The Glittering Court (The Glittering Court, #1)(94)

“But what?” I prompted.

“Trust each other there,” she said at last. “But no one else.”





Chapter 22


I’d hoped to see both Tamsin and Mira the night before I left for Hadisen. A party kept them late, however, and I found myself sitting alone in our bedroom, pondering whether I should get some sleep or not. I knew the journey ahead was going to be tiring, but I couldn’t stand the thought of missing out on seeing my best friends. That, and I wasn’t sure my nerves would let me sleep anyway.

The two of them finally came in after midnight, catching me mid-yawn. Both put on smiles upon seeing me awake, but I could instantly detect a difference in their moods. Mira seemed subdued, while Tamsin was exuberant.

“What happened?” I asked her.

She began unlacing her emerald-green satin overdress. “Nothing official—but something pretty unofficially serious.”

“Isn’t that a sort of contradiction?” I asked, shooting a conspiratorial look at Mira. She didn’t share my amusement.

“Warren asked me to wait for him,” said Tamsin proudly. “He didn’t promise an engagement—yet—but said I was by far his favorite and that he’d like to make things official with me when he returns. So I promised not to enter into any arrangements until then—though of course, I’ll still go out. No point in sitting around here bored.”

I frowned, troubled by a number of things. “When he returns . . . but that could be a very long time.”

“It’ll be in two weeks, actually.” Tamsin had wiggled out of the dress and now sat in her chemise and petticoats. “He’ll go with your party tomorrow, get things established, and then sail back to report on Hadisen’s affairs and solicit any other help.”

“I suppose that makes sense, but he won’t be in Hadisen for long.”

Hadisen’s inhospitable coastline made it difficult for large ships to get close. So, any substantial shipments of cargo, animals, and other materials needed to be moved overland. That was the way my party would be traveling tomorrow, circling the bay through Denham’s territory and then into Hadisen. The trip took a little over a week. Individuals sailing straight across the bay in small boats could do so in a day. It was useful for messengers and those without cargo, but little more.

“Well, I’m sure he’ll be back soon—possibly with a wife in tow.” Tamsin was shining with pride. “I hope it won’t be awkward if you’re one of my citizens, Adelaide.”

I laughed at that. “Not at all.”

“You must be excited,” said Mira. She looked eager to change the subject. “A great adventure ahead of you.”

“I don’t care about the adventure. I just want everything to be settled with Cedric.”

I spoke boldly and earned looks of admiration and wistfulness. Tamsin might treat marriage pragmatically, and Mira might treat it with indifference, but I frequently had the sense that both were fascinated with—and even a little jealous of—the romantic love I’d stumbled into. The three of us stayed up late and talked about the future. I didn’t want to tell them the truth: that I was a bit terrified of what was to come. Not with Cedric, of course. Leaving a noblewoman’s life for that of an upper-class colonial citizen in a well-established city wasn’t as big a leap as it might seem. But going from nobility to a commoner in a vast, unsettled wilderness? That was something altogether different, and I had no idea what to expect.

Mira and Tamsin were allowed to see me off the next morning. The party leaving for Hadisen was far bigger than I expected. They gathered on the edge of town, a vast cavalcade of horses, wagons, and people in seeming disarray. Warren was near the front, looking splendid on a white horse as he spoke to several other men who seemed to be advisors. Another rider trotted up to us, and I did a double take when I saw it was Cedric.

“Are you on a horse?” I exclaimed.

He shot me a wry look. “You don’t have to make it sound quite so outlandish.”

“I just didn’t even know you could ride.” I looked the horse over. She was a shaggy brown mare who seemed to be bored with everything going on around her. “I hope you didn’t pay a lot for her.”

“I wasn’t aware you were such an expert.” I understood the cautioning tone in his voice. Horseback riding was a common pastime for the nobility in Osfrid when they were at the country manors. Here in Adoria, many settlers rode horses for survival. But a city commoner, like my Adelaide identity, would never interact with a horse outside of practical transport. I would’ve expected the same for someone like Cedric.

“I’ve seen them around, that’s all,” I said. I had to restrain myself from correcting the awkward way he sat his saddle and held the reins.

“Well, she’s tougher than she looks,” he assured me. “I call her Lizzie.”

I tried not to roll my eyes. “Great choice.”

Looking around, I saw that Tamsin was up talking to Warren, her face shining. Mira too had disappeared, and moments later, I spied her listening to some men making plans to explore Hadisen. Not far from her was Grant Elliott, who appeared to be delivering some last-minute supplies.

“My allies have abandoned me,” I remarked.

Cedric leaned down and brushed some wayward tendrils from my face. The intimacy startled me until I realized we had nothing left to hide. “You’ve still got your number-one ally,” he said, although he frowned when he saw whom I’d been watching. “Grant Elliott seemed decent enough on the ship, but it turns out he’s joined Warren’s group of heretic hunters.”