“I’d have liked to have seen that,” he commented playfully. “The ladies back in Isolte don’t even bend to touch their hands to the water, much less risk slipping in.”

“Probably for the best. That river claimed a very dear pair of shoes.”

He laughed, kicking at the stone floor idly. “Well, I suppose I should find Sullivan. The staff was kind enough to find a space for us to work, and it’ll be nice to feel . . . useful.”

“I know what you mean. Which reminds me, have you seen a seamstress’s or dresser’s room back this way? I’m looking for thread.”

“Yes,” he answered enthusiastically. “Take the next stairway to the second floor. There isn’t a door on the room, so you should be able to see it.”

“Ah. Well, thank you very much, Silas.”

He nodded his head. “Anytime, Lady Hollis.”

He hurried on his way, and I walked back to the stairwell, thinking that it was much darker back here than I was used to. As I climbed the stairs, I thought upon the countless visits of kings and dignitaries, of emissaries and representatives that had happened since my family made Keresken Castle our primary residence. I’d seen people from all over the continent. And yet, speaking in the hallway with Silas Eastoffe marked the first time I’d ever spoken to a foreigner.

I was surprised to find he was not so different from me, not so difficult to see at home within these castle walls.

Eight

THE FOLLOWING MORNING, THE KNOCK came right on time.

“Which do you think it is?” Delia Grace wondered aloud. “Either gifts from His Majesty or another lord coming to seek your favor?’

I avoided her eyes, unsure how this would unfold. “Neither.”

“Lady Nora Littrell,” the maid announced as my guest rounded the corner.

“What’s she doing here?” Delia Grace asked under her breath.

“I invited her,” I clarified, standing to greet my guest. “Thank you for coming, Lady Nora.”

“Happy to be here. What can I do for you?”

I swallowed, knowing the following statement would shock Delia Grace. “I’ve asked you here to offer you a position in my household.”

Sure enough, Delia Grace looked positively aghast as she sputtered, “What? Why her?”

“Because she was lady enough to apologize when she did something foolish, and gracious enough not to hold my own foolishness against me.” I looked back at my dearest friend. “Our reach at court is limited. Lady Nora knows people we don’t, and she’s bright. As you’ve pointed out, I need all the help I can get.”

At that Delia Grace dropped her head, blushing, looking as if she were crushing her teeth together behind her lips.

“Granted, my place isn’t official yet,” I began again, looking back to Nora, “but if you want it, I’d like you both to be in my entourage. Delia Grace, of course you will be primary lady-in-waiting, and Nora, if you want to join us, you can be a lady-in-waiting as well. If things continue like they have been, and Jameson proposes, I will ask for your help in assembling the rest of my household, so that we can assure that it is the happiest it could possibly be. And, naturally, any favor that comes upon me, I will gladly share with you.”

Nora walked over, taking my hands. “I’d love to be your lady! Hollis, thank you!” Her smile was genuine, and any resentment she’d harbored toward me for winning Jameson’s heart was clearly gone. Maybe it had never even been there to begin with.

Delia Grace, however, was still fuming.

I stared evenly at her. “This will only work if the two of you can cooperate. You are very different ladies with different personalities and gifts, and I don’t know how I’m to get through this without you both. Please.”

Delia Grace’s arms were crossed, her expression unmistakably telling me I’d just betrayed her in the deepest way possible.

“I was always going to have to get other ladies. You suggested it yourself,” I reminded her.

“I know. I just didn’t think . . . She’ll answer to me, right?” Delia Grace asked.

“You’re the primary lady-in-waiting,” Nora said before I could reply. “Everyone would answer to you.”

“I expect you to be fair,” I cautioned her, “but, yes, you outrank everyone who comes after.”

She sighed. “Fine.” She looked at me, her eyes clearly disappointed. “If you’ll excuse me, my lady, I have a headache. And it seems you have someone else to tend you now.”

With that she stormed off, the slamming door echoing in her wake.

“I guess I couldn’t have expected that to go any better,” Nora admitted.

“It will take a lot to undo everything that’s passed between you two,” I replied.

“Yes. I have to say, with how . . . distant we’ve all been with her, I’m surprised you’re willing to give me a chance at all.”

I turned to her. “Well, I’m a big supporter of second chances. I’m hoping that Delia Grace will give you one as well. And that you’ll try to make a new start with her.”

Her discomfort was written across her face as she worked up the nerve to answer. “That might be nice. Sometimes . . . it’s easier being at court when all the negative attention is on someone else, if that make sense.”

I sighed. “Yes. Yes, it does.”

She gave a sad shrug. “My family has scandals of its own—almost all noble families do—but it made life here easier knowing there was someone to direct all the gossip at.”

“I understand. But that is all in the past. Sooner or later, you will have to offer her an apology. I need your help, but I cannot be without her.”

She nodded. “I won’t let you down, my lady. I’m pleased beyond words just to be a part of this. You’re going to be in the history books. Do you realize that?”

I took in a shaky breath through my smile. “I do. . . . I think that’s why I’m so nervous.”

Nora kissed my cheek. “Don’t worry. You have Delia Grace, and now you have me.”

Before I could thank her, my mother burst through the door, looking as if she was ready to wage war.

She looked between Nora and me, Nora’s hands still in mine, and pointed an accusing finger. “Did you really let that girl into your household?”

After a moment of shock, I understood. “I assume you ran into Delia Grace.”

“I did.”

“I wonder why you finally saw fit to take anything she says seriously. Could it be because she brought up a piece of my life you forgot to wrap your hands around?”

She didn’t deny it. She didn’t say she was looking out for me, or that there was a better way to go about it that I hadn’t considered. It was just one more thing that was meant to be mine but, in her eyes, wasn’t.

“What makes you think you have the capacity to arrange your own household?” she spat. “I expected you to keep Delia Grace; there was no way around that.” She rolled her eyes, bitter that the only friend I’d had at the castle chose to stay by my side. “And I’ll allow this because Nora is of a more reputable family than most, but from here on in, your father and I will be choosing your ladies. Is that understood?”