What is Hidden (18 page)

“Can you see now?” Aiden asked through clenched teeth.

The accused man was right in front of me, and I knew immediately it wasn’t the Chameleon. He was too young, his face too round, and his eyes too innocent. My memory
might have been clouded with smoke and flame, but I knew this man wasn’t the thief and murderer. My chest felt tight, as if I couldn’t get enough air. The Chameleon was still on the loose, and now no one was looking for him.

“It’s not him,” I mumbled, and Aiden looked at me sharply.

“Are you sure?”

I nodded, and he quickly led me away from the Square and the noise.

“Where are we going?” I asked, trailing behind him. We wound our way through the streets before stopping at one of the canal boat stops.

Helping me in with one hand, he answered as if we hadn’t just been face-to-face with the man accused of my father’s murder. Perhaps he didn’t believe me. “You’re going to get the rare pleasure of meeting one of my informants.”

“Really?” I breathed a sigh of relief. Not only did that mean he believed me, but this meant he was going to help me find the real Chameleon. I’d always marveled over his vast knowledge and couldn’t wait to meet one of the people that provided it. That person would have to be impressive indeed.

Unless he is actually part of some underground information ring
, I thought suddenly. Maybe that was why Aiden was always so reluctant to tell me where his information came from—it came from illegal or unethical means.

As if sensing my sudden trepidation, Aiden chuckled, and the mood between us lightened. I needed that Aiden right now. “And before your pretty little head goes places it shouldn’t, don’t worry. I’m not involved in any scandals. Yes, I pay for my information, but not like you’re probably
thinking. It’s like trading goods. Only instead of goods, it’s word of mouth. Who was seen where, what certain people were seen doing, who met whom . . . that sort of thing. It’s simply paying to have an extra set of eyes and ears. Nothing I wouldn’t know if I weren’t there myself.” He grinned. “Well, most of the time.”

I groaned. I didn’t think I wanted to know what that statement meant. “So where are we going? Or are you going to keep me in suspense until we get there?”

“I’m trying to decide which would be more fun: seeing your reaction when we get there and meet her, or telling you now.”

“Her?”

He shrugged. “Why not? A woman can gather information as well as any man. Better, much of the time. You women have your feminine wiles, after all.”

I turned my head away to hide the blush that was creeping up my cheeks and down my neck, reminded of the way I’d “won” our brawl. I still refused to let him live that down. “Just tell me so I don’t embarrass myself when I get there,” I pleaded.

He apparently decided to have pity on me. “We’re going to the Lace District.”

M
y eyes widened. The Lace
District was where the Ladies in Lace—often nicknamed the Lacies—lived. These women were trained to entertain in every aspect of the arts. Singing, dancing, drawing—you name it, they were masters of it. Every girl admired them for their abilities, but few pursued the lifestyle themselves.

The Lacies also carried a bit of a stigma. Instead of masks of metals or porcelain, they painted their faces white and lips red and wore strips of lace across their eyes—hence their name. The black lace was a clear mark of their profession, advertising the women’s expertise. Men were enticed by the sneak peeks of a woman’s face that the lace revealed, and many wished they could draw that same attention. In some it turned to awe, and others to envy. You could tell a lot about a person by the way they perceived these women.

I was in awe of the Lacies. From a young age, they were drilled in every aspect of art until they mastered it. Like me and other children who could afford schooling, they were required to study a broad range of subjects until age twelve, and after that, they picked an area or two to specialize in.
Unlike me, that range was much broader—mine included mathematics, history, and reading, while theirs extended to literature, sciences, and things I had no grasp of whatsoever. Then the other areas were pushed to the side while the Lacie focused her attention on her specialty. And by the side, I mean only an hour or two each day instead of the former six.

After age twelve, she also learned other subjects, including combat, public speaking skills, extensive literature, and engineering. Not only could a Lacie entertain you, she could also carry on extremely knowledgeable conversations. It was her job to make her companions completely at ease while also providing amusement.

I’d never been to the Lace District, and I’d only seen one Lacie in all my life. It was at a fair, and she was on the arm of a very well-to-do nobleman. She was breathtakingly beautiful, wore a black lace mask, and had ringlets of chestnut hair. Her gown was elaborate and made of deep green silk. It trailed after her, and all in her wake stared at her. I was only seven or eight, but I have always remembered that moment. She had such poise and such an air about her that I’d played pretend in my room for weeks, imitating her graceful stroll in a childish clumsy way. I’d stopped after my father walked in on me bowing to make-believe courtiers. I’d been so embarrassed that I’d stopped immediately and never played that game of pretend again.

The gentle current rocked the canal boat and I turned to stare at Aiden. “The Lace District?”

He laughed heartily. “Now I’m glad I told you in advance. If I’d just shown up there with you, I’d have to keep a straight face, and I don’t think I could. You look as
if a fish has just jumped out of the canal into your lap to announce he was your betrothed.”

I was tempted to shove Aiden into the canal.

“Oh, Evie,” he said, chuckling and calming down, “you certainly keep me entertained.”

“Glad to be of service,” I muttered, then added as an afterthought, “Jerk!”

“Aww, don’t be like that,” he said, still grinning. “Imagine how embarrassed you’d be if you went all starstruck like that at her doorstep?”

Begrudgingly, I admitted he had a point. “Just hush up and tell me about her.”

“Her name is Arianna. I met her once . . . when my father, um, hired her to accompany me to a palace event,” he admitted, ducking his head. Now it was my turn to laugh at him. He shoved me good-naturedly. “Be nice!”

“You laughed at me. Turnabout is fair play and all.”

He groaned. “You’re so mean to me.”

“Hey, it’s nothing you can’t take. You big, strong man, you.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere, my lady.” The deep tenor in his voice made the hair on the back of my neck stand on edge.

