This would be a lot easier to deal with if he’d been indifferent to me. “Go now—before Warren and his mother wonder what happened to you.”
“Okay. As soon as you let go of my hand.”
He looked down at our laced fingers and said nothing for several moments. Then, with great care, he brought my hand to his lips and pressed a kiss onto the back of it. I closed my eyes, wishing I could freeze that moment in time. When he released my hand, I could still feel the warmth of his lips on my skin. And neither of us moved. It took the loud laughter of a tipsy group walking down an adjacent hall to jolt us back to reality.
I returned to the main party, bracing for more of Warren’s self-important conversation. To my surprise, Mira was speaking to him, giving me a temporary reprieve. I eyed her curiously, wondering what had sparked this. She’d yet to show any particular interest in a suitor. She hadn’t even mentioned any offers, though I knew she’d entertained callers just as the rest of us had. This wasn’t the first time I’d seen her actively pursuing Warren. Was it possible she was interested in him?
I enjoyed a few precious moments of alone time, listening as Warren’s father chatted nearby with some magistrates, assuring them the rumors of Icori marching to Cape Triumph had no basis. I was curious as to what had triggered these fears but never found out. Once Warren spotted me, he hurried away from Mira and trailed me again. The slightest slip of her serene expression showed she was more frustrated than heartbroken, but distraction soon came as another young man tapped her on the shoulder. She turned to him, her smile instantly returning.
The party’s end couldn’t come too soon for me. After assuring Warren I’d be at the Flower Festival, I gratefully joined the others in heading to the carriages awaiting us outside. We only required two now to transport us. As we loaded up, I suddenly noticed something.
“Where’s Mira?” I asked. Not again, I thought. A check showed no sign of her waiting outside with us. Cedric went back into the house, and I waited by the carriage’s door, despite the driver’s offer to help me. My unease grew as Cedric remained inside for far longer than I would’ve expected. She left all the time at home, but how could Mira disappear here?
At last, I saw them come out. He helped her into my carriage, and we were on our way.
“What happened?” I asked.
She rolled her eyes. “I got trapped in conversation by one of those men who wanted to know if he could get a ‘deal’ on me.”
I studied her carefully. Her tone and expression seemed honest enough, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that she was holding something back.
The next day, we found out that Caroline had finalized a contract, bringing our numbers down further. Jasper, though excited by the progress, felt the need to give the rest of us a pep talk.
“Although your contract gives you three months to choose,” he said at breakfast, “it rarely takes any girl that long. Most are settled in a month’s time. I’d be very surprised if the rest of you didn’t have many offers at the festival tomorrow night.” His gaze lingered on me the longest. “Very surprised.”
The Flower Festival, dedicated to the glorious angels Aviel and Ramiel, was the biggest spring holiday in the Osfridian calendar. It coincided with the Alanzan Spring Rites, and there was some controversy over the holiday’s true nature. Devotees of Uros claimed the heretics had taken the traditional holiday and corrupted its veneration of healing and pure love by adding in worship of the wayward angels Alanziel and Lisiel. The Alanzans believed it was an ancient celebration of passion and fertility and that the orthodox worshippers had sanitized it.
Regardless, it was second only to Vaiel’s Day as our most celebrated holiday. Elaborate parties and banquets were commonplace, even here in Cape Triumph. We’d be at the large town hall again, in a splendid ball paid for by the governor and several other politicians. Even the engaged girls were going. Jasper claimed he didn’t want them to miss out, but I suspected he wanted to show off the girls with their fiancés to any undecided men. The gala would have a masquerade theme, which was common in Osfrid, less so here. Mistress Culpepper hadn’t been prepared for that and had to hastily