Page 20 of The Midnight Blizzard

“Yes, you are.”

“I’d rather sleep with Cinder again than?—”

“You sleep in cinders? Why does that not surprise me?” Vanessa’s musical voice grated at my ears as I turned to face my stepsister, who was gliding down the stairs with Vallia beside her.

“You always were useless when it came to fashion sense. That must explain the black,” Vanessa went on, looking pointedly at the bodice of my gown. Glancing down, I spotted a few black dog hairs that had somehow managed to cling to the fabric even after I’d done my best to get ready. Had they passed from Jack to me after he dropped his things off in the barn? I brushed them away angrily.

“I think her dress is pretty,” Vallia said quietly, almost as if she hoped to remained unheard. After a deep breath,she looked up at me and went on, “I still have the one you brought that got left in the carriage if you?—”

“She didn’t even ask for it,” Vanessa interrupted her. “She clearly has other options and doesn’t want it.”

“Both of you interrupted our conversation,” Jack told my stepsisters coldly. Then, with a slightly vindictive gleam in his eye, he continued, “I’ll be sure to make a note. What poor manners.”

“My apologies for the interruption. I intended to meet you at the last ball but was unable to,” Vallia told Jack. Her blonde hair was similar to mine in shade, but she always kept it glossed and coiled so neatly that she looked like she’d walked out of a painting. She was the one who looked most like her mother, from the sharp, angular features to the full lips and razor thin eyebrows. “My mother and stepfather always had a special interest in mages. What sort of magic can you do?”

Vanessa pursed her lips but refrained from making any additional comments. I had to hand it to her, both she and Vallia looked beautiful. Vanessa might be cruel and have apropensity for distributing snide remarks, but she also knew how to display herself to her best advantage.

“I don’t discuss personal matters with guests,” Jack answered, his eyes ice-cold. “I’m sure you ladies have friends to meet. Shall we, Noelle?” He offered me his arm.

“Cinderelle,” Vanessa said as she pretended to sneeze. Vallia winced but did nothing to correct her sister as they walked away.

“Your stepsisters, I surmise?” Jack asked in a low tone.

“Delights, aren’t they? Thank you for rescuing me.”

“My pleasure.” Jack looked up at a large grandfather clock. “But I do need to meet with the other advisors before the feast begins. I’ll see you soon.”

“You look—” I broke off. There were people around. I couldn’t tell Jack how handsome he looked in public. “You look very busy,” I amended.

Jack smiled softly. “So do you.” He hurried away and slipped through a side door.

“Ladies, ladies, your attention please!” Octavius, standing on a raised dais, repeated himself several times before he was heard. A chorus of shushing rippled through the assembly as women hushed their neighbors until quiet finally fell.

“The Feast of Stephen shall commence shortly. Name cards have been placed…”

I bit my lip to hold back a laugh and lost track of what Octavius was saying.Feast of Stephensounded like the prince would be roasted on a spit instead of being the guest of honor.

“—so be sure to behave accordingly,” Octavius finished. “You may proceed.”

The doors groaned as they were pulled open, and all the young women glided over the threshold as smoothly as if they were rolling on wheels.

“Good luck, my dears,” I overheard Valencia saying to her daughters. “This is your time to shine. I’ll tell you later how it goes with Lord Relyn, and I will want to hear all about the feast.”

Women flocked around the long table, searching for their name cards. It seemed that Prince Stephen hadn’t taken Jack’s advice of sitting me next to him. Vallia had that honor, which she looked thrilled about. I, on the other hand, had been placed as far as possible from Stephen, on the opposite end of the table and next to several girls who frowned and complained about the seating arrangements anytime an advisor wasn’t near.

Other than feeling the pressing need to make a good impression on Stephen so he would keep me around longer, I wasn’t upset at all by the arrangement. Once the girls I sat with got over their immediate disappointment of being so far away from Stephen and ate, they were pleasant to talk to. We chatted about our families, hobbies, and as always happened when people asked about my life, I ended up talking about Kodiak. I gushed about how smart he was, how he had protected me from an enormous wolf on the way here, and how he was the best dog anyone could ever wish for.

Periodically throughout the meal, advisors would pass us and jot notes down after listening to snippets of our conversation. Each time this happened, the girls around me would stiffen, taking extra care to cut the tiniest portions of food possible and lift them daintily to their mouths.

I kept watching the time, eagerly counting down the minutes until I could take Jack ice skating on the lake. He passed several times, jotting down notes just like the other advisors, but I caught him stealing glances my way anytime he could. At one point, he actively stared at me buttering a roll before heaving a dramatic sigh and shaking his head, scribbling on his pad of paper before walking back down the table again, hiding a smile. If we’d been alone, I would have thrown my napkin at him.

“I wonder what they’re all writing,” Jasmine said anxiously. She was seated to my right and moodily poked her fork at one of the seven dishes of butter in the center of our table, all shaped like swans gliding across the tablecloth. “The advisors make me so nervous.”

“It looks like they’re making almost everyone nervous,” I agreed, looking down the long table. Vanessa had leaned across the table to place her hand on Stephen’s arm,smiling so hard at him that each of her perfectly white, even teeth showed. Vallia, seated beside Stephen, stared at her plate and bit her lip. I wished I could inject some of my own confidence into her so she would stand up to her mother and sister.

“I’ll never get a chance to speak with him,” the girl seated diagonally from me lamented.

“I’m sure we’ll all get an opportunity,” I said, and Jasmine nodded. There were still twenty women here. Stephen would have to budget his time meticulously to get to know each of us individually. When dessert was brought out, the girls around me straightened and I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder.

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