everything down and ran my fingers through my hair. “Lead me out, then leave quietly.”
“As you wish, miss.”
Maxon was standing tentatively by the door, uncharacteristically waiting for an invitation to enter. He held a small, thin box, and he drummed his fingers against it, fidgeting. “Sorry to interrupt. I was wondering if I could have a moment.”
“Of course,” I said, walking over. “Please come in.” Maxon and I perched on the edge of my bed.
“I wanted to see you first,” he said, getting situated. “I wanted to explain before the others came in bragging.”
Explain? For some reason his words put me on edge. If the others were bragging, I was about to be excluded from something.
“What do you mean?” I realized I was biting my freshly glossed lip.
Maxon passed the box over to me. “I’ll clarify, I promise. But first, this is for you.”
I took the box and unhooked a small button in the front so I could open it. I think I inhaled every millimeter of air in the room.
Resting inside the box were a breathtaking set of earrings and matching bracelet. They coordinated beautifully, with blue and green gems woven into a subtle floral design.
“Maxon, I love it, but I can’t possibly take this. It’s too . . . too . . .”
“On the contrary, you must take them. It’s a gift, and it’s tradition that you wear them in the Convicting.”
“The what?”
He shook his head. “Silvia will explain all that; but the point is, it’s tradition for the prince to present the Elite with jewelry and for them to wear the pieces to the ceremony. There will be quite a few officials there, and you need to look your best. And unlike the things you’ve been presented with so far, these are all real and yours to keep.”
I smiled. Of course we wouldn’t have been given real jewelry to wear until now. I wondered how many girls had taken things home, thinking that if they hadn’t gotten Maxon, at least they got a few thousand in jewelry.
“They’re wonderful, Maxon. Just my taste. Thank you.”
Maxon raised a finger. “You’re welcome, and that’s part of what I wanted to discuss. I chose the gifts for each of you personally and intended that they should all be equal. However, you prefer to wear the necklace from your father, and I’m sure it would be a comfort to you in the middle of something as big as the Convicting. So, while the others got necklaces, you have a bracelet.”
He reached over to my hand and lifted it. “And I see you’re attached to your little button, and I’m glad you still like the bracelet I brought back from New Asia, but they really aren’t appropriate. Try this on so we can see how it rests.”
I took off Maxon’s bracelet and set it on the edge of my nightstand. But I took Aspen’s button and set it in my jar with its single penny. It seemed like it should be there for now.
I turned back and caught Maxon staring at the jar, something hard in his eyes. It disappeared swiftly enough, and he went to removing the bracelet from the box. His fingers tickled my skin, and when he moved away, I nearly gasped again at how beautiful his gift was.
“It really is perfect, Maxon.”
“I hoped you’d think so. But that is precisely why I needed to talk to you. I set out to spend the same amount on all of you. I wanted to be fair.”
I nodded. That sounded reasonable.
“The problem with that being, your tastes are much simpler than the others. And you have a bracelet as opposed to a necklace. I ended up spending half as much on you as the rest, and I wanted you to know that before you saw what I gave them. And I wanted you to know that it came from wanting to give you what I felt you would like the best, not because of your place or anything like that.” Maxon’s face was so sincere.
“Thank you, Maxon. I wouldn’t have had it any other way,” I said, placing a hand on his arm.
As always, he seemed so happy to be touched. “I suspected as much. Though thank you for saying so. I was afraid I might hurt you.”
“Not at all.”
Maxon’s smile grew. “Of course, I still wanted to be fair, so I had a thought.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a thin envelope. “Perhaps you would like to send