Page 31 of The Midnight Blizzard
“Who would be outside in this weather at midnight?”
“No one in their right mind, that’s for sure. But tell me—did you meet with Valencia? What did she ask for?” I whispered. Even though we were completely alone and my door was locked, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were being watched. I pulled him away from the window and peered around, as if I expected my stepmother or Octavius to climb down out of the fireplace chimney with guards in tow, ordering them to tote Jack off to the dungeons.
“Nothing I’m unwilling to give,” Jack answered evasively. “It really wasn’t much.”
“What was it?”
“She just wants her daughters allowed to stay to the end of the competition. Considering how many girls there are still, as well as how highly recommended they’ve been this whole time, it won’t look suspicious.”
I shook my head wearily. “Of course. She wants Vallia or Vanessa to marry the prince.”
Jack shrugged. “That’s what they are all here for.”
“Except me.”
Jack smiled. “Except you.”
“Does that mean you agreed?”
“I told her that as long as she keeps her mouth shut and leaves you alone, her daughters can stay. I already spoke with Stephen about it.”
“What?” I squeaked. “You told him?”
“I had to. I was worried he might send them home otherwise.”
“But now he’ll know that we…that you and I…”
“He doesn’t know that part.” Jack dug the toe of his boot into the carpet. “Just that your stepmother threatenedto report me for something I’d rather she hadn’t seen. She’s very slippery. Normally I wouldn’t hesitate to report someone like her, but if she tells the right people about what she saw…”
“I know,” I sighed. “She has a knack for looking innocent while making others look guilty.”
“What’s her history? How did she and your father meet and when did they get married?”
“I don’t know much about her childhood or anything,” I admitted. “I believe she met my father when he was speaking about mage rights. She was some type of nurse or physician before she married her first husband and had Vallia and Vanessa. Her first husband passed away, and she moved here to Nieva three years ago and married my father. She was always very good about pretending to be interested in whatever he was passionate about, and he said that she made him feel young again. I was glad for that. He had been ill for quite some time after Mama died, then once he and Valencia started seeing each other, he seemed to find renewed energy. I thought they would be good for each other at first.”
“What changed? She doesn’t give me the impression of being good for anyone now.”
“She was always good at charming the people she wants to. I wish I could say that she loved Papa, but it felt more like she was using him to fund her vanity. She did make Papa genuinely happy while he was alive though. Even if she and I didn’t get along, I could look past that if Papa was happy. But once he died, she became extremely resentful of me. Then we couldn’t find the will and she shut down the school.”
“Now she knows about us.” Jack blew out a stream of air.
“There’s nousfor her to know about. We haven’t done anything. There is no rule saying that mages can’t take ice skating lessons from non-mages, or spend time with them, or…”
“Noelle,” Jack said softly. “If anyone looks at us when we’re together, they’ll know. I can’t hide it anymore.”
I couldn’t stop looking at him. Several times, Jack made as if to touch me, but he held himself back. “I asked the scribes about the empty slot where your father’s will should have been. They said they did have one some time back, but it was recalled a year ago, so before his death. Did your stepmother ever come here without your father?”
“As far as I know, this is the first time she’s ever been here. She always avoided going with Papa on his work trips.”
“Do you think we can trust her to keep her word about not telling?”
“No, but I don’t think we have much choice. I just need to see what she asks me for tomorrow.”
Jack swung his legs over the windowsill to step onto the ladder’s first rung and step down. Ignoring the frigid air seeping in, I clung to the sill. Our eyes connected, and I was on the verge of leaning forward when a clatter came from the hall behind my closed door. Why couldn’t Jack and I ever be alone?
“Good night,” he told me, descending the ladder and disappearing into the swirling whiteness of the snow. It felt like a part of me went with him and I vowed that I would protect him, no matter what.
The next day, I steeled myself and strode purposefully past the ballroom until I found my stepmother. She had perched herself at the edge of a long sofa in an empty sitting room and was smoothing out nonexistent wrinkles on her skirts, looking as perfectly put together as always.
