The Glittering Court (27 page)

“I'm going to help pan for gold.”

He pondered this for a long moment, saying nothing. Finally, he took the hat back and produced one with a wider brim. “It'll be brutal. Good luck.”

Once we were outside, Tamsin immediately asked, “What he said about it being brutal . . . Adelaide, are you sure you want to do this? Are you sure you want to go to Hadisen?”

“I'm sure I want to be with Cedric,” I said simply. “And I'll go down whatever path that involves. Besides, don't
you
want to go to Hadisen?”

“Yes. And live in the governor's mansion. Not a riverbed.”

Mira touched my arm as we were about to turn down the road that would lead us out of the city center to our carriage. “Look over there. By the bank.”

I followed her gaze. “Oh. Excuse me a moment.” I hurried across the thoroughfare and called, “Mister Adelton!”

Nicholas, who'd been about to walk into the building, turned in surprise. “Miss Bailey. I didn't expect to see you here. I thought you'd be on your way to Hadisen.”

“Soon,” I said, feeling my cheeks flush. “I know Cedric talked to you, but I just had to come myself and say . . . well, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what we put you through. You must feel so . . . I don't know. Deceived.”

He grew thoughtful. “Not exactly. A little disappointed, perhaps . . . but honestly, I was more dazzled by you than in love with you. If you don't take offense to that.”

“Not at all . . . we had only a few meetings.”

“Exactly. If I'd felt more, my reaction might have been different. But I could always tell there was something preoccupying you. So long as you were entering of your own free will, I didn't mind. I figured it was the nature of these sorts of arranged marriages.”

“I would have done it of my own free will,” I said adamantly. “You're a good man—the best I've met here.”

“Excepting young Mister Thorn, of course.” He smiled at my chagrin. “Don't feel bad. I'm happy for you.”

I sighed. “That's kind of you . . . but I can't shake the feeling you've been used. You know, there are a number of other Glittering Court girls I could recommend—”

He held up a hand to silence me. “Thank you, but I'm done with making matches that sound good on paper. The more I think about your grand romance with Mister Thorn, the more I think I'm better off finding one of my own. No contracts.”

“I hope you find one,” I said earnestly.

He shook my hand. “Me too. And I wish you well. If I can ever be of service, let me know.”

“Who was that?” Tamsin asked when I returned to my friends.

“The man Cedric nearly married me off to.”

Tamsin peered behind me to get a better look. “Is he available?”

“Yes. But not that well off. Or really interested, after what Cedric and I put him through.”

I fell into step with Aiana while Mira trailed behind with Tamsin. “Mister Adelton seems to be taking things reasonably well,” Aiana said to me quietly.

“Everyone has. Well, not Jasper. And some of the girls are still holding it over me.” Clara in particular enjoyed telling the story of how she'd found Cedric and me in the attic to everyone she met. “But most people have been understanding, even when they probably shouldn't be. Including Warren Doyle.”

Aiana took a long time to answer. “Yes. It certainly was understanding of him—making such an offer to you.”

I thought back to the shop and then cast a quick glance back to make sure Tamsin was still engaged with Mira. “His mother isn't the most, ah, upstanding of women, but as for Warren, do you think he's—well, I mean, should we—”

“I don't know,” said Aiana. “I really don't know much about Warren Doyle, short of gossip. What I do know is that when things sound too good to be true, well, they usually are.”

Uneasiness settled over me. “I tried telling that to Cedric. But he said even if there's some ploy going on, we were better off taking our chances in Hadisen.”

“He may be right.” Aiana stopped walking to look me in the eye. “There's more freedom there—but more danger too. It's a fledgling land. An untamed land. And that makes it easier for people to break the rules. I wish you two the best, but . . .”

“But what?” I prompted.

“Trust each other there,” she said at last. “But no one else.”

