Page 67 of The Devil In Blue
“Never.”
He didn’t even have to think about his answer.
It was clear that Petris was a busy man preparing for the feast the king had asked for. And I had plenty of thoughts to keep me company. Not all of them were pleasant. In fact, most of them weren’t, but I had an entire library to occupy my mind. After I’d eaten the delicious little meal Tessa had made for me, I headed there and stacked my little glass table full of books. Curling up on the sofa, I dove into the pages, ready to lose myself somewhere that wasn’t my head.
Hours and hours passed with no disturbances and I’d worked my way through two storybooks filled with wonderful, romantic anthologies. Tales of princesses being taken from their towers and saved by princes and knights. Stories of tragic love. Happy endings and sad endings. Had I the capacity to cry anymore, I suspected the pages would be stained with my tears, but I’d shed so many the past few days that I doubted I had much left.
Stupid girl.
Father Eli’s voice kept echoing back at me.Stupid girl.
I closed my book and set it on the table, folding my legs beneath me on the sofa. I managed to keep my mood fairly even since leaving the kitchen, but the later the day became, the more I started to wander. Father Eli was nothing but a burnt corpse now. Magots would find him eventually if they hadn’t already. I wasn’t sure what had been done with him, but I hoped he'd been tossed to the wild things beyond the courtyard. Imagining a kelpher ripping into him with that sinister, disturbing smile full of teeth was morbidly comforting.
After what he told me about Lucien, I wouldn’t mind adding him to the scenario. I wasn’t even sure what had become of him. He’d fallen ill at the masquerade and after he and I got separated, I knew nothing. He could have been one of the many bodies left behind by the ravens or he could have escaped the slaughter.
It would be like him to escape retribution. He’d avoided debt collectors enough times to tell me he was good at slithering away from the consequences of his actions.
Restless, I stood and began to pace, my arms hugged across my stomach. I walked circles around the big tree in the center of the library, never able to truly fix my mind on one thought. Instead, I bounced between many, which caused a headache to form in my temples.
“There you are, love,” a voice said.
I spun around to look at the door and saw both Naeve and Lura walking in, hand-in-hand.
“Have you lost track of time?” Naeve said.
I wasn’t keeping track of it in the first place…
“You need to get ready for dinner with the king,” Lura added.
The two came right up to me and sandwiched me between them, herding me to the door.
I had thought we were heading to my room before I realized we were going in the opposite direction once we came to the second floor. I didn’t ask why, though. They seemed to have a plan and I was in no mood to argue.
Coming to a black door, Naeve pushed it open and I was faced with rows of dress forms dawning beautiful, intricate gowns. They were nothing like the ones at Ethel’s shop in Cragborough. Each one was vastly different from the next. Ivory with lace. Red with silver trim and layers of sheer fabric. Gold with endless embroidery. I skimmed them all, wondering where to start.
“Pick one, love,” Lura said with a giggle.
I wasn’t used to picking. I sighed and slowly walked into the room, weaving between dress forms to look at and touch every single dress. My mind was overflowing with choices and I almost doubted I’d be able to choose one.
Until a dark silhouette caught my eye.
Standing in front of a large floor-to-ceiling window, backlit by the bright moonlight, was a dress like no other.
The deep teal that faded to black at the hem was both seductive and sophisticated. Off-the-shoulder straps trimmed in fabric roses created a swooping neckline on a perfectly tailored corset that extended into layers and layers of flowing fabric.
I stepped up to the gown and lightly slid my fingers down the front of the gown. I never thought I would want to wear another corset, but for that dress, I’d make an exception. It was a masterpiece.
“It’s decided then,” Naeve said, lightly clapping her hands together.
I blinked with surprise and whipped my head toward her. “What?”
“Sweet, you came straight for this dress. Go with your gut. You love this one.”
“Hmm,” Lura said. “I thought for sure you’d pick the red one. Everyone said it was your favorite color and—"
“Lura,” Naeve hissed. “Our king requested we not mention anything about that.” She turned and smiled kindly at me. “This dress is the one she likes. This is the one she’ll wear.”
Looking at myself in the mirror, I saw a different woman than the one I was in Cragborough. The deep blue-green of the dress fell around me like liquid jewels. The pleats on the bustle crowded with roses at the back, hips, and on the straps, which hung just barely off the peaks of my shoulders, emphasized every feminine aspect of my form. The train trailed two steps behind me, embroidered with vines and more roses where the material faded to black.
