"Your sister looks as ghastly as ever." Georgiana seemingly manifested out of thin air beside me, nearly causing my heart to leap from my chest.
I tried to keep from laughing at her comment while I did my best to spot where Adela had gone to, then added, "Then there's mother, trying to convince everyone attending that she has miraculously reverted back to when she was once one and twenty herself."
The corners of her lush lips curled, "You know, they say your mother has a spy in our home that feeds her information on what mine wears just so she can dress the same." She chuckled, "Rather mad when you think about it."
"I would not doubt it." I continued my search, "Even I have considered the possibility, for my mother is as odd as they come."
"She is indeed something." We both perused the peoples, all elegantly dressed though many were hard to tell apart with how generic they all ended up appearing. Since most of the men dressed the same save the colors of their vests, and the women, despite trying to appear different, all chose the same cut of dress since it was the most popular style of the season. Only the wealthiest folks truly stood out because they had the money to afford the more out of reach styles.
The momentary silence between us shifted.
"It seems you have done something to get on the Dampierre's bad side." She lowered her voice, "I dare say, mind your words around Castellana or you might end up with something worse than a botched woodland attack befalling you."
"Are you saying it was her who hired those bandits?" My stomach started to curdle as the playful air of our conversation started to sour.
"I'd never do something so bold as to accuse the daughter of such an important Duke of orchestrating such a heinous crime." She leaned in slightly, lowering her voice even more, "Do tread carefully, dearest Emma, because these people are worse than you could ever begin to imagine."
When she and I had grown close enough for her to offer me a friendly, yet cryptic, warning, I was unsure. But just as quickly as she had appeared, she vanished into the many bodies around me as if she had never even been there to begin with. A skill of hers that would always unnerve me.
But perhaps she was right. I hardly knew any of the influential families that currently surrounded me, let alone all the other people. So maybe I had bit off more than I could chew. She all but said the Dampierres were responsible for the attack, yet she also sounded uncertain of it as well.
The overwhelming feeling of uneasiness settled in as I finally grasped the situation in which I had found myself. Everyone in the room had been wolves, ready to set upon me at any moment and devour me whole. Waiting for weakness, for me to make mistakes.
I tipped back the glass of sparkling wine I had in my hand, attempting to drown the terror that slowly crept up my spine. If they were more than willing to have me sullied out of spite, then what would they have done to anyone that had gotten in their way?
After finishing the drink, I handed it to one of the many servants making rounds around the room and exchanged it for another.
"Breathe." I reminded myself, "The night has only just begun."
Across the room, I caught a glimpse of icy blue eyes staring at me through the numerous bodies weaving between us. A pair of eyes swirling with anger, hate and disgust.
Adela had watched my conversation with Georgiana, but to her I was sure it only appeared worse than a casual chat. For me simply laughing with the girl she had hated for the entirety of her life was the equivalent of treachery in her eyes. Though my sister had betrayed me long ago when she chose to hate me, bully me and blame me, when instead she could have just simply loved me.
I smiled at her and tilted my head to the side as if I were saying, "Good evening, sister."
She cut her eyes harder, then rolled them and mouthed the word, "Bitch."
I simply curtsied, thanking her for the compliment and turned to be on my way.
Rheda waved me over to where she and Sheera had been standing with their mothers chatting, both women having a daunting presence that made me hesitate to join them.
Rheda's mother wore a white gown that had been delicately lined with shimmering gold thread, and her hair had been tucked into a large headpiece. Her eyelids had been colored with white and gold streaks, and down the center of her bottom lip to the end of her chin a white line had been perfectly painted.
She was breathtaking, with her golden bangles catching the light as she spoke with her hands, and the long train that billowed behind her as she moved made her appear almost as if she were a Goddess herself.
To her right, her sister, Sheera's mother, stood proudly. She wore a dress similar to Sheera's, however instead of red hers was orange. Her hair had been done in very small braids instead of wrapped, and they hung past the middle of her back with jewelry intertwined into every other braid.
"Good evening, Countess and Viscountess de Marre." I curtsied, nerves starting to dance around in my stomach, "It is nice to see you both again."
"Ah, Miss Beckett." Viscountess de Marre, Rheda's mother smiled, "I hope you are doing alright; I am so sorry about what happened to you."
"As am I, dear child." Sheera's mother took my hands in hers, "What you and my darling Sheera went through was unacceptable. I still cannot fathom how those foolish guards allowed something like this to happen. They were supposed to sweep the woods before the caravan even entered! Their laziness is beyond forgiveness."
