“At last, the woman of the hour.” Wesley boomed.

  Silver candlesticks depicting the sigil of our house’s watchful owl lit the long dining table. White lace forest imagery lay over the dark green tablecloth. The guests, my neighbors and close relatives, stood cradling glasses of blackberry wine across the room. The entire room turned to face me in eager attention as I entered, but my eyes searched only for Griffin’s face.

  He stood by the fireplace next to my mother. Orange firelight lit the curve of his jaw and threw shadows from the fur trimmings of his suit. I searched his face for that peaceful affection I adored, but found only detached curiosity.

  I forced a smile. “I hope you will forgive my late arrival.”

  My mother stepped forward. “Sir Mauralus, I would like to introduce you to my daughter, Cassia Derullia.” I curtsied, drawing my skirts up as I did so. “Cassia, this is Sir Griffin Mauralus, Baron of Fesserton.”

  I offered my hand, and Griffin bowed to touch my glove to his forehead. “The prince’s description of your beauty does not do you justice, my lady. It is a pleasure to meet you at last.” Those words were identical. How many times had he rehearsed them?

  “Likewise, my lord.” These words were too cold, too distant. “I’m afraid I have delayed our dinner.”

  “Ah, yes. Please everyone, take your seats,” said my mother.

  Griffin waved away the servant and crossed the table to pull my chair out himself. My father sat at the head of the table with my brother to his right and Mother to his left. Griffin and I sat across from one another. Wesley’s wife, Ellis, held the position at the foot of the table. It was an unusual arrangement, but Mother had insisted on a spot close to the engaged couple, and she rarely accepted rejection.

  I couldn’t find the place to begin. I wanted to ask my husband a thousand questions. What did you discuss that day in the men’s parlor? What did you do for someone to want us dead? What have you been hiding from me? But this wasn’t my Griffin. He wouldn’t know the answer.

  As the dishes were served, Griffin filled the silence. “Is this where you grew up? It’s a beautiful home. I can see why you praised it in your letters.”

  I placed my gloves to the side of my dish and picked up my silverware. “It’s quiet, the perfect place to raise a child.”

  My brother jumped in. “Just you wait, Cassia. Sure, Sir Mauralus’s estate is smaller than ours, but when we start moving Fesserton cotton…” He whistled. “Let’s just say you’ll be shopping for summer cottages before your firstborn takes his first steps.” Ever the businessman, my brother saw the world in terms of size and opportunities. No doubt our marriage agreement was well fought. Griffin’s face was set in a hard line.

  “Your estate is close to the theater, is it not?” My mother tried to salvage the conversation.

  “Yes,” Griffin said, “it’s only a half-hour ride to the theater. Traveling troupes often come through with new plays every season. I will need to take you there when it reopens, my lady.” I don’t think I had visited that theater once.

  I added, “The apple orchard would be the perfect playground for a child. All it needs is a swing hanging from its branches.” I had been eyeing one tree in particular.

  Griffin’s brow wrinkled. “You’re familiar with the estate?”

  I froze. That’s right. In this thread, I hadn’t visited the capital, let alone his estate.

  My father said, “Cassia has been questioning me since the wedding was first proposed. I asked around about the estate, Sir Fesserton.”

  “Of course. Anyone would be curious about their future home,” said Griffin.

  “You haven’t tried the venison, Griffin,” said Wesley. “The deer here on the estate are uniquely tender. Unlike those fat deer near the capital, the game here is accustomed to a skilled hunter.”

  Griffin laughed. “I take it you will be participating in His Majesty’s hunt.”

  “I have heard you are quite the shot. His Highness the Prince is benevolent to speak so highly of an old schoolmate.” The implied insult hung in the air.

  Last thread, Griffin declined the hunt, but the King’s annual hunt was exactly the kind of place that gathered the noblemen and ladies who frequent the Speckled Duckling. “Wesley, isn’t it a bit early to bully my future husband? It’s not reasonable to expect a lord from the township to compete.”

  Wesley puffed out his chest. “Fair enough. I suppose hunting is not every man’s game.”

  “His Highness is not one to exaggerate. Would you care for a wager, Mr. Derulia? I must warn you, there is hardly a challenge I can’t master.”

