Steal the Sun (Thieves #4)(15)

But Neil was already working on it. He had pulled open the oversized wardrobe Dev himself had packed for the three of us. It had designer wear in case we got tired of the middle ages. It was a mini closet and I felt bad for whoever had been forced to lug it from the sithein door all the way to the palace. I’d argued with Dev that there was no way we needed designer dresses and suits and now I would have to eat my words.

“I think the candy-red Vivienne Westwood,” he pronounced, pulling out the stunner with a heart-shaped bodice. “It’s both hot and haute!”

“Works for me.” If the mean girls thought they could get me down, they could think again. I might not fit in exactly, but in that dress I was going to stand out and not in a bad way. I hadn’t worn it yet but I expected Dev and Danny would like it. Besides, the flowy styles they preferred here were for tall, lithe women. I have curves and the Westwood would hug those curves in all the right places. And it would allow me to dump the slippers in favor of heels. I was tired of being the munchkin in the room. “Shoes?”

“Oh, there’s no question,” Neil said as though the answer was staring me in the face. “The gold d’Orsay pumps. The Manolos. They’re the perfect counterpoint to the Goddess Chain.” He opened the trunk that housed my shoes, and I watched Bibi’s mouth drop open.

“They are so beautiful,” Bibi breathed, looking at the shoes like she was an art student getting her first glimpse of a da Vinci. She looked at me for permission and I nodded. She pulled out my purple peep-toe Louboutins. She had a good eye.

“I think she’s having a shoegasm,” Neil said with a smile.

“Hey, she has small feet,” I noted. “She might be able to wear my shoes.”

Bibi looked startled. “You would let me wear your footwear?”

“Yes, but you have to practice first.” I didn’t want to be responsible for her broken ankle. “Those are four-to five-inch heels. They take some getting used to.”

“Yes, I remember several times my mistress almost broke an ankle trying to walk in her shoes,” a deep voice intoned. “It was then I knew she truly loved my master because it seemed like torture to me, yet she did it to please him.”

I smiled at Albert, who stood in the doorway holding a tray. The seven-foot demon looked stately in his white dress shirt and slacks. Our butler had traveled ahead to the palace days before. Albert had insisted he needed the time to whip the palace into shape.

“I have brought you afternoon tea, mistress,” Albert announced with a smile. “It is a lovely Darjeeling with freshly baked madeleines.”

My stomach reminded me I hadn’t eaten earlier, and I took a seat on the couch in the sitting area while Albert served. This morning, food had just completely lost its appeal, but I was getting my appetite back. Neil looked at the cookies, trying not to salivate.

“Is there a reason you’re not sharing a room with the masters?” Albert asked, his tone one of grave disappointment. Albert was a romantic. He believed married couples should cohabitate, even when the couple was a trio.

“Don’t blame me,” I shot back, taking a sip of the tea. It was, as always, perfect. Everything Albert did was sheer perfection. “I just went to the room I was assigned to. I’m working on remedying it right away. If I stay here, Dev and Danny will crawl into that little bed with me and I’ll get smooshed in the middle.”

Bibi moved from the shoes and was looking at the delicate cookies. I could hear her stomach rumble and wondered if anyone had thought to give the troll lunch. I held one out for her and she took it shyly.

“Bibi, this is Albert.” I made the introductions. “Albert runs our household. Albert, Bibi is my new secretary.”

Albert bowed deeply. “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, miss. Please, if there is anything I can do to help you, let me know. I am here to serve.”

That was when Bibi burst into tears. Neil and I exchanged looks. I told him wordlessly that he could take this one. She responded well to him.

Neil looked at the little troll. “Don’t let Al scare you. He’s big but he’s a * cat.”

She shook her head vigorously. “No, he is nice. You are all so nice. I just wish they weren’t so mean.”

Neil’s light eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Bibi, you’re a small creature. Sometimes people don’t even notice you’re around, do they? They talk around you and pretend you don’t exist.”

Bibi nodded, sniffling slightly. “Yes, they don’t care that I am there. It is like they think I do not have ears, but I do.”

“Do you know what Mara is planning?”

The troll stopped, and for a moment I thought she would let her fear keep her silent. I couldn’t blame her. She’d been trained to fear her “betters.” After a long moment, she came to a decision, and I watched as she steeled herself for what was likely her first foray into rebellion.

“It is not Mara who is plotting,” she exclaimed. “It is her cousin. She is vile. She doesn’t like my new mistress and has sworn to ruin her in the eyes of the nobles.”

I sighed because I could guess what was coming. “Is Mara’s cousin’s name Gilliana?”

Bibi’s eyes widened. “Yes, and she was the one who put you in separate rooms so she could enchant the prince. She wants to force him to give her a babe. She was angry he took another wife. She thinks he will take her back if she carries his child.”