.”
Starbride arrived right on time dressed in a dark blue outfit similar to the shirt, trousers, and bodice Katya had bought her, except for the silver cord that outlined the bodice and then subtly coiled across the front, making spirals and small patterns. They might have been Allusian characters for all Katya knew. She wore a necklace of sapphires, simple and elegantly done. Her hair had been pulled behind her head, the front of it leading back in two braids to join the rest gathered at the back in gold wire. Katya had to fight not to beam. In the candlelight, her skin seemed to glow, and the flames made gold highlights in her hair. Her radiance put the light to shame.
She bowed deeply. Da took her arm and led her to a seat across from Katya before he took the head of the table. Behind Starbride’s back, Reinholt bit his fist as if he couldn’t control his desire before he took a seat beside her. Katya nearly threw her napkin at him. From Katya’s right, Brom nudged her in the ribs.
Katya tried not to roll her eyes. Starbride’s glance darted up and down the table, and Katya didn’t want her to worry over anyone’s wayward expressions. Most everyone approved. Ma’s face betrayed nothing, and Da nodded to himself, though he was smart enough not to express more in front of Ma.
Throughout the dinner, Starbride made polite conversation, but she seemed more subdued than usual. Katya tried to put her at ease, but Starbride’s quiet attitude would impress Ma more than her beauty ever could. Starbride didn’t fawn or laugh too loudly or bring up her own agenda every five minutes. And she didn’t flirt with everyone, a mistake some of the other courtiers might have made, thinking to move from the princess to bigger game.
After dinner, they were free to move about the room. Ma settled next to Starbride and asked about her jewelry. Katya blessed her mother’s name. Starbride warmed to the topic and exclaimed over Ma’s equally elegant pieces, a mix of fire opals and pearls.
“I like how your coat and her outfit match,” Reinholt said in Katya’s ear.
“If you’re going to make fun, go away.”
“Yes.” Brom moved up on the other side of Reinholt. “Stop teasing, and go rescue poor Maia from your father’s rant about clerks.”
Reinholt moved away with a chuckle. Brom sat next to Katya at the divan near the fireplace. “She’s very lovely, almost exotic.”
Katya ducked her head. She knew that Brom meant no harm by it, but she understood Starbride’s exasperation at being a curiosity. “She’s a wonderful person, very caring.”
“Catirin’s taken a shine to her.”
“She took a shine to you when you first met.”
Brom laughed her high, bell-like laugh. “She had me petrified, even as kind as she was. I felt like I was being weighed and measured, no matter what she said.” Her eyes went far away for a moment. “Sometimes, I feel it even now.”
“I know.”
“You can’t. You’re her daughter; you’ve never been on the receiving end of her true measurement. She’s got a way of looking at people…”
“No need to dwell. You passed. You’re here.”
“I’m sorry. I get lost in the past sometimes.”
“Should I rescue her?”
“At your peril.”
“Well, I know my mother won’t have me killed. Being her child guarantees that.”
“How about flogged? Whipped?”
Katya tilted her head back and forth. “Could be.”
“Is Starbride worth a whipping or two?”
“Absolutely.” Katya perched on the ottoman in front of Ma and Starbride, and her mother gave her a look that Katya knew was just for occupying a footstool. “What are we talking about?”
Starbride smiled “Horses.”
Another topic Starbride was familiar with. Katya almost winked at her mother; Ma seemed to sense that very desire. She sipped her brandy and stood. “I’d better keep your father away from the cakes.”
Katya chuckled and took her mother’s place. “I thought you might need a rescue.”
“Your mother is very nice. She’s just so…”
“Intense.”
“That’s a perfect word.”
“Having a good time?”
“Yes, actually, for being so nervous earlier. They’re all nice, and it’s wonderful to be at a family gathering where my mother isn’t tutting over my hair the entire time.”
“Your hair is perfect, but I could tut over it if you want.”
“It wouldn’t be the same. Your fixes would turn into caresses.”
“Do you think it would be too scandalous if I kissed you?”
“You’d better not. Your family has the same talent for watching while not-watching that mine has.”
“I’ve already decided that you’re worth a whipping or two if they want to punish me.”
“They’d whip you, but I’d be on the executioner’s block.”
“Oh no,” Katya said, using her court drawl, “they’re not that hard. You’d be married to some old landowner on the outskirts of the kingdom, far from where you could trouble me.”
“My mother wouldn’t stand for that. She’d ride in, carry me off, and marry me to someone else.”
“Spirits help us if our mothers ever butt heads.” Katya was silent for a moment, taking in the atmosphere and listening to the muted conversations around them. “Would you like to be my consort?” She couldn’t help herself, not with the candles and the feeling of being surrounded by family, not with the warm smile and skin perfumed with spice.
