Midnight Jewel (The Glittering Court #2)(23)

Grant’s eyes flicked briefly to me before returning to her. “Last year. I have a stake in a store that outfits people for exploration and wilderness survival. My partner ran it over the winter, and now I’m coming back.”

The idea of exploring Adoria’s wilderness almost made me forget my misgivings. One of Adoria’s draws was its vast expanse of unknown territory, land that even the Icori and Balanquans hadn’t settled. It had always intrigued Lonzo and me. I didn’t expect to see much of that wilderness as the pampered wife of some wealthy businessman, but the adventure and romance still beckoned.

“Have you done much exploring yourself, Mister Elliott?” I asked. Maybe being a frontier adventurer could explain that rugged edge I sensed around an otherwise proper demeanor.

“Here and there. Nothing you’d find interesting.” He scratched his chin and focused on Adelaide yet again. He had the same shadow of stubble Rosamunde had noticed, almost as though he purposely maintained it. Not clean cut, not long enough for a beard. “Now, help me understand how your organization works. You’re ranked by gemstone, right? And you’re the top one?”

“The diamond,” she said. “And Mira’s a garnet.”

“So, that means you’ll get to go to all sorts of—”

He was interrupted as an upbeat Cedric walked over to us. “There you are. Looks like the three of you have already met. Mister Elliott is one of the men who shares a cabin with me.” The two of them shook hands in greeting. “Adelaide, I need to borrow you for a moment. Mira, will you be able to go back down below with them when they leave?”

Cedric nodded toward a cluster of girls from Guthshire. I could just barely make out one of them describing the virtues of velvet over silk when it came to hair bows.

“Of course,” I said, having no intention of joining that gaggle. “And perhaps Mister Elliott could tell me more about his business.”

Grant was already backing away. “I’d love to, but I just remembered something I have to follow up on.”

He headed off in one direction while Cedric and Adelaide went in another. A couple of the girls in the bow-discussion group watched Grant’s departure. I heard one say, “That one needs a woman to look after him.”

“Wouldn’t matter,” remarked another. “He’s probably just a common laborer.”

“No, I heard he’s some kind of merchant,” the first girl said. “But a small-time one.”

A merchant like that couldn’t afford a Glittering Court girl—especially not Adelaide, our diamond. So why had Grant tried so hard to engage her—but not me—in conversation? Was he just trying to see what kind of luck he might have seducing a girl who was out of his league? My gut said no. His behavior was strange but not flirtatious.

As we continued crossing paths in the next few days, I became more and more convinced he was pursuing Adelaide. Whenever she came above deck, he’d materialize like he’d been lying in wait. For her part, she didn’t notice. She had other things on her mind, and he never said anything that couldn’t have been said in front of Miss Bradley.

I quickly realized he wasn’t simply pursuing Adelaide. He was actively avoiding me. If he saw me approaching alone, he’d find an excuse to leave. At first, I thought he just didn’t want to waste his time on anyone who wasn’t her. But when he did happen to catch her in a group, he’d make polite conversation with every other girl. Me? I received as minimal a response as propriety would allow. And I almost never got eye contact.

I then assumed his standoffishness must be because of my background—but Grant never seemed prejudiced toward the handful of other non-Osfridians on board. It was just . . . me.

I didn’t tell Adelaide or Cedric about my suspicions, seeing as they were mostly based on instinct. Tamsin might have believed me, which only made me feel worse. Missing her one afternoon, I wandered over to the starboard side of the ship, where the Gray Gull sailed perfectly parallel to us. I squinted at the figures moving aboard its deck, hoping to spy a flash of red hair.

“You know she’ll have made all sorts of new friends by the time we arrive,” a snide voice said behind me.

I closed my eyes a moment before turning to face Clara. “I hope she does,” I replied evenly. “It’s a long trip.”

Clara cocked her head, smiling in that unfriendly way of hers. “You don’t get it, do you? She’s not going to have anything to do with either of you when we’re in Adoria. Adelaide’s too much competition . . . and you . . . well, you’re you.”

“We’re friends.”

“That’s not what it looked like when we left Culver. Come on, Mira. You lived with her. You know how ambitious she is. Having a Sirminican friend isn’t going to help her over there, and she’s smart enough to know it.”

Other people milled about the deck, so I made sure to keep my face pleasant as I said, “Don’t you have something else to attend to? Maybe a married man you can get friendly with? I think there are a few on board.”

Clara stiffened. Fury flashed in her eyes, but like me, she maintained a cordial fa?ade. “It’s always so nice talking to you, Mira. Enjoy the day.”

As soon as she was gone, I turned back toward the water and slumped against the rail, resting a hand over my eyes. “Tamsin,” I muttered, “why did you have to take it this far?”