Page 70 of Tangwystle
I took the quote back to Baz, who merely shrugged. “If it’s what pet wants.”
The florist took our payment and then, like the gossip she was, let it slip to several people.
This only built anticipation more.
For Baz Coldwell had truly spent a fortune on enough black roses to fill Blackwell Manor. Everyone needed to see it.
The next time I went into town, the invitations had already been mailed out. I noticed a buzz of excitement as I went from shop to shop using a list prepared by Gretel.
Nearer and nearer did the date of the ball seem to loom.
I would wake up early in the morning. Make sure the Manor continued to remain clean. Pulled out our best serving ware and polished the silver until my face reflected in it.
My hands began to itch, the skin red and irritated from the amount of soap I’d started to use. Baz didn’t say much, possibly because he knew I’d snap at him if he did.
I would not be seen as the head of the Manor, but nonetheless, I would not allow anyone to find Blackwell Manor lacking.
But Baz did go out and come back with a balm enhanced by magic that I knew cost a fair bit of coin. He helped me apply it, and I slept soundly with my head on his chest most nights.
Then I’d be up again the next morning, pressing a kiss to his lips before crawling over his and Gretel’s sleeping bodies to get down to the kitchen.
We expected a large crowd. Especially as several of the town’s most well-known families had large parties. We began to prepare the rooms. I couldn’t tell you the last time Blackwell Manor’s ballroom had been used. But now the floors shone and tables for refreshment were set out. Another room was dedicated entirely to food. And of course, we had a room for cards where I knew Baz would probably slip away to conduct business with men.
The day of the ball, I came out of the kitchen, admittedly needing a break from preparing the food, when I stopped in the middle of the ballroom. My head craned upward, taking in every inch of space.
Awe. It filled me up as I looked at Gretel’s work.
She had transformed Blackwell Manor into darkness. But it wasn’t bleak.
The black roses were lush and fragrant. She’d created arches in between each doorway so people felt like they walked through a garden despite being inside. Then the tables were full of black and silver vases.
Just as I had entered the ballroom, she had tasked Baz with helping her. Using his magic, he helped float a black tapestry, securing it to the ceiling. The material swirled and rippled with silver painted stars, creating a breathtaking effect.
Baz smirked when he caught my mouth hanging open.
Gretel handed him larger stars, putting him to work again. He enchanted them to float around the room, high in the sky, making it appear like shooting stars.
“This is incredible.”
“All the credit goes to pet,” Baz replied.
She appeared shy for once in her life. Occasionally, when Baz and I read at night, she’d sketch or paint. But I never knew how talented her artistic skills were.
“Incredible,” I said again, just to her.
A pink flush crept along her skin. “I wanted to be useful. You’ve done so much. Going into town almost every day while I can’t leave the grounds.”
“You know I don’t mind.”
But I think she did. “You’ve spent so much time haggling with vendors when you’d rather be doing anything else. The least I could do was make sure everyone knows how wonderful Blackwell Manor is.”
The house moved, just the slightest, but we understood it to be agreeing with the idea that Blackwell Manor was in fact wonderful.
“It’s spectacular,” I said. “And thank you for putting out the tables already. I want to give the front foyer one last scrub and make sure the coat check is set up right. But then I’ll focus on putting the food out.”
Baz and Gretel shared a look.
My back went rigid. “What?”