Chapter 22

I'd hoped to see both Tamsin and Mira the night before I left for Hadisen. A party kept them late, however, and I found myself sitting alone in our bedroom, pondering whether I should get some sleep or not. I knew the journey ahead was going to be tiring, but I couldn't stand the thought of missing out on seeing my best friends. That, and I wasn't sure my nerves would let me sleep anyway.

The two of them finally came in after midnight, catching me mid-yawn. Both put on smiles upon seeing me awake, but I could instantly detect a difference in their moods. Mira seemed subdued, while Tamsin was exuberant.

“What happened?” I asked her.

She began unlacing her emerald-green satin overdress. “Nothing official—but something pretty unofficially serious.”

“Isn't that a sort of contradiction?” I asked, shooting a conspiratorial look at Mira. She didn't share my amusement.

“Warren asked me to wait for him,” said Tamsin proudly. “He didn't promise an engagement—yet—but said I was by far his favorite and that he'd like to make things official with me when he returns. So I promised not to enter into any arrangements until then—though of course, I'll still go out. No point in sitting around here bored.”

I frowned, troubled by a number of things. “When he returns . . . but that could be a very long time.”

“It'll be in two weeks, actually.” Tamsin had wiggled out of the dress and now sat in her chemise and petticoats. “He'll go with your
party tomorrow, get things established, and then sail back to report on Hadisen's affairs and solicit any other help.”

“I suppose that makes sense, but he won't be in Hadisen for long.”

Hadisen's inhospitable coastline made it difficult for large ships to get close. So, any substantial shipments of cargo, animals, and other materials needed to be moved overland. That was the way my party would be traveling tomorrow, circling the bay through Denham's territory and then into Hadisen. The trip took a little over a week. Individuals sailing straight across the bay in small boats could do so in a day. It was useful for messengers and those without cargo, but little more.

“Well, I'm sure he'll be back soon—possibly with a wife in tow.” Tamsin was shining with pride. “I hope it won't be awkward if you're one of my citizens, Adelaide.”

I laughed at that. “Not at all.”

“You must be excited,” said Mira. She looked eager to change the subject. “A great adventure ahead of you.”

“I don't care about the adventure. I just want everything to be settled with Cedric.”

I spoke boldly and earned looks of admiration and wistfulness. Tamsin might treat marriage pragmatically, and Mira might treat it with indifference, but I frequently had the sense that both were fascinated with—and even a little jealous of—the romantic love I'd stumbled into. The three of us stayed up late and talked about the future. I didn't want to tell them the truth: that I was a bit terrified of what was to come. Not with Cedric, of course. Leaving a noblewoman's life for that of an upper-class colonial citizen in a well-established city wasn't as big a leap as it might seem. But going from nobility to a commoner in a vast, unsettled wilderness? That was something altogether different, and I had no idea what to expect.

Mira and Tamsin were allowed to see me off the next morning. The party leaving for Hadisen was far bigger than I expected. They gathered on the edge of town, a vast cavalcade of horses, wagons, and
people in seeming disarray. Warren was near the front, looking splendid on a white horse as he spoke to several other men who seemed to be advisors. Another rider trotted up to us, and I did a double take when I saw it was Cedric.

“Are you on a horse?” I exclaimed.

He shot me a wry look. “You don't have to make it sound
quite
so outlandish.”

“I just didn't even know you could ride.” I looked the horse over. She was a shaggy brown mare who seemed to be bored with everything going on around her. “I hope you didn't pay a lot for her.”

“I wasn't aware you were such an expert.” I understood the cautioning tone in his voice. Horseback riding was a common pastime for the nobility in Osfrid when they were at the country manors. Here in Adoria, many settlers rode horses for survival. But a city commoner, like my Adelaide identity, would never interact with a horse outside of practical transport. I would've expected the same for someone like Cedric.

“I've seen them around, that's all,” I said. I had to restrain myself from correcting the awkward way he sat his saddle and held the reins.

“Well, she's tougher than she looks,” he assured me. “I call her Lizzie.”

I tried not to roll my eyes. “Great choice.”

