We thanked Lady Charlotte, who said she would have the rest of my clothes ready in a few days, and left the shop.
We went next door to the little bakery with the bright yellow awning. It was cute and homey, and little tables with yellow-and-white-checked tablecloths were placed near the windows. Beautifully decorated cakes and pastries in a range of colors and flavors lined the counters and were stacked in tiers, forming elaborate designs. I tasted something called a honey burst, and it was delicious. It was like a crisp biscuit ball, and when you bit into it, all the delectable honey melted into your mouth. I couldn’t resist sampling some more of the delicacies the bakery offered, and so I also had two tiny lemon cakes and a lovely strawberry-cream cupcake.
Aunt Serena dragged me into another shop. I looked up at the sign: “Headdresses, Veils, Diadems, Circlets, and Tiaras.”
“I need something for the harvest ball,” she said as we entered the shop.
There were a few customers already there, trying on the wares. One was a beautiful blonde girl with long golden hair elegantly pinned up and cascading down one shoulder in a shower of perfectly curled ringlets. She wore a yellow silk day dress, artfully embroidered with flowers along the neckline and cuffs.
“Oh, I don’t think the prince will like this one,” she said in a high-pitched and bitter-sounding voice, trying on a hideously expensive gold diadem studded with massive diamonds.
The other girls nodded like puppets.
She turned toward us. Her eyes were a beautiful icy blue, but they were cold and full of malice. She didn’t look like a very nice person.
“Ah!” She looked at Aunt Serena and then at me. “If it isn’t the Countess of Everdale.”
“Good evening, Leticia,” said Aunt Serena politely.
“And who is this?” Leticia eyed me up and down as if I were some lowly peasant not fit to be in her company.
“This is Rory,” said Aunt Serena. “She is my father’s ward.”
Leticia dismissed me once she had decided that I wasn’t important enough to merit her time.
“Well, we will see you tomorrow night at the Blackwaters’ dinner party, Countess,” said Leticia to Aunt Serena, completely ignoring me as if I didn’t exist.
Aunt Serena’s sharp eyes narrowed. “Yes, Leticia, we will all be attending.”
“Oh, good.” Leticia’s smile never reached her eyes. “I shall see you all, then.”
She flung the offensive diadem down, much to the dismay of the little bearded shopkeeper, stuck her nose up high into the air, and walked out of the shop with her friends following like little ducklings behind their mother.
“Who was that?” I asked Aunt Serena after the blonde girl had left.
“That is Lady Leticia, daughter of the Earl of Glenbarry. She is her father’s only heir and is betrothed to the crown prince.”
“She’s going to be Queen of Eldoren someday?” I was horrified at the prospect.
“Looks like it. No wonder that poor boy keeps running off for days on end. Who would want to be shackled to the likes of her?”
The poor boy being the crown prince, I surmised.
On our way back to the house, I asked Aunt Serena some more about the noble families and the aristocracy of Eldoren and Illiador.
“I wish I didn’t have to come with you to the Blackwaters’ house tomorrow,” I finally blurted out.
“You must. As I explained to you, no one will know who you are. As long as you are in plain sight, no one will question why you are here.”
“Well, you know how Damien and I don’t get along,” I said. “I don’t think he would even want me in his house.”
“Nonsense,” Aunt Serena chided me. “Damien will do as his mother says. Childish rivalries in school do not matter in the greater scheme of things. The Blackwaters and the Silverthornes have a tumultuous history, but we all have to keep up appearances for the sake of the realm.”
Aunt Serena explained that Damien’s hatred for my granduncle and all the Silverthornes stemmed purely from the political rivalries of our families. Apparently, Uncle Gabriel was the richest noble in all the kingdoms. He was far richer and even more powerful than the King of Eldoren, and his lands and estates outweighed those of the crown. His army was the largest and fiercest in all the lands, and they were loyal only to him.
I was slowly starting to get the feel for politics, and I couldn’t believe that my uncle actually thought that I would be able to fit in among this snake pit of treacherous nobles and jealous families fighting for their place in society. I was not used to it, and I wondered if I would ever truly understand how it all worked. I had to try, though. I was, after all, the only true living heir of Azaren, and Morgana was not fit to rule Illiador. I had seen that now. I really hoped that Aunt Serena was right and that they had some sort of plan to stop her.
I shook my head at the unfairness of it all. Secretly, I wished I really had the courage to take back the kingdom from Morgana. I still had four years of studying, though, until I was a fully trained mage. And then I had to learn to use fae powers as well. Being a fae-mage was not all it was cracked up to be. Even if somehow Uncle Gabriel’s army defeated Morgana’s and the armies of Maradaar and finally put me on the throne, what would I do? I couldn’t run a kingdom or be queen. I had no idea where to begin.
The carriage rolled to a stop in front of Everdale House. I climbed the steps, and Figgins opened the door to let us in. I was informed that Vivienne was waiting in the informal drawing room.
“Which one is that again?”
