The gown Pearl had chosen was too beautiful. Too beautiful for Ru, who knew how foul she must look, even after a bath. Her hair was a wet and tangled mess, her eyes no doubt bloodshot, her skin sallow and dull from months of restless sleep. This dress was a work of art, something a queen should wear, not Ru.
“Maybe I should wear something…” She made a face, glancing at Pearl, “a little less… you know. Sumptuous?”
Pearl scoffed, shoving the gown at Ru. “Put it on. You’ll thank me.”
Ru sighed. She didn’t have the energy to argue. “I’m going to look ridiculous.”
The maid only shook her head with fond exasperation, helping Ru into the gown. It was dove-grey silk, embroidered with silver thread. The bodice, Ru thought, was lovely but far too low-cut. The sleeves, meanwhile, were long and trimmed with buttons of opal.
“There,” Pearl said when she’d fastened the last button. “You’re a vision.”
“I’m something,” Ru muttered.
“Sit down, we must do something about that hair.”
Ru sat obediently, staring at herself in the mirror while Pearl brushed her hair, which had mostly dried in the time it had taken to get her into the gown. She watched as the maid twisted it neatly, arranging it on her head with practiced ease. Ru tried not to study herself too closely, tried not to scowl at the lines under her eyes, her tight lips, the ever-present crease between her eyebrows.
“Relax,” Pearl said, draping a net of silver over Ru’s hair, which was now coiled and arranged at the back of her head. “You’ve met the Regent Sigrun before, haven’t you? And your friend will be there, no doubt.”
The crease between Ru’s brows deepened. “Lord D’Luc isn’t what I’d call a friend.”
“Not him,” said Pearl, impatient. “Now spin your chair around, I need to paint your face.”
Ru obeyed, wracking her brain. “Archie and Gwyn?”
“No, and stopfrowning, you’ll give yourself unsightly lines. Now pucker your lips for me, please.”
Ru did, and she was rewarded with a thick swipe of red across her lips.
“There,” said Pearl, standing back. “Let’s look at the final product.” She steered Ru over to an oval full-length mirror that stood in the corner of the room near the hearth, until now unnoticed by Ru.
Reluctant, and still trying to determine who herfriendwas supposed to be, Ru went to the mirror. She didn’t recognize the woman staring back at her.
“You’re a magician,” she breathed, turning this way and that, admiring Pearl’s handiwork.
Pearl watched her, beaming. “I told you the dress would suit you,” she said, eyes shining. “Lord D’Luc had it specially made.He sent us all the details by pigeon, just so you’d have something to wear on your first night.”
Ru’s delight immediately faded, replaced by a cold resentment. Of course, Lord D’Luc had ordered the dress for her. Everything good in her life had to be marred by him.
“Are you all right?” Pearl said. “Too much traveling, I expect.”
“I’m fine,” Ru said, trying to smile, grasping helplessly for the joy again, the relief. But all she felt was cold. “You’ve done a wonderful job.”
“Thank you, Miss,” Pearl said, but Ru could tell she was worried.
“Really,” said Ru, taking Pearl’s hand. “I’m just hungry.”
The maid perked up a bit. “Then it’s a good thing it’s time for dinner.
CHAPTER 10
Sybeth led Ru through the palace with an aura of dire reluctance. Ru could tell something was troubling the King’s Rider, but she wasn’t about to bring it up again. So the pair walked in silence.
The dining room wasn’t far. Ru had almost expected it to be the same room she had dined in that summer, in an older wing of the palace, with dark wood beams and a cozy atmosphere. Instead, Sybeth took her to the wing with sky-high ceilings, where everything was gilded and painted in pastel colors, delicate and decadent, and considerably less inviting.
Ru hesitated at the doors, hearing lively conversation and music from within, the chime of crystal glasses, and elegant laughter.
“You’re going to be late,” Sybeth said. Ru glanced up at the tall woman. A glimmer of warmth shone in the King’s Rider’s dark eyes, and she smiled faintly. Reassuringly.