Looking around, I saw that Tamsin was up talking to Warren, her face shining. Mira too had disappeared, and moments later, I spied her listening to some men making plans to explore Hadisen. Not far from her was Grant Elliott, who appeared to be delivering some last-minute supplies.

“My allies have abandoned me,” I remarked.

Cedric leaned down and brushed some wayward tendrils from my face. The intimacy startled me until I realized we had nothing left to hide. “You've still got your number-one ally,” he said, although he frowned when he saw whom I'd been watching. “Grant Elliott seemed decent enough on the ship, but it turns out he's joined Warren's group of heretic hunters.”

“Heretic hunters?”

“Yeah, there's a group of them promising to ‘keep order' while Warren's away, and find the Star Advent Alanzans who escaped from jail. Grant's among them.”

“Well, then I'm sorry I gave him my business.” I touched the wide-brimmed hat on my head. “Maybe I should try to return this.”

“Don't,” said Cedric. “It's cute.”

I wished I could ride too, but the meager funds he and I shared couldn't cover a second horse. That, and my riding skills would have raised suspicions. Instead, I'd be riding in the Marshalls' wagon, something that sounded more luxurious than the reality. It was a plain, rough-planked contraption packed with various supplies that the children and I would have to squeeze in around. It had no top, and I hoped we wouldn't run into any rain.

At last, Warren called for everyone's attention. “It's time,” he called, his voice ringing above the throng. “Time to claim our destiny!”

Settlers and well-wishers alike cheered, and even I couldn't help getting caught up in the spirit of adventure. I hugged Tamsin and Mira goodbye and then climbed up into the back of the wagon. I was saving the split skirts for when we reached Hadisen. For the journey, I was in a calico dress that was as barebones as one could get. No chemise, no petticoats—just a simple lining underneath. If not for the floral print, it could have passed for one of the Grashond dresses.

My spot in the wagon was a cramped and narrow one between two bundled crates. The planks I had to sit on were dirty and worn, and trying to clean them only resulted in getting splinters. Five minutes into the ride, I learned that there was no shock absorption of any kind.

I leaned back against the wagon's side, thinking of what we'd always called the “rose parlor” back in my family's Osfro home. Elaborately designed rugs covering every inch of the floor. Velvet-covered wallpaper. One-of-a-kind paintings. Vases imported from the Xin lands far to the east. Chairs and sofas with padding so thick, you would sink into
them. And of course, everything was meticulously cleaned on a daily basis by a flock of servants.

“What's wrong?” asked one of the Marshall girls. Her name was Sarah.

I glanced over at Cedric riding that ridiculous horse. “Nothing. Just thinking I've come a long ways.”

Within an hour, we were out of the city's limits, past the fort and its skeleton crew of soldiers. A few hours after that, we'd moved past all of Cape Triumph's small outlying settlements. I'd thought the wilderness had a claim on that town, but I was wrong. The far reaches of Denham Colony looked as though no human had ever touched them. The towering trees that had stood like sentinels in Cape Triumph now formed a veritable army, side by side, at times making the rough road difficult to traverse. It was fascinating. Breathtaking. Terrifying. The
real
New World.

My starry-eyed enthusiasm didn't last long. When we called a halt for the night, my legs nearly collapsed underneath me when I got out of the wagon. The constant shaking and close quarters had cramped my muscles, producing a soreness I would have expected only after running uphill for five hours. Dinner was dried biscuits and jerky, little better than the ship's fare. Fires were built for heat and boiling water, and I was sent to gather wood from fallen branches. Mostly I seemed to gather splinters.

Cedric, like most of the younger men in the party, was kept busy with various jobs, so after a quick smile at dinnertime, he disappeared for the rest of the evening. When bedtime came, Mister and Mistress Marshall slept in the wagon while the rest of the kids and I made beds of blankets on the ground. The earth below me was hard and uneven. The blanket couldn't keep me warm as night's chill deepened, so I'd added my long leather coat. I was still cold. And I was pretty sure every mosquito in the colony had found me.

