The Ciphers of Muirwood (Covenant of Muirwood #2)(63)
Maeg nodded demurely, but Maia could see the fire of ambition in her eyes.
“Lady Deorwynn also sent word to me that she seeks a new lady-in-waiting.”
Again, the girls gasped at the news.
“Jayn!”
“Is she dismissing Jayn?”
“Oh my!”
“She is not dismissing Jayn,” Joanna reassured them. “Please, you must bridle your passions, girls. Many of you will take the maston test today, and I know you are nervous. These are exciting times for certain, but we must not let our excitement distract us from what is truly important—the Covenant of Muirwood. Jayn Sexton is still one of Lady Deorwynn’s ladies-in-waiting. The new post is for her daughter, Lady Murer. Lady Murer is under negotiations to wed the King of Dahomey, so this position would require girls who can speak Dahomeyjan and are willing to go there if chosen.”
Silence struck the room at last. The Aldermaston’s wife nodded solemnly and her birdlike frame seem to be forged of iron as she paced in front of the girls. Some eyes glanced at Maia, for all knew that she was the best at speaking languages and many of them had sought her coaching. Maeg went pale with jealousy, but Maia was too agitated to care. She felt Suzenne’s fingers tighten against her arm, offering quiet consolation.
“Now, Lady Deorwynn seeks an audience with the girls from the noble Families right away. Haven Proulx, Maergiry Baynton, Suzenne Clarencieux, and Joanna Stay—you will prepare to meet with Lady Deorwynn immediately.” She paused and then looked straight at her. “And Maia. Lady Deorwynn asked for you specifically,” she added in a soft voice.
They were given a short amount of time to change clothes, put on jewels if they desired, and primp themselves. A knot had twisted inside of Maia’s stomach at the news, and she felt her cheeks growing hot with anger, shame, and weakness at the thought of seeing Lady Deorwynn again. That woman was on the abbey grounds at this very moment, along with her daughters and sons. Her father’s sons. Maia clenched her fists. The boys were not to blame for their sire, nor for their parents’ disastrous upheaval of Comoros. Suzenne looked uncomfortably at Maia out of the corner of her eye. Out of all of the girls, Suzenne was the most fluent in Dahomeyjan, yet she was also the most unwilling to live abroad.
“I will not leave Dodd,” Suzenne vowed as they combed through their hair again. Maia was too distracted to pick proper attire, so Suzenne helpfully chose something more formal for her to wear. Before long, a knock sounded to retrieve them, and they clutched each other’s hands as they followed Owen to an audience chamber where the guests awaited them.
Maia felt her knees shaking with trepidation, and try as she might to calm herself, she could not. The Aldermaston’s wife awaited the girls who had been summoned, outside the room, watching rather nervously as they all gathered together. Maeg was so heavily painted she looked otherworldly in her beauty. Haven was a pretty girl, though not a beauty, but her sneer matched her friend’s. Maia stared down at the floor, chafing with discomfort, praying that the Medium would preserve her from the viper’s fangs. The door opened, and they were at last admitted.
The first person Maia saw upon entering was Collier, which stretched her nerves even more tightly. He was dressed in all his royal attire today. She recognized his jeweled doublet, black and sparkling with eye-catching gems. He was freshly shaven, his jaw firm and smooth, displaying a statuesque grace. Only his blue eyes moved toward her as she entered, but then she noted a small smirk tug one corner of his mouth. His gaze was challenging, and Maia had to look away, unable to bear his gaze in this moment. To his left stood Lady Deorwynn, standing with hands clasped formally up near her bosom, left hand over right like a dignified salute. Behind her was a train of young women wearing gowns identical to the one Maia had once worn. The ladies were all young, none older than twenty-five, none even close to Deorwynn’s age—a few years shy of forty.
Lady Deorwynn wore the strain of her marital relationship in her eyes and the set of her lips; otherwise not a single stray hair was out of place. She wore a gown shimmering with gold thread, which easily cost ten thousand marks. She wore a diadem with a huge ruby inset, and there were more jewels and rings at her wrists and throat. Her elegant finery cast a shadow over her young ladies, making her resemble a single blossom amongst the weeds—the intended effect, no doubt. Lady Deorwynn sought to exert her power over those around her through every possible means.
Maia’s heart faltered as she took in the sight of Murer standing to Collier’s right. Dressed in a gown almost as exquisite as her mother’s, she was clasping his arm possessively and looking superbly satisfied with herself. Dear Aldermaston Syon was farther back, by the wall, speaking in low tones to his steward, Tomas, who looked solemn and nodded deferentially to whatever orders he had been given.
“Well, well, these are surprisingly pretty girls,” Lady Deorwynn said in a breezy yet brittle voice. “I was expecting pastier skin due to the swampy climate here in Muirwood. Does the sun never shine, I wonder?” She chuckled disdainfully. Her eyes narrowed when she saw Maia, but she offered no verbal acknowledgment.
“Thank you, my dear Joanna,” Lady Deorwynn continued, bowing respectfully to the Aldermaston’s wife, “for bringing your brightest girls. I understand that they have been taught to embroider, play musical instruments, speak languages, dance in the latest styles, run multiple households, and manage servants. Fine qualifications indeed. But only the best will be worthy to serve my daughter, the Lady Murer. She may be a queen herself someday, I dare suggest”—and here she gave Collier a simpering smile that made Maia want to retch—“so we must choose someone who will show the foreign courts what treasures of beauty and grace exist in Comoros.”