  “If your attitude extends to mental pursuits, I’d like to meet you at the poker table.” It was out of my mouth before I had time to check myself. Griffin raised an eyebrow, but Wesley was already hashing out the details of their hunting wager. Before long, they moved on to recollecting the hunting trips of their academy days.

  During our marriage, Griffin was quick to ask after others, but seldom spoke of his own experiences. I found it comforting then. Our marriage had been a new page for both of us, a chance to build something new together. But now I felt I had never known him at all. With the next break in the conversation, I changed the topic.

  “In your letters, you mentioned an older sister. Isn’t that right?” I asked.

  “Yes, Diana. She’s attending the Bremmer Academy for Medical Sciences.” Outside of the wedding, I had never seen her once. From what I knew, they hadn’t been close since Griffin’s parents passed away ten years ago.

  “Medical school!” my mother exclaimed.

  “That’s right, she had an unusual skill, did she not?” I asked.

  Griffin flashed a controlled smile. “You are correct. She was granted permission to attend due to the high value of her skill. Her passive skill allows her to sense the inner workings of the human body, which aids in medical diagnosis.”

  “And her active skill?” I asked.

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  “She can induce painless sleep,” said Wesley.

  Diana was a tall woman who oozed confidence both at our wedding and before that in previous threads. She was ambitious. By the king’s law, the first male heir inherits the estate. Only when no heir is apparent will it fall to a female successor. With Griffin’s birth, she lost her chance at the family title and land. Yet, she didn’t choose marriage. She advocated her way into medicine, promising years of service for the opportunity. I wish I had taken the time to better know her in my first thread when she and I were the only women in the officer corps.

  “That is a remarkable gift,” I said. A useful gift.

  “She has a bright future.” Griffin leaned forward. “You are curious about my sister’s skill, but isn’t there something else you’d rather ask, Miss Derullia?”

  The formal name jarred me, and I looked up to meet his gaze. “Ah, right. Tell me your skill.”

  The corner of his mouth twitched up into a smirk. “You know, I’ve never had someone order me to reveal something so personal.”

  Out of habit, I matched his posture. “But you’ll answer, won’t you?”

  “Cassia…” my mother chided.

  Griffin leaned back, nonchalant. “No matter, Madam.” His eyes stayed locked with mine. “I can sense the movement of living creatures and hold them in place. It can be incredibly useful. In fact, it allowed me to sense something today.”

  “Oh?” I should have tested the limit of his ability before. Perhaps he had uncovered some clue in the movements of the staff or the guests that could reveal a motive.

  “I sensed a person on the second-floor balcony. I looked out the carriage window and was struck by the woman standing there, a blue iris blooming in the snow.”

  This was new. I broke his gaze and cleared my throat.

  Griffin turned to my mother. “But enough about me. Madam, I hear you are a native of the Pearl Coast. I had the pleasure of visiting this past summer on business. For a country to make such advancements in so short a period of time. It is miraculous.”

  “I am from Gerullia in the West, but I arrived here in Bellevess just before the uprisings started. My home country is unrecognizable now. It has traded its traditions for wealth.” My mother said.

  My brother was quick to respond, “It’s no longer the fishing village you remember, my lady. It brings in spices from Centurulos and pottery from West Argaysh. While I don’t care for the current government’s policies, you cannot deny that they have brought new opportunities for its people.”

  The two of them reenacted the argument they’d had a million times.

  The guests were finishing their desserts when my father rose from the wheelchair, leaning on the table. My mother held his arm, stabilizing him. “Cherished guests, family, new and old. I would like to invite you to the garden. It is nearly sunset and we must catch the light. Cassia, dear. Will you accompany me?”

  The guests, including Griffin, drew back their seats and began making their way out to the large oak doors at the end of the dining room. I held back. “Please sit. I will take you out.”

  “Let him walk with you this one time.” My mother handed his arm to me.

  The two of us trailed behind the crowd, shuffling cautiously over the thick carpet. “I know this won’t be easy for you.” My father spoke in a hushed tone. “But you’ve given this old man a great gift today. A father’s greatest mission is to secure a future for his children in this world. I feared that with the responsibilities you carry, you might not find that happiness for yourself. Now I know for certain that you’re starting a life with someone who will love and cherish you. What other parent can say the same?”

