Mistress Masterson tsked at me. “I admire your dedication, dear, but these aren’t fit conditions to be out in. Thank you for looking after her, Master Cedric.”
But who was going to look after him? The question plagued me throughout the rest of the evening. I went through the motions of dinner, games, and conversation, but always, my eyes strayed to Cedric. He too was being sociable, but I could see he didn’t go out of his way to engage others. Now that I understood what was happening, I could easily spot the worry weighing on him. Again, I wondered if my forged painting—if we could pull it off—would even be enough to save him.
“Where’s your head tonight?” Tamsin strolled over to me from across the drawing room. She wore a blue dress that looked striking with her reddish hair, though she was still quick to tell us green was her best color.
“I’m worried about my exams,” I lied.
“Are you?” she asked in surprise. “You always seem to go through classes and studying as though it didn’t make any difference to you.”
“I guess the reality of it is catching up with me now.”
She studied my face closely. “I suppose so. Well, go sneak an extra glass of wine when Mistress Masterson’s not looking. Or, if you’re really worried, retake them after you get your score.”
“Retake them?” I’d suggested it to Mira but had never even considered it for myself.
“Sure,” Tamsin said. “I’m going to. I mean, I think I did pretty good, but why not make sure? I can’t leave anything up to chance.”
Her words hit me like a slap in the face. I stared at her for several long moments and then turned my gaze back to the crowded drawing room. Cedric stood near the fire, talking to a wildly gesticulating Mister Bricker, whom I suspected had had multiple glasses of wine. As though sensing me, Cedric glanced up and gave me a small smile before returning to the conversation.
“Adelaide? Are you okay?” Tamsin asked.
I glanced back at her. “Yeah . . . yeah. It’s just, something hit me I hadn’t thought of before.”
“What?” she asked.
“It’s not important.” I mustered a cheerful expression. “Tell me how you think everyone here will rank.”
It was a topic she was more than happy to expound on, seeing as she’d spent a lot of time analyzing our housemates. As she launched into an explanation, I nodded and smiled appropriately, all the while making plans for what I had to do next.
Cedric needed money to get to Westhaven and stay alive. Could my forged painting do it? Yes—if everything fell into place. And if everything didn’t fall into place? Then he needed a backup plan. I’d pondered this all evening, feeling useless. I had no power to give him money. But I realized now that I did have that power. Could I guarantee he’d be able to pay the entire fee for his stake in Westhaven? No, but I could guarantee he’d have a good start.
And the only way to do that was to make sure he did not, in fact, get a mediocre commission for me.
Chapter 9
Cedric left the morning after Midwinter, and the exam results were in a few days later. They arrived with Jasper and Miss Garrison, one of the Glittering Court’s dressmakers. She immediately wanted to start designing our themed wardrobes. Mistress Masterson strode in sedately to the library, where we all waited anxiously in neat, orderly rows. She propped up the framed list on the mantel and then stepped back. There was a moment of hesitation, and then we broke rank to crowd forward and look.
The list showed the scores for all girls across the four manors. I immediately found my name, exactly in the middle, as I’d once hoped. It was a fine score, and scores only helped in the Glittering Court’s promotion in Adoria. A prosperous man entranced by a girl’s looks might not care how she ranked in the exams—but those with the highest scores would have more opportunities to meet said gentlemen.
Mira, standing beside me, let out a small exclamation of delight. I found her name several above mine, in a very respectable seventh across all manors—and one spot higher than Clara. “Can you believe it?” Mira asked. “Maybe I won’t have to clean floors after all.” Around us, the room was buzzing with other girls’ chatter.
I hugged her. “Of course I can believe it. You’ve been so worried about the accent, but you’ve worked so hard in all the other—”
The wail of a familiar voice drew me up short. I immediately spied Tamsin standing on the opposite side of the group, her eyes wide. She turned to Mistress Masterson incredulously. “How am I ranked third? The girls above me have the same score as me!” A quick study of the list showed two girls from other manors in the first and second spots.
“Yes,” Mistress Masterson agreed. “You all tied—it was very impressive. Really, what it came down to is aesthetics.” She nodded toward Miss Garrison. “Winnifred, the first girl, would look so lovely in the diamond coloring. Ruby’s the next most precious stone, and that obviously wouldn’t suit you with your hair. So third, as a sapphire, seemed like—”
“Sapphire?” interrupted Tamsin. “Sapphire? Everyone knows green is my best color. Isn’t an emerald rarer than a sapphire?”
“My green fabric hasn’t arrived yet,” said Miss Garrison. “Isn’t likely to show until about a week before you sail.”
Mistress Masterson nodded. “And the categories are flexible—it’s more of a gemstone range we’re going for. We thought it best just to go forward with sapphire so that she could start on your wardrobe. Otherwise, she’d be working at the last minute.”