"No one told me the woods were to have been checked prior to our going through them." The chilling thought made my head swim, "I am sure they did their best, but since the bandits were sent-"
All four of them looked at me with raised brows signaling that I had indeed made a very large mistake.
Rheda's mother looked around before she lowered her voice, "So you know."
My heart dropped, "Indeed." Was all I could say. But what I wanted to ask was, 'Just how many people are aware that I was the target?'
Both Sheera and Rheda looked at me confused, as if they weren't aware, which gave me some comfort. Rheda's mother's eyes softened, "Know, child, that I am doing everything in my power to find out who exactly was behind it, and when I do, they will pay for what they've done."
"I'll kill them myself if I find out before anyone else." Sheera's mother asserted, flames flicking in her brown eyes.
"Thank you, both." I forced out, trying to ignore the pounding in my head, "I apologize, but can we speak of something lighter, I am not quite yet ready to speak of such harsh topics."
"Of course, dear, I had not even taken a moment to consider how fresh these events are for you. But, please, if you have any further questions on the matter, do come to me. I will tell you anything I know when you are ready." Rheda's mother gently brushed a strand of hair out of my face.
"It is okay, truly. I was the one who brought it up in the first place, so please do not feel too bad." I started to feel strangled again as my cheeks felt flush with heat.
"Merona!" Sheera tore my attention away, "Finally, that beautiful man has released you."
"You were with Henry?" I asked, not realizing I had left out something very important.
All three of them looked at me even more confused than before, "Yes, I just finished my dance with Prince Henry." She smiled, "He was much nicer than I thought he would be."
"I must agree, he is much more tolerable than Thomas." Sheera folded her arms across her chest.
It was nice to know he had been getting along well with my friends, but part of me disliked the thought of everyone getting to know him more.
"Lower your voice Sheera, or he will hear you." Rheda subtly motioned behind where I was standing, "Here he comes."
"Again?" Sheera sighed, "How is the man not tired? He has been dancing nonstop since the ball began. You'd think he would take a moment to rest, grab a drink or just catch his breath."
"I assure you, Miss de Marre, I am quite alright." Henry smiled, startling all four of us despite knowing he was on his way.
"Well. . . that's good then, Your Highness." Sheera downed her glass of sparkling wine, then turned away to hide her embarrassment.
"Hello again, Your Highness." Rheda curtsied, "You must really have an affinity for dancing if you have come, yet again, to claim another one of your dances."
"You can thank Miss Beckett for that." He peered down at me, "She ignited a fire in me at the Congratulatory Ball that I have not been able to put out since."
I nearly choked on my spit, "T-that is hardly true, Your Highness."
"Oh?" He turned to face me completely, "Then how would you explain this insatiable craving that I have?"
"For dancing? Simple, you already yearned to dance. I just so happened to be the one you finally danced with." I smiled, though my heart felt like it was in my ears.
"Is that what it is?" He laughed, "Then, shall we see?" He offered me his large hand.
"Oh, Your Highness!" A short blonde figure forced their way in front of me with an unmistakable high-pitched voice.
Henry took a step back, confused by Adela's abrupt insertion into our conversation. "And you are?"
"I am Emma's elder sister Adela, Your Highness." She curtsied, forcing her voice as high as it could go. "It is wonderful to finally make your acquaintance."
"It is nice to meet you as well, Miss Beckett." Henry peered over her at me, "I was just asking your-"
"I would love to dance with you, if you would grant me the pleasure of such an honor." She carefully elbowed me in the ribs, as if to tell me to back off.
"Like I said I was just asking your sister to dance." He asserted, "Though she was to be my final dance of the evening."
"Oh, could you not make an exception for me this once, Your Highness." She batted her eyelashes, doing everything she could to make him comply.
"Please, go ahead." I forced myself to say.
Henry watched me, not even caring to look at my sister, probably wondering just what exactly was going through my head.
"Just go, I can wait." I mouthed, though I could not, for the life of me, explain why I had helped her.
It was not as if I was scared of mother's vitriol, she was sure to spew at me after I had not helped. Especially after Adela had, in the most dramatic way she could have mustered, gone and twisted the events to make it seem like I had kept him from dancing with her intentionally.
No, none of that really mattered to me. What I was actually scared of was facing the embarrassment that came with apologizing for how I acted earlier and explaining why I had gotten so upset over something that I had told him to do.
Though, once again, I had gone and done something stupid. "Why did I do that?" I wondered as Henry stared at me still. "Why does he scramble my brain and make me act like a complete fool when I am not one?"
"Well, if your sister insists, then I shall oblige you, Miss Adela Beckett." However, his green eyes stayed locked on me, screaming 'why?'