Starbride stared into her drink. Katya thought she might be holding her breath.
“It’s not marriage.” The fear of being rejected roared in Katya, something she hadn’t experienced in a long time. “It comes before marriage, when you’re…us. It’s like, official companion, more than just bedmate. It’s…” She bit her l
ip. “If you don’t want to, it’s all right. My mother would’ve had a fit if I’d asked before she met you, but I’ve wanted to ask, and I know we still don’t know each other that well, and that’s another reason I waited.” She was babbling, something else she hadn’t done for ages. Her grip tightened on her glass as she tried to think of something else to say.
“If…” Starbride said, “if my mother tries to take advantage of you, please forgive her.”
“What?”
“Once she hears that I’m your consort, she’ll start asking for things, and you’ll have to let me tell her no and promise to forgive her.”
Katya’s heart thudded for a few more seconds before she realized she’d been holding her breath, too. It was all she could do not to take Starbride’s face and kiss the soft lips. In another half second, she decided it was worth it. They’d barely begun when Ma cleared her throat.
“People are always clearing their throats around us,” Katya said.
Starbride hid her laugh behind a cough. “Will I…see you later?” Her eyes were hidden behind her downturned lashes.
Heat billowed through Katya’s insides, making her hyperaware of Starbride’s smooth skin. The thought led her to images of that skin unclothed, and her breath caught as she said, “Oh yes.”
Starbride bade them all good night shortly afterward, her eyes on Katya holding a promise of the evening to come. Katya used all her determination to stay rooted to the spot. Once Starbride departed, Katya’s family turned to her, their expression carrying curiosity mixed with a multitude of feelings.
“You asked her after all, didn’t you?” Reinholt asked. “Sly one.”
Maia looked back and forth between them. “Asked her what?”
“To be her consort!” Reinholt said.
“Brilliant!” Maia said.
Ma stiffened, and Katya gave her brother a dark look. Her mother didn’t like surprises, much less surprises delivered amongst a group. “She’s seen the Fiend. She knows my secrets, Ma, even the Order. All I was waiting for was your approval.” The last part was half-true, and it seemed to mollify her mother a bit, but Ma’s expression warned that there would be words between them later.
“Well done, my girl!” Da kissed her temple and gave her a wink and a nudge as if they were two old dogs. The rest of them grilled her on Starbride, and she put them off as best she could. When she was more than ready to go, she hugged them all again, leaving her mother for last.
Katya kissed her mother’s cheek. “Thank you, Ma.”
“Go on, rascal.”
Katya nearly whooped as she left them. She’d send Starbride a note inviting her to come over, and then she’d light some candles, scented ones, maybe… Deep in plans, she opened the door to her apartment and stopped as Averie and Dawnmother rose from the table. “What’s this?”
Averie pointed toward the bedroom door. Well, if Dawnmother was in the sitting room… It was better than any plan Katya could have made. She strode past the maids without another word.
In the bedroom, candles shone from every surface, making it seem as if the stars from the ceiling mural had descended to hover about the room. Starbride lay on her stomach, her head propped on one hand, the other toying with a strand of her loose hair.
“What kept you?” The light played over her bare curves as she moved her legs up and back, her ankles crossed.
Katya willed her feet to overcome her awe. She moved forward, unbuttoning her coat as she walked. “I don’t know. Right now, I can’t remember anything outside of this room.”
Starbride chuckled, another throaty sound that traveled along Katya’s body like a caress. When she reached the bed, Starbride sat up, taking Katya’s breath away again. She gasped as Starbride grabbed her shoulders and pulled her down, pouncing on her. Katya closed her eyes as their lips met and gave in to passionate intensity. The Order and all her responsibilities dissolved. Time itself became lost, and Katya had never been happier to cast it aside.
Chapter Thirty: Starbride
Starbride studied the bracelet on her wrist. Made of twisted silver, it resembled strands of ivy, the junctions of the strands set with tiny emeralds. It seemed almost too delicate to be worn.
Averie had delivered it that morning in an antique box, saying, “Crown Princess Brom wore this, and Queen Catirin, and all the men and women who’ve been consorts to the Umbriels.” Starbride had lifted it with reverence and thought all the while that she was lucky the last two wearers had been women. It didn’t need resizing.
Just over four inches long, it clasped about her wrist like a cuff, and the illusion of a manacle wasn’t lost on her. Better a beautiful manacle than a plain one, though. She turned it in the light and watched the tiny emeralds sparkle. The accompanying note had simply said, My consort, I love you. K.
