Page 32 of Veiled in Stars and Silver
“He likes to be called Jas.”
“Excuse me?”
A smile slid up the woman’s face. She was beautiful, in her mid-twenties, the oldest out of the three women. “In the bedroom.”
My mouth dropped open, with no idea how to respond. Part of me wanted to giggle like a schoolgirl, and still another part made me wonder what Hook would do if I called him that.
Eloise snorted, folding her arms, eyes narrowing. “Don’t encourage her, Ivy. Besides, she is most certainly not his type.”
Ivy cast her an annoyed glance. “How do you know what his type is? Last I checked, you were betrothed to his first mate.”
My eyes widened. “You’re engaged to Smee?”
“Yes,” Eloise snapped. “Is that a problem?” Turning to Ivy, she added, “Last night, every single creature in Neverland was commanded to hunt down and kill James. But not Wendy. We were to keep her alive and bring her to Pan.”
I felt my stomach clench. “Those were your orders?”
“They were.” Eloise’s lip curled. “All our lives are in James’s hands. He doesn’t have time for…”—her gaze roved over me—”distractions.”
Ivy appeared disturbed by this. “What do you think, Camille?”
Camille peered nervously at the two women. She was young, probably slightly younger than my twenty years. “I trust James.”
Eloise rolled her eyes while Ivy nodded in satisfaction.
“As well you should,” Ivy said. “We should all trust him. Now, Camille, fetch water for a bath. Eloise, you can help Miss Darling out of her clothes, and I shall find something for her to wear.”
Now Eloise looked really put out.
“I can change myself,” I said. “In fact, if you bring some water, I believe I can manage on my own.”
Ivy appeared aghast. “Oh no. Cora does so much for us, we want to repay her. We’ll do as she says.”
So I had to let the women, mostly Ivy, wait on me. Camille returned with the water and dumped it into the large tub that sat next to the bed.
As I peeled off my clothes, I heard several gasps as my back was exposed, revealing the whipping scars marking my skin.
“You poor thing,” Ivy lamented.
“It's nothing,” I said quickly.
I stepped away, climbing into the bath. Ivy said nothing more, only gave me a pitying glance as I sank into the water. The grime caked on me from the past day and a half loosened, and I tried to ignore the other women’s chatter in the background as I washed. I kept a knife with me in the bath, just to be safe. Was I really a distraction for Hook? I supposed I was forcing him to save my brothers before I allowed him to save Neverland. But I had no choice. I needed to find John and Michael, and without Hook, or someone helping me, I’d never locate them.
The water was unexpectedly warm, and when I finished, I was relieved to see a towel sitting next to the basin. I grabbed it and pulled it around me before facing the other women.
Ivy smiled and motioned toward the bed. On the covers lay a frilled dress that appeared to be missing some fabric.
“This gown isn’t finished,” I said.
At that, the three women laughed. Ivy ran a hand over the soft lace. “I assure you. It is quite whole.”
“But.” I tried to think of an excuse. “My knives. There’s no room for them.”
“Oh, there is always room for knives.” Ivy gave me a sly look. “If you know where to place them.”
She helped me fit into the dress, then walked me in front of the mirror. It was tight through the bodice and showed off my shoulders. The gown bloomed in soft pinks and rouge hand-sewn flowers and lace. The netted material lined the seams of my gown where the tops of my breasts crested in an all-too-revealing fashion. Eloise glowered at me, but Ivy and Camille looked excited.
“You look lovely,” Camille said.
