“This is Lady Iris,” Lucie said. “She has just become Lady Rivenna’s apprentice.”
“Apprentice?” Charlotte looked appropriately shocked. “But … wait. Lady Iris? Lady IrisStarspun? But you are …” Charlotte trailed off as her gaze shifted slightly, leaving Iris with little doubt that the girl was examining the not-nearly-elegant-enough points of her ears. Then her face broke into a grin. “Oh, but this is simply marvelous!” She clapped her hands and gave a delighted laugh. “Lady Rivenna has outdone herself this time. Proper fae society will be in absolute fits over this. How perfectly wonderful.”
Lucie giggled, then hurriedly clapped a hand over her mouth, her uncertain gaze darting to Iris as if she wasn’t sure whether laughter was an appropriate response. The girl’s apparent fear, due no doubt to Iris’s fae side, made something twist painfully in Iris’s chest.
She smiled warmly, hoping to reassure Lucie. “I have no doubt,” she said, her gaze returning to Charlotte, “that they will respond exactly as you have predicted. I’m surprised those blasted gossip birds have not spread the news already.”
“A slow morning for them indeed,” Charlotte said. “They are most likely still recovering from spreading their rather creative version of your encounter with Lord Rowanwood at the Opening Ball. Apparently you challenged him to a magical duel, and heturned all your paper butterflies into golden dust while the High Lady cheered him on.”
Iris could not help her horrified bark of laughter. “Thatis the story now circulating around Bloomhaven?”
Charlotte shrugged, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “Well, perhaps notquiteso embellished, my lady.”
“Please,” Iris said, “just Iris will do. After enduring endless formality and judgment, it’s refreshing to be among people where such pretense isn’t necessary.”
“Iris,” Charlotte repeated with a small nod, and something in her expression—a mixture of understanding and shared defiance—made Iris feel truly seen for the first time since arriving in Bloomhaven. “It is so lovely to meet you.”
Iris felt something tight in her chest begin to loosen. After days of navigating cutting remarks and sideways glances, Lucie’s gentle kindness and Charlotte’s straightforward warmth were like finding two unexpected allies in enemy territory. “Likewise.”
“Now, sister dear,” Charlotte continued, turning her attention to Lucie, “I came to ask if you still wished to visit The Petal & Pearl during your break. I heard they’ve just received a new shipment of products.”
“Oh yes!” Lucie’s eyes lit up. “I’ve been looking forward to it all morning. I have but a few minutes remaining until my break.”
“The Petal & Pearl?” Iris questioned, curiosity getting the better of her.
“Oh, it’s the most enchanting beauty boutique in Bloomhaven,” Lucie explained, her eyes sparkling. “You’ll find the most marvelous magical cosmetics there. Dewdrop lip stains, powders that make your skin glow, balms that change color with your emotions. Their newest product is something called Starfall Kohl that’s supposedly made from crushed meteor dust.”
“You simply must come with us, Iris,” Charlotte said. “If Lady Rivenna permits, of course. We shall not be gone too long. Only the length of Lucie’s break.”
Iris hesitated, holding back the ‘yes’ she had almost blurted out. As much as she longed to spend more time with Lucie and Charlotte, two human girls were hardly the sort of company her grandparents would approve of if she hoped to make advantageous connections in society. But this wasn’t a formal social gathering, and after the strange morning she’d had …
“I would love to,” she said, then quickly added, “though I must first ask Lady Rivenna if?—”
“Go, go,” Lady Rivenna’s voice came from behind them, making them all jump. Iris swung around and found Lady Rivenna standing in the open doorway leading to the kitchen. “The afternoon rush won’t begin for hours yet, and you’ve already observed much this morning. I suspect your mind is full of … knowledge.” She hesitated a moment on the final word, her eyes holding a knowing glint, and Iris knew that in this case, ‘knowledge’ most certainly meant ‘secrets.’ “Best not to weigh you down with too much at this early stage. We shall discuss all that you have learned so far when you return this afternoon with Miss Lucie.” Her sharp gaze landed on the young girl. “Do be sure you return on time.”
“Of course, my lady,” Lucie said, dipping into a curtsy.
As Lady Rivenna disappeared back into the tea house, Lucie let out a small squeal of excitement, and the three young women exchanged delighted glances. For the first time since arriving in Bloomhaven, Iris felt something remarkably like the beginning of friendship.
Chapter Eleven
“Surely you cannot bein earnest about this arrangement, Grandmother.”
Jasvian stood in the doorway of the tea house’s pantry, his shoulders rigid beneath his impeccably tailored coat. He’d deliberately timed this conversation with his grandmother to coincide with the midday lull, when most of Bloomhaven’s elite would be taking luncheon in their homes rather than lingering over tea and gossip. More importantly, he’d specifically waited until he was certain Lady Iris wasn’t present. The very idea of another confrontation with that infuriating half-fae woman had set his teeth on edge all morning.
His grandmother didn’t look up from the inventory ledger that lay open on her lap, where she was meticulously recording figures with a silver-tipped quill. Shelves of exotic teas, spices, and preserves surrounded her, each jar and canister meticulously labeled in her elegant script.
“I am absolutely in earnest about the chocolate shipment,” she replied, turning a page in her ledger. “The supplier insists the price has increased due to transportation difficulties, but I suspect opportunism in the face of growing demand.”
“You know perfectly well that is not what I meant,” Jasvian said, stepping further into the pantry and closing the door behind him. The familiar scents of cinnamon and dried tea leaves enveloped him. Normally a comforting combination, but today it failed to soothe his agitation.
Rivenna finally glanced up, one silver eyebrow arched in that particular way that had intimidated half of Bloomhaven society for decades. “Ah. You refer to Lady Iris Starspun, I presume? My new apprentice?”
“Yes, I refer toLady Iris Starspun,” Jasvian replied, unable to keep a hint of mockery from his tone as he pronounced her name and title. “The very same Lady Iris whose magic consists of folding paper into decorative shapes. The Lady Iris who insulted our family in front of the High Lady herself and caused a scene that will be discussed in every drawing room in Bloomhaven for weeks to come. That Lady Iris.”
“Indeed.” His grandmother carefully set down her quill and closed the ledger. “Might I inquire as to your specific objection? Beyond the rather tiresome prejudice against her heritage that you seem determined to nurture.”
“My objection,” Jasvian said, “is that the tea house is not some charitable institution for wayward half-bloods with delusions of belonging in proper society. It is the center of Bloomhaven’s social web. A position it has maintained through years of careful stewardship by a full-blooded fae of impeccable lineage.” He drew a breath, forcing his voice to assume a more reasonable tone. “I simply cannot fathom how you could possibly believe her suitable for this role.”