I tossed and turned, my frustration keeping me awake almost as much as the harsh conditions did. I found myself again thinking of
my Osfro town house. This time, I was obsessed with memories of my bed. A mattress big enough for five people. Silk sheets scented with lavender. As many blankets as you needed on a cold night.

I didn't realize right away that I was crying. When I did, I quickly got up before any of the children sleeping near me woke and noticed. Wrapping the thin blanket around me, I hurried away from the wagon, slipping through groups of other sleeping settlers. A few still sat by fires, dicing and telling stories, but they paid little attention to me. I moved as far to the camp's edge as I dared, enough to give me privacy but not venture into the wild unknown.

There, I sat down miserably and buried my face in my hands, trying to keep my sobs as quiet as possible. I couldn't stand the thought of my weakness getting back to Warren. I had this horrible image of him looking down at me with a too-kind expression, saying sympathetically: “You could have been my wife. You could have traveled in the padded carriage and slept in my tent.” I'd seen one of his men haul a mattress into it earlier.

A hand touched my shoulder, and I jumped to my feet. Cedric stood there, shadows playing over his startled face. He'd been busy with his own chores, and I hadn't seen him all evening. “It
is
you. I didn't mean to scare you.”

I furiously wiped at my face. “What are you doing here?”

“I went over to the Marshall wagon hoping to steal you for a quick word. When you weren't there, I started searching around.” He reached for my face, but I pulled back. “What's wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Adelaide, I'm serious. What's wrong?”

I threw up my hands. “Pick something, Cedric! Using my skirt as a napkin at dinner tonight. No bathrooms. I keep swallowing gnats. And the smell! I get that bathing will be limited on this trip, but didn't any of them do it before we left? It's only been one day.”

“You knew this wouldn't be easy,” he said quietly. “Do you regret it? Do you regret . . .”

“Us?” I finished. “No. Not for an instant. And that leads to the worst part of all: hating myself for feeling this way. I hate listening to myself whine. I hate that I'm too weak to put our love above these conditions.”

“No one said you had to love it out here.”

“You do. I saw your face once we were truly clear of the Cape Triumph settlements. This is some kind of spiritual experience for you.”

He held up his hands. From the glow of scattered fires, I could see dirt and cuts. His face was dirty too. “This isn't that spiritual. Neither is the guy who keeps saying my face is too pretty and he wants to break my nose. And you wouldn't believe how sore I am after being on that horse all day.”

“Oh, I can believe it. But you aren't letting it get to you. You're not that weak.”

He drew me to him, and this time, I didn't resist. “You aren't weak. But for the first time in your life you aren't good at everything. The world rotated around you in Osfro and told you that you could do no wrong. At Blue Spring, despite some mishaps, you were still the best in all your studies. And in Cape Triumph, you were the star of the Glittering Court. Out here, you're . . .”

“Miserable? Useless?”

“Adjusting. This is the first day, and it's a shock. You'll get used to it as the trip goes on, and once you're in Hadisen with a roof over you, you'll think you've gone back to an Osfridian palace.”

I let those words sink in. “Speaking of roofs, what happens if it rains out here?”

“One worry at a time.”

He smiled in that bewitching way he had, that way that said he could take care of everything. But could he this time? “I'm tired, Cedric. So, so tired. It was a long day, but I can't sleep. The ground's horrible. And I'm cold. How can it be this cold? It's spring.”

He took my hand and pulled me down. “I can't do anything about the ground, but I can help with the cold.”

He had a thin blanket of his own, and he spread both of ours on the ground. Lying down, he urged me to do the same, and we snuggled together, each of us trying to wrap the other in our respective coats. The ground was still bumpy, but with his body against mine and the sound of his heartbeat by my ear, I didn't mind as much.

“We can't stay like this,” I said. “We'll get in trouble if we're caught.”

“We'll go back before dawn.”

“How will we know?”

“I'll know.”

I felt warmth settle around me and the first glimmers of drowsiness seeping in. “I will do anything for us,” I said through a yawn. “I hope you know that.”