Jasper took my hand, and I got my first good look at Blue Spring Manor. To my immediate relief, it looked neither sordid nor dangerous on the outside. Blue Spring Manor was a country estate, set out among the moors with no village or other community in sight. No one searching for me would casually pass by. It wasn’t quite as big as some of my family’s former holdings, but it was still old and impressive. The morning sun rose just beyond its roof, illuminating Tamsin and Mira’s awestruck faces.
A middle-aged woman dressed all in black met us at the door. “Well, here they are, the last of them. I was worried they weren’t going to show.”
“We had a few delays,” Jasper explained, glancing at Mira. “And some surprises.”
“I’m sure they’ll settle in soon enough.” The woman turned to us with a stern expression. “I’m Mistress Masterson. I run the house and will manage your day-to-day affairs. I’ll also be in charge of teaching you etiquette—which I expect you to excel in. We’ve got one room left that’ll hold the three of you nicely. You can put your things away and then join the other girls for breakfast. They’ve just sat down.”
She asked the Thorns if they wanted breakfast as well, but I barely heard their response. I was too busy processing Mistress Masterson’s comment about the three of us sharing a room. I’d never shared a room with anyone in my life. No—I’d never shared my rooms with anyone. No matter which residence my family had stayed in, I’d had a suite to myself. At most, I’d had a maid sleeping outside the door or in an antechamber to answer my summons.
Cedric gave me a sharp look, and I wondered if perhaps my astonishment showed on my face. I quickly schooled my expression to neutrality and followed Mistress Masterson inside. She led us up a winding staircase that I had to admit was elegant. Bright paintings lined the house’s walls—some portraits of Thorn family members, and others hung simply for their beauty. I recognized a few of the artists and nearly slowed to study them in more detail before remembering I needed to keep up.
The room Mistress Masterson took us to was decently appointed, with lacy curtains framing a window that looked down on the manor’s grounds. The room also held three claw-foot beds with matching dressers—but didn’t seem nearly big enough for any of that, let alone three occupants. Tamsin and Mira’s wide eyes suggested otherwise.
“It’s so bloody big,” exclaimed Tamsin.
“Language, please.” Mistress Masterson’s prim face softened a little as she looked us over. “You’ll soon get used to it, and if you’re lucky and study hard, you’ll likely have a room this size all to yourself when you marry in the New World.”
Mira ran her fingertips lightly along the flowered wallpaper. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”
Mistress Masterson swelled with pride. “Nearly all of our rooms are wallpapered—we try to maintain high standards, just as good as the capital’s. Now, then. Let me take you down to the other girls. You can get acquainted with them while I speak with Master Jasper and his son.”
We left our meager belongings in the room and followed her back down the staircase. The rest of the manor’s corridors bore the same décor, with old portraits and elegant vases scattered about. We entered the dining room, also beautifully done, sporting striped wallpaper and deep green rugs. The table was covered with a scallop-edged linen cloth and set with china and silver. Tamsin had attempted an unimpressed expression when we walked into the room but faltered at the sight of it.
I immediately focused my attention on the table’s occupants, consisting of seven girls who fell silent at our arrival. They looked to be the same age as us and were all very attractive. The Glittering Court might claim to find girls who could learn to behave like nobler classes, but it was clear our appearances were a big part of the criteria that got us here.
“Ladies,” said Mistress Masterson, “this is Tamsin, Adelaide, and Mirabel. They will be joining our home.” To us, she added, “Everyone else has just arrived within the last week. Now that you’re all here, we’ll formalize the schedule and of course work on overhauling everyone’s wardrobes. You’ll dress better than you ever have in your lives and learn to style yourselves as befits the upper classes.” She paused and looked me over. “Though your hair is already quite nice, Adelaide.”
She urged us to sit down and then left to speak with Jasper and Cedric. Silence continued as everyone sized each other up or continued eating. I was surprisingly hungry and wondered when a servant would enter. After a few minutes, I realized no one was coming and that we had to do our own serving. I reached out to a nearby teapot and had the novel experience of pouring for myself.
Breakfast was a selection of fruit and delicate pastries. Tamsin’s calculation and Mira’s apprehension couldn’t hold out against an array like that, and they reached eagerly for the serving plate. I wondered if they’d ever eaten such things in their lives. Both were thin. Maybe they’d never eaten much of anything.
I purposely selected a fig-and-almond tart, something that required a little effort. It was traditionally eaten by being first cut into small, equally sized pieces, and I used the delay as an excuse to study my companions. The first thing I noticed was a uniformity in their clothing. Sure, the dresses varied in color and fabric choices, but my guess was that they’d all gone through the outfitting process Mistress Masterson had spoken about. The dresses were pretty and flirty, as opposed to the more serviceable one I’d inherited from Ada. The fabric quality in mine was at least as good, however, if not better. Mira and Tamsin’s attire didn’t even warrant comparison to the rest of us, though I had to assume most of the girls had arrived in a similar state.