Chapter 45

When I awoke, I was surprised to find myself in my own bed, while the physician tended to Elva beside me.

I looked around the room, but Nicholas was gone. I wondered how long he stayed. Likely not for very long. He did dislike me, after all.

Still, he had been kind to stay at all, even with all the layers of hurt between us. He had been kind to me last night, and I would not soon forget it.

I rose and dressed, and by the time I was done, the physician was ready to talk to me.

“She should have a full recovery. She will need to rest for a day or so. Her body is fatigued from fighting off her illness so hard.”

I thanked her, though my relief did not fully squash my guilt. Elva had only been in danger at all because of my inability to protect her. If I had stayed away from her until I was absolutely certain I was healed, she might never have gotten sick.

The thoughts plagued me even after the physician exited the room. No sooner had she gone than Mark entered.

“All of the girls are being summoned into the parlor room,” he said.

I knew, with the distinct lack of pitter-patter of rain against the window, that it was not storming outside. My deal would, as expected, end in failure. But at least Elva was safe for now, no matter what would become of me in the days ahead.

“Will you stay with Elva?” I asked Mark.

“Yes.”

I nodded. “Thank you.”

With that reassurance, I left the room and made my way down to the parlor, where most of the other girls were already waiting. They whispered as I entered, and I heard echoes of the deal I had made. Word of it, it seemed, had already spread through the palace.

The royal family stood on a raised platform at the far side of the room. Nathan was among them, nearest a microphone.

I was alone where I stood. No one would talk to me. At least, not until Susie arrived. She rushed to me with a concern-filled expression.

“How is Elva?”

When I explained what had happened, but how she is better now, Susie looked relieved.

“I was worried when I heard,” Susie said. “Thank God her fever broke.”

I agreed.

“Attention,” Nathan said into the microphone. “Attention, please.”

All of the girls turned to look at Nathan.

“As you well know by now, the hunt previously planned for today has been postponed. A bet had been made, dependent on inclement weather.”

“It’s not raining,” a girl from the front helpfully provided.

My stomach twisted into a knot. Since I had lost the bet, at the very least I would be embarrassed. I’d also have to help arrange the barbecue, however one managed to do that. Hopefully Lena wouldn’t leave me too far out of the loop.

“It is not,” Nathan said, “Yet Miss Piper has still won the deal between her and Nicholas. While it is not storming, not even drizzling, the forecasters have predicted that tonight we will experience a blood moon.”

Several gasps sounded around the room. One of them came from me.

“The royal family would like to personally thank Piper,” Nathan said. “To hunt during a blood moon would have surely lead to misfortune.”

“Blood moons are so rare,” Susie said. She looked at me with a bit of awe in her eyes. “However you knew, thank you, Piper.”

“I didn’t know,” I whispered to her. “I was just desperate.”

“Even so. Good fortune favors you, to help you like this.”

I shook my head. I hadn’t had good fortune in a very long time. Even this, lucky as it was, felt like it had strings attached somehow.

“There’s no way she knew beforehand,” one of the girls said, cutting between Susie and I. “Tell us how you really did this, Piper.”

“Isn’t it obvious?” said another. “She must have insider information somehow.”

“But how could…?” The first girl gasped. “Do you have the internet? Are you hiding a phone?”

“What? No!” I said, but they didn’t believe me. Other girls overheard and quickly chimed in.

“If she has her phone, I want mine too. Fair is fair.”

“Kick her out. She’s obviously cheated.”

“No one wants her here anyway.”

“Stop…” Susie said, but she was too timid. Her voice was easily swallowed under the noise of the others.

“I didn’t do anything wrong!” I shouted, to be heard above the mob.

“That’s enough,” said a firm low voice through the microphone. Nathan had passed it to Nicholas. “Please discover all the facts before making accusations. Piper proposed her deal last night. The announcement about the blood moon did not come in until this morning.”

The second girl relented, lowering her head. “He’s right. She couldn’t have known…”

“But…?” said the first. “Surely the timing was too perfect to be a coincidence.”

“Sorry,” I said. “I don’t tell the future. I don’t have the internet. I just made a guess for the sake of the deal.”

The girls’ looks of outrage slowly morphed into those of annoyance instead. Gradually, they slipped away from me.

Susie returned to the place she’d been pushed away from. “You okay?”

I shrugged.

“Piper,” Nicholas said, approaching me. He’d left the microphone on the stage, back with Nathan.

He stopped when he was before me. “What did the physician say about Elva?” After I told him, he sighed, “Good.”

Susie glanced between the two of us. Then she pretended to see something and left us. It was a very obvious show. She was not a good actor.

I didn’t know whether to thank her or be mad at her. She clearly wanted to give Nicholas and me some privacy, but after last night, I wasn’t sure I was ready to face him again so soon.

He’d been so kind. I didn’t know if I could handle him hating me right now.

“I’ll hold up my end of the bargain,” Nicholas said. “Sometime during this event, I will let Elva ride on Night.”

“She’ll enjoy that. Thank you.”

“A deal is a deal.”

I thought he would leave now, with what he had wanted to say said. Instead he lingered, quiet.

The other girls were being led away, over to the dining room for breakfast. I watched them go, unsure if I should follow.

“Also, I should thank you on behalf of my family,” Nicholas said. “If it weren’t for your bet, we would have either had to hunt during the blood moon or cancel the event ourselves. Either would have been a bad omen. Your deal helped us save face.”

I couldn’t possibly take credit for that, especially when Nicholas was the one to try to give it.

“I was just worried about Elva. Everything else was just an accident.”

Nicholas glanced around. Seeing no one was close to us, he said, “Caring for your daughter is just as worthy of praise, if not more so. As far as I’m concerned, the life of a child sharply outweighs the reputation of the royal family.”

His words were kind, but he should not give them.

“Your reputation is important.” Not as important as Elva, true, but with as serious as the royal family was treating this event, I knew there had to be more going on under the surface than I understood.

He didn’t reply, to agree or disagree. He just slowly lowered his gaze, then turned and walked away.

I ate breakfast in a hurry, eager to return to Elva in our room. I’d swiped a few muffins for her on the chance she might be hungry, tucked into the pockets of my dress.

Yet at the corner, just before turning to the hallway where my room was located, I saw Lena talking to a maid.

My maid. The strange one.

I couldn’t hear what they were talking about, but, after the incident with the gloves, I did not give them the benefit of the doubt. They could have been sharing laundry tips, sure. But they could just have easily been conspiring against me.

I walked straight toward them. The maid jolted when she saw me. Lena closed her mouth.

“Good morning, ladies,” I said, as chipper as I could. I wanted them to know I was onto them.

The strange maid quickly excused herself.

Lena stayed. “Seems you were quite lucky today. We’ll see if your luck holds out.”

That was… an odd thing to say, but seemed fine enough.

I nodded, eager to continue walking and forget this exchange.

“I hope you don’t have any accidents tomorrow, Piper,” Lena said.

I froze.

“It would be such a shame for that little girl if something happened to you.”

I turned again, to confront her, but she was already walking away.

It could have been nothing, but that had sounded like a threat.