her bedchamber. she grinned in the mirror as she tugged out painful hairpins. Time to dress for the night's adventure. soft waves fell past her shoulders. brown hair, brown eyes, brown skin. Nothing worth taking note of next to her sister's stunning looks; but tonight, at least, that did not matter.
removing bodice and skirt, Aurelia ducked her head into the depths of her closet. Her fingertips, rather than her eyes, recognized the feathery material, and she pulled the dress from the darkness. soft fabric flowed out into the light. blackish brown bars speckled a white background.
Aurelia lifted the dress over her head and slid her arms through the narrow straps. The skirt fluttered down over her petticoat, and the bodice settled into place. she buttoned the front from the waist to the low neckline and tied the slender cord around her middle. Leaving her throat bare, she slipped her feet into gold slippers with hard soles, then brushed out her tangled hair until it lay smooth. she covered her gown with a dark blue cloak and tugged open the bureau's bottom drawer.
The mask lay threateningly inside, begging her to put it on in defiance of her stepmother's order. I'm going out tonight and this disguise is going to allow me to swoop right out the front gate. Aurelia scooped up the mask and gazed at it for a moment before hiding it under the folds of her cloak. At least one other person would appreciate her choice.
robert laughed at his cousin's costume.
Chris sat perched on the sitting-room stool not ten feet away, his legs curled around the stool legs, his eyes locked on the door to the hall. The intensity on his face and the awkward position itself were funny, but Chris's costume made the entire scene ridiculous. White feathers covered his tunic, and a draping fan of red, white, and green feathers sprouted below his lower back. He wore tight white trousers above stockings stuffed in orange boots, and his rooster mask with its three-inch red comb hung below his neck.
"Can you crow?" robert teased.
"Cockadoodledoo!" His cousin scooped up a velvet cushion from uncle Henry's rattan chair and flung it.
The velvet object spiraled through the air. robert ducked. It bounced off the settee on which he was sitting, skimmed over the cherrywood stand, and slowed to a halt beside a porcelain vase on top of a table. The vessel rocked back and forth on the veneered surface before settling into place.
eyeing the vase, Chris suggested, "Let's go over the second assassination attempt."
robert's face sobered. "did it involve poison as well?"
"No, a saddle. Aurelia had to cancel a ride at the last minute. she left her saddle on her mare, and one of the grooms took the horse out for exercise. A strap ripped right along the seam. The groom came off in the middle of a run and broke his collarbone. According to daria's father, the saddle must have been tampered with."
"The groom was riding sidesaddle?"
"Aurelia only rides sidesaddle under duress." Chris chuckled. "It was a regular saddle."
"may I see it?"
Chris ran a thumb over the edge of a feather on his shirt. "you may if you can look at it without drawing Aurelia's attention."
"she still has it?"
"The servants couldn't take it from her without explaining what went wrong. Instead, they had it repaired and hung it back up as if it had never been damaged."
discomfort crawled along robert's shoulders. How could he keep Aurelia safe if she remained unaware of the danger? He stood up, paced to the back of the room, and turned around. "They should tell her what's going on."
"They can't." Chris hopped off his stool. "And neither can you. The king is adamant about that. He doesn't want his daughter frightened. That's why uncle Henry arranged for an undertaker to secretly pick up the body of the meal taster last night. The king did not want Aurelia asking questions."
robert's head swam. "How am I going to stay close to her if I can't tell her why I'm here?"
"you're not her bodyguard. you
removing bodice and skirt, Aurelia ducked her head into the depths of her closet. Her fingertips, rather than her eyes, recognized the feathery material, and she pulled the dress from the darkness. soft fabric flowed out into the light. blackish brown bars speckled a white background.
Aurelia lifted the dress over her head and slid her arms through the narrow straps. The skirt fluttered down over her petticoat, and the bodice settled into place. she buttoned the front from the waist to the low neckline and tied the slender cord around her middle. Leaving her throat bare, she slipped her feet into gold slippers with hard soles, then brushed out her tangled hair until it lay smooth. she covered her gown with a dark blue cloak and tugged open the bureau's bottom drawer.
The mask lay threateningly inside, begging her to put it on in defiance of her stepmother's order. I'm going out tonight and this disguise is going to allow me to swoop right out the front gate. Aurelia scooped up the mask and gazed at it for a moment before hiding it under the folds of her cloak. At least one other person would appreciate her choice.
robert laughed at his cousin's costume.
Chris sat perched on the sitting-room stool not ten feet away, his legs curled around the stool legs, his eyes locked on the door to the hall. The intensity on his face and the awkward position itself were funny, but Chris's costume made the entire scene ridiculous. White feathers covered his tunic, and a draping fan of red, white, and green feathers sprouted below his lower back. He wore tight white trousers above stockings stuffed in orange boots, and his rooster mask with its three-inch red comb hung below his neck.
"Can you crow?" robert teased.
"Cockadoodledoo!" His cousin scooped up a velvet cushion from uncle Henry's rattan chair and flung it.
The velvet object spiraled through the air. robert ducked. It bounced off the settee on which he was sitting, skimmed over the cherrywood stand, and slowed to a halt beside a porcelain vase on top of a table. The vessel rocked back and forth on the veneered surface before settling into place.
eyeing the vase, Chris suggested, "Let's go over the second assassination attempt."
robert's face sobered. "did it involve poison as well?"
"No, a saddle. Aurelia had to cancel a ride at the last minute. she left her saddle on her mare, and one of the grooms took the horse out for exercise. A strap ripped right along the seam. The groom came off in the middle of a run and broke his collarbone. According to daria's father, the saddle must have been tampered with."
"The groom was riding sidesaddle?"
"Aurelia only rides sidesaddle under duress." Chris chuckled. "It was a regular saddle."
"may I see it?"
Chris ran a thumb over the edge of a feather on his shirt. "you may if you can look at it without drawing Aurelia's attention."
"she still has it?"
"The servants couldn't take it from her without explaining what went wrong. Instead, they had it repaired and hung it back up as if it had never been damaged."
discomfort crawled along robert's shoulders. How could he keep Aurelia safe if she remained unaware of the danger? He stood up, paced to the back of the room, and turned around. "They should tell her what's going on."
"They can't." Chris hopped off his stool. "And neither can you. The king is adamant about that. He doesn't want his daughter frightened. That's why uncle Henry arranged for an undertaker to secretly pick up the body of the meal taster last night. The king did not want Aurelia asking questions."
robert's head swam. "How am I going to stay close to her if I can't tell her why I'm here?"
"you're not her bodyguard. you
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