Half a Lady

Chapter Seven

Cordelia's skirt swished around her legs as she walked between the trees. Hannah had helped her into her nicest day dress—a cream-colored number sewn from soft silk. The maid had said something about its gathered neckline pairing well with a braided crown, and she'd insisted on weaving Cordelia's fanciest hairpins among the strands. White crystals glittered among her dark tresses.

Even Cordelia's face had received attention. Hannah had darkened Cordelia's eyebrows with crushed elderberries and tinted her lips with carmine. She'd offered to soften Cordelia's skin with egg whites and honey, but Cordelia had drawn a line. Slathering food over her face seemed like the point of no return.

Besides, Cordelia liked to feel the breeze upon her skin. She tipped her head back, soaking up the sunlight dappling the path. If she were in a fairytale, this was the part where a prince would emerge from the trees. He'd sweep Cordelia into his arms and carry her to some faraway kingdom. He'd make her his princess—his equal in all things.

But this wasn't a fairytale, and Cordelia knew better than to pin her hopes on a true love that might never come.

Her hand brushed her leather satchel. She'd traded Grandfather's weather log for the unopened letter. She'd considered reading it while Hannah braided her hair—after all, the maid had befriended servants in several prominent households and might be able to help—but thought better of it. She wasn't sure she could bear Hannah's pity if this were a rejection letter.

Grandfather's weather cabin emerged from the trees. Ivy climbed its familiar wooden sides, and its glass windows sparkled in the morning sun. A thin wisp of smoke drifted from the chimney, curling into the sky.

Cordelia frowned. That was odd. Grandfather was attending business in London—he shouldn't be back for another week. Perhaps a servant had decided to brave Grandfather's wrath and clean the cluttered cabin. Grandfather didn't take kindly to people handling his equipment.

The door swung open at her touch. The cabin was quiet but for the pop and crackle of logs in the hearth. A lone figure sat at the table farthest from the door, drawing on a piece of parchment. He glanced up when she stepped inside.

Grandfather looked as tired as Cordelia felt. Dark circles bloomed under his eyes, and his clothes were wrinkled from travel. Still, his lips lifted in a weary smile when he saw her.

"It's wonderful to see you, Cordelia." He nodded towards the empty chair across from him. "Will you keep me company?"

Something squeezed in her chest. It shouldn't mean anything that he wanted her to stay, and yet....

"I'd love to," she said.

Grandfather returned to his drawing. The lines were slowly coming together to form a sketch of a new anemometer. He added notes along the margins, describing changes to the original design.

Cordelia thought back to when she was younger, and Grandfather had let her draw on the edges of his papers. Her favorite part was when she got to create borders for his maps. She'd spent hours adding details to her ferocious sea monsters and miniature ships. When Grandfather had asked where she'd traced them from, Cordelia had told him the designs came to her, and it was only a matter of putting them to paper. He'd given Cordelia her first set of paints that Christmas, and she'd been creating art ever since.

"If you're looking for new maps to embellish, I have one in my bag," Grandfather said. "This one charts constellations. You might recognize a few. There's Andromeda, Cassiopeia, and Pegasus, among others."

"Benny would love a map like that," Cordelia mused.

Grandfather lifted his quill. "I know. I thought you could give it as a parting gift if you're intent on following through with this nunnery nonsense."