Dawnmother slipped into their room, her spine so stiff with pride it was a wonder she didn’t lift from the ground. “News of your consortship has flown on the wings of gossip.”
“The princess consort looks no different from Starbride the courtier.”
“Yet the difference is huge. I’ve ordered more Allusian-style outfits, and the tailors have been quicker to answer. Also, the section housekeeper has arranged for a better apartment, so we’d better get hopping. I’ll pack our things.”
“So soon?”
“Well, it’s only fitting. Hurry now, the servants will be coming for the luggage.”
Starbride had to smirk as Dawnmother shepherded servants to and fro and took possession of the keys to Starbride’s quarters with a stately air. Bigger than Lady Hilda’s, the new apartment boasted three rooms, a bedroom and a sitting room, plus a small room for Dawnmother. It was also a skip from Katya’s apartment, Starbride noted. After the servants had departed, she spent an hour knocking on the walls and had nearly given up on secret passageways when she heard a knock from the other side.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me,” Katya’s voice said.
“Come in.” Dawnmother retreated to her room as a small section of wall swung out, and Katya stepped through. “Let me guess,” Starbride said, “that leads to your apartment?”
“More or less. Take the wrong turn and you’ll end up in my parents’ bedroom.”
“Kiss me hello, and later you can show me the way.”
“Ah, but it’s my job to visit you in the middle of the night, to sweep in unannounced and catch you in your nightie.”
“I don’t have a nightie, and you can’t sweep in unannounced if you knock.”
“I’m a considerate seducer.”
Starbride pointed to the table where her newest mound of invitations and gifts lay. “And I’m going to be busy for the next five years.”
“Ignore most of them, send a polite decline to others, and only accept those from people who interest you or can aid you.”
“Aid me?”
“It’s not always a bad thing. Everyone comes to court in order to make connections. If you meet someone who can aid you in some way, and you can aid them in turn, then make that connection. The people you have to be wary of are those who want something from you but have nothing to offer.”
“No wonder you get surly sometimes. They all want something from you, but what can they offer?”
“Not much.” Her lips brushed Starbride’s cheek. “Remember, a hand that claims to be extended in friendship and yet grabs for everything it can reach is not a friendly hand.”
Starbride caressed Katya’s chin with her thumb, and the bracelet glinted on her wrist. “My hands are friendly.”
“And I’m eternally grateful for that, Miss Meringue.”
“That’s Princess Consort Meringue to you.”
“Are you ready for tonight?”
“I think so. It’ll certainly be different from my first ball.” She tried not to let all the recent changes overtake her thoughts. “My first official function by your side.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t leave you alone for Lady Hil
da to poison.”
Starbride flashed back on Countess Nadia’s words and repressed a shiver. “I should eat before I go. Then I won’t be tempted by anything anyone gives me.”
Katya shook her head, her expression as serious as Starbride had ever seen. “Don’t take anything that isn’t given to you by Dawnmother, Averie, me, or my family’s personal servants.”
“Why?”
“The royal party is only served by our trusted servants. It’s always been that way.”
Starbride’s fingers curled around the bracelet. She thought her world was dangerous before, but now she could take her food and drink from only a handful of people? “I didn’t know Dawnmother could come.”
“Definitely. She’ll hover in the background with Averie.”
Relief trickled over the wall of ice in Starbride’s belly. “She’ll like that. Good. I won’t have to worry, then. Dawnmother will probably taste everything if she’s not in the kitchen cooking it herself.” She put on a brighter smile. “Will you be wearing your blue coat?”
“Not if you’re wearing blue. I don’t want everyone cooing over how we match all night. I’ll wear the black.”
Starbride snuggled into Katya’s shoulder. “I like the black.”
Dressmakers had been working for two days on Starbride’s ball gown, a blend of Allusian and Farradain style. The cobalt-blue fabric was embroidered with silver thread and tiny crystal beads. It had a scoop-necked, fitted, Allusian bodice, with the same flared sleeves attached at the shoulders. Instead of a long shirt over pants, though, a sleek flaring skirt began under the bodice’s hem and hung to the floor, held out by a petticoat with not a flounce in sight.
The ball was a hidden pocket of sound in the next room. Starbride clutched Katya’s arm. Katya’s fitted coat flared at the waist and then continued to the knee over tight white trousers. Bright gold buttons ran down the middle, and the same braid as on her welcoming coat adorned her shoulders. Her diadem glittered at her brow, and the butterfly pin she’d made from Starbride’s old hairclip rested on her breast, near her heart. She was a gorgeous painting brought to life.
The Pyramid Waltz Page 30