  We came to the entrance and looked over the garden. White wooden garden chairs formed a semicircle around a table on which lay a woven branch of pine needles. The sun had fallen low in the sky, lighting Derullia Cottage’s stone walls with light blues and purples. Everything was exactly the same as our first engagement ceremony. But then, my father stretched out his withered hand. Firefly lights blinked into existence throughout the garden, pulsing softly against the guests’ faces.

  “Papa-” Only one thing could trigger his skill for illusion, something I hadn’t seen since his illness bound him to the grounds of our estate. His face was alight with pure joy.

  I hugged him and he spoke so softly that only I could hear. “There is no problem my daughter cannot solve. All you need is time. Now come, your husband is waiting.”

  We walked down the aisle, a tear-soaked bride and her beaming father. Griffin stood dutifully in the center of the garden, cheeks pink in the cold. As we reached the inner rows of chairs, my mother met us to take my father to his seat. Griffin crossed his hand over his heart and bowed to my parents, just like he had six months ago. Then he took my hands in his.

  My eyes settled on Griffin’s. Wesley’s speech fell away. The firefly lights and the engagement ceremony fell away. Those unwavering hazel eyes...

  Acid rose in my throat, and pain radiated from my chest. I gripped Griffin’s hand fiercely, pressing that instinct back down. The people blurred and dimmed as his eyes grew, filling my vision. Somewhere, people were clapping, but the sounds of that night echoed beneath the noise: the huffing of the horses, Griffin’s scream.

  Hands grabbed my shoulders and pulled me away from those hazel eyes. He grew smaller and smaller until-

  I was in the dining room and the very act of breathing took over my body completely. I couldn’t stop drawing in breath, deeper and deeper. My knees buckled underneath me. The engagement wasn’t early enough. I needed to turn back. I needed to find a time when I was safe. Staying here was choosing death.

  “Listen to me. You’re safe. Shhhh.” Fitz’s voice interrupted my spiralling thoughts. “Feel the floor. Tell me, what is it made of?”

  I couldn’t see it, so I ran my fingers over the fibers. “Car-“ My breath interrupted me.

  “Carpet, good. Now, what can you hear?”

  “People.” My vision started clearing at the edges. “I hear people. And there’s music. Violins.”

  “Good. That’s the party outside. Everyone is safe. Tell me what you smell.”

  My heart still raced from the effort, but my breath had slowed. “Sweat.”

  “I thought you would jump again.” Fitz sighed and sat on the dining room floor next to me. “What do you see?”

  “I see the stars through the window.”

  “Good. Now take this. I had a feeling I’d be needing them today.” He handed me a caramel. “Are you feeling better now?”

  I nodded.

  “Good. Then get up. People will be asking where you ran off to.” He helped me to my feet. “Can you walk?”

  I felt weak and so tired I could fall asleep right there on the ground. “Yes.”

  “You did well, Cassie.” He smiled.

  “This was too close, Fitz. I can’t do this without you. Come with me.”

  “I have my work. I can’t leave everything behind just to ground you.” He was afraid of what might happen when I jump. I knew it from the uncertainty in his voice.

  “You’re the only one who can stop me from jumping. I will raise the money to pay your wages myself.”

  Fitz shook his head. “I can’t. It’s not just the wages. I have my responsibilities.”

  I grasped for something to convince him. “Your ship will be delayed at Sherata Port. It was a storm, I think. You missed the wedding waiting on repairs for the home journey. If you go now, you’ll just be wasting your time. Stay with me.” I said.

  Fitz rubbed his brow. “I will need to talk to your father.”

  “He’ll agree. I know it.”

  “We’ll see. Come on, get up.” Fitz pulled me to my feet, looked at me, and snorted. “At least you know how to liven up a party.” He stomped back to the party.

  I held back to pat out the creases in my dress. When I rejoined the guests outside, Griffin was lingering at the edge of the gathering. He went out to meet me halfway. “What is going on? Are you alright?”

  “I’m fine. I was just standing for too long.”

  Griffin looked over to Fitz, who was chatting with a maid. Griffin’s jaw was set. “If you don’t want the wedding, you need to tell me now,” he said quietly.

  I flashed him my best reassuring smile. “I was just a little dizzy. It’s nothing some water won’t fix. Let’s get back to the guests.”

  “Fine.”

  We returned to the party and visited my friends and relatives for another half hour before I retired early to my chambers, blaming the early travel the next day. Griffin didn’t meet my eyes again the entire night.