Nervously, I patted it down and said, “So? Tell me more about this Arianna.”

“You’ll like her, I think.” Thankfully his voice was back to normal. “I’ve known her for a long time. Like I said, my father requested her to be my escort to a function. He wanted me to look more sociable, I suppose.” He shrugged. “She wore a regular mask during the affair and hated it. She doesn’t like to blend in.”

I laughed. She sounded like someone I would like.

By this time, we’d arrived to the port, and we got out and walked the rest of the way to our destination. Aiden wrapped an arm around my waist after helping me out of the boat.

“Stay close to me,” he warned. “I can’t have anyone thinking you’re a Lacie in disguise and try to steal you from me.”

I rolled my eyes at his ridiculous suggestion that anyone would mistake me for a Lacie. “And who says I don’t want to be stolen? Or that I’m yours in the first place to be stolen from you?”

He made a sound deep in his throat, not unlike a growl. “Here, in this district, you are mine.”

That got my hackles up. Who was he to say that I belonged to anyone, least of all him? I pulled away from him, offended.

He immediately understood what I was doing and pulled me back, by my wrist this time. Much less intimate. Thankfully. Being in such close proximity to him was starting to do strange things to my body.

“I didn’t mean it like that and you know it,” he said, though not at all remorsefully. We crossed over the ornate stone bridge that marked the entrance to the Lace District. It was littered with carvings of flowers and dancing figures, all done by those who once lived there. The Lacies who chose to specialize in stone carving were that talented.

“You meant it in a way,” I insisted stubbornly. “And I don’t want you thinking I’m your property.”

“Of course I don’t,” he retorted. “You’re too lively and
spirited to ever belong to anyone without having given yourself to them freely.”

I wasn’t sure if that was a compliment or not, so I said nothing, silently staring at the street below my feet. The streets in my own district weren’t nearly so clean.

He sighed heavily. “And now you really are mad at me. Look, I didn’t mean to offend you.”

I sighed right back. “I know you didn’t,” I admitted. “I’m just . . . being a girl for once, okay?”

That got a weak laugh from him. “You’re always a girl to me.”

The air was tense between us again, in that tightly strung way that I didn’t know how to respond to. Resorting to my age-old, tried and trusted, natural response, I ignored it and changed the subject.

“So, Arianna?”

“Yes, Arianna. Like I was saying, she didn’t like to blend in. Of course, she was a natural Lacie and stood out even without her regular mask, but she didn’t like it being chalked up to natural grace. She likes people knowing how hard she’s worked to become the woman she is now.”

I suspected I knew where this story was going. “What did she do?”

That familiar, cheeky grin was back on Aiden’s lips. “She couldn’t do anything to reveal who she was at the function, of course. That would have been against my father’s orders, and she didn’t dare do anything like that. It would have put her position in danger, not to mention my father’s reputation.

“So, instead, she found out when the next large function was that had invited as many of the same guests as
possible, obtained an invitation, and arrived in her lace mask, making an obvious spectacle of herself while still maintaining her dignity. It was clear she had been the same woman on my arm not weeks before.”

“Wouldn’t that be an embarrassment to you, though?” I asked, intrigued.

He shook his head. “She’s too clever for that. She said she’d had such a good time as my escort before that she couldn’t wait to see me again. And that I had proven myself to be so good to her and for her that she couldn’t accompany me as only an escort again.”

“So you come off as this great ladies’ man, and she looks a love-struck fool? That doesn’t seem to make sense.”

“You might think that, but again, she’s clever. It was clear to anyone who spoke to her that she was smart, and everyone came to the conclusion that I really was that amazing. It’s common enough to be escorted by Lacies, so there was no shame in that. It was simply the matter of disguising what she was that she didn’t like.”

“I see.” I was eager to meet this lady.

“And here we are,” he said, directing me to the door of what looked like a large inn.

The building was lovely from the outside. After all, these women were the epitome of women, and the area they inhabited should display that as well. Pale white and green lanterns were strung up along the water’s edge and along the streets, which were all clean and well swept, and waste was disposed of quickly and effectively. The houses from my neighborhood had been coated in light pastels; these buildings were all bold jewel tones edged with silvers and golds. Those that didn’t house Lacies or Lacies-in-training
were often places of entertainment, such as theaters and music halls, which were also kept in top condition.

Aiden opened the door to the building without knocking and led us into an open lobby. The floors were fine mahogany, covered with intricately woven rugs with colorful designs. No doubt the women of this establishment made the rugs.

Mirrors hung on the walls, an expensive and common decoration for these types of buildings. Lamps were lit around the room, and the mirrors bounced the light around, making the room bright and quite cheery.

“My lord!” a light voice exclaimed, clearly recognizing Aiden.

A tall woman rushed toward him, stopping in front of him and sweeping into the smoothest curtsy I’ve ever seen, dropping her gloved hand in his, which he kissed in greeting.

“My lovely Arianna, it’s always a pleasure,” he said, pulling her to stand comfortably. He turned to me and said, “This is Evelina, my good friend.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I said politely, taking her hand and trying to imitate her curtsy. Mine was not half as graceful as hers.

Her black hair was tightly bound in intricate braids circling the crown of her head and adorned with tiny cream-colored pearls, while her blue eyes glowed like bright sea glass behind her black lace. Her lips were painted a deep red, and her cheeks rouged in pink over the white of the rest of her face. The white paint stopped at the edge of her jaw and hairline as a normal mask would, and her neck was bare save a small silver chain with a jade pendant. I envied her fine dress, a deep blue with silver edging that
draped her body in flattering curves and dips. She was all confidence and beauty. I fought to keep my jealousy at bay. I knew I was no sea cow, but it was impossible to not feel just a little insecure next to her.