Page 3 of Pawns of Fate
“I do know who you are. I am Luanna’s cousin, after all. Knowing all the guests at the party is one of my duties as a—” Rose thought about how to phrase her position in the Robson family, “—as Luanna’s cousin.”
With resolution, she added, “I did not approach you to gain influence over the Sharps. Truthfully, I didn’t intend to find anyone here.” Ava’s brows rose as she listened. Rose gave her a soft smile and admitted, “I come to this spot when I feel unwell. One of Luanna’s ‘friends’ said something rather insulting to me during the party, so I needed a bit of distance from the festivities to regain my composure.” Ava nodded as if she understoodexactly how Rose felt—perhaps she did, given the situation.
“When I found you here, I just wanted to make sure you were alright,” Rose said.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to assume the worst. I’ve insulted you.” Ava let out a shaky breath and wiped away a few tears. “It’s been more than a year since I married York. No matter how hard I try, I still don’t fit in at these events.”
“It’s hard to master all the etiquette rules that govern high society.” Rose laid a comforting hand on Ava’s shoulder. “If you ask me, some of the rules are quite silly. Don’t you think? Like always using the utensils in the correct order during a meal.”
“I mess that one up all the time!”
They shared a laugh, and the mood lightened.
“Luanna’s cousin… So, you’re Lady Rose Robson? I should have known from your pink hair. It’s such a unique, pretty color.”
“You outrank me as the daughter-in-law of a marquess. You don’t have to use titles when speaking to me.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
Rose smiled reassuringly. “It isn’t something you need to apologize for.”
“I shouldn’t have doubted your intentions,” Ava said, finally relaxing. “You’re probably the only one here who wasn’t born into the nobility, like me. You understand how hard it is to learn all this after growing up in a different sphere of society.”
Rose winced inwardly.
It was true. After her parents died, Rose grew up in an all-girls orphanage. At the age of fifteen, her Uncle Hector found her andbrought her back to House Robson, despite neither her aunt and cousins, nor Rose herself, being fond of the arrangement. She’d at least had kind caregivers and even friends at the orphanage. With the Robsons, she’d had her basic needs met most of the time, but not much else. And, of course, as soon as Rose came of age, her uncle started using her as collateral in his political schemes. No one else in the family was sent away, essentially serving as a hostage for families who needed a guarantee that her uncle would follow through on his end of their deals. But Rose had become Uncle Hector’s favorite pawn in that regard.
Rose pulled her thoughts away from her upbringing and precarious position in the Robson family. Ava didn’t realize how rude she was to bring up Rose’s past. Her childhood in the orphanage was a constant source of shame. Other aristocrats considered it a massive flaw, unsuitable for nobility. Ava was the first person to see it in a different light.
It warmed Rose’s heart just a little.
“Yes, etiquette can be a lot to master. I had to study with a tutor for three years before I was ready to join high society. You’ve only had one year. Don’t be too hard on yourself.”
“Thank you. It means a lot to have somebody listen to me for once. York listens, but he would have already gone and picked a fight with the girl who insulted me. I love him, but he can be such a hothead. He doesn’t understand that when he makes such a fuss, it makes things worse for me.”
Rose stifled her surprised reaction to the information that a nobleman like York Sharp would pick a fight with women on his wife’s behalf. Ava clearly viewed it as a problem already.Rose decided to guide the conversation in another direction as tactfully as possible.
“I believe he’s been that way since childhood. I don’t know him well personally, but my cousin Hermes was friends with him when they were younger.”
“Oh, I wish you did know him well! I would love to ask for stories about young York from somebody besides his brother, persnickety Nicholas.”
Ava lost herself in thought for a minute.
“Can I ask you an odd question?”
“Certainly,” Rose replied, though she felt a bit nervous. Now that she was more relaxed, Ava’s boisterous personality was starting to shine through. It made her more unpredictable than the cold nobles or apathetic family Rose usually dealt with.
“Do you really have a soothing aura? It’s such a rare magic.”
“I do have a soothing aura. I wouldn’t say I have mastered it, though. I practice regularly enough to use it for calming others.”
“Can it truly increase mages’ mana?” Ava looked at Rose with wide eyes.
“My uncle says that no one has been able to do that for at least six generations.” Rose didn’t know if she believed him, but since Hector had never been interested in hiring a tutor, Rose had only been able to master things she could teach herself, read in books, or overhear when eavesdropping on Hermes’s lessons. It limited her capabilities in a frustrating way. In the Robson archives, she’d read about one of her ancestors using the aura to calm drakes, mountain trolls, and even a basilisk. Rose could barely manipulate the emotions of other humans, let aloneanimals or monsters.
“That is still amazing!” Ava wiggled a little, then mumbled, “I wish I had an aura or a mana affinity.”
Ava’s curiosity made sense to Rose. Auras were a very rare form of inherited magic. It tended to skip generations, and the soothing aura was the rarest of the aural magics. She’d heard of only one other family that could use it, and Uncle Hector had told her they were distantly related to the Robsons.
