‘Thank you.’ I return Jennie’s smile. ‘It’s lovely.’
‘Good, good,’ she says. ‘There’s food, if you’re hungry.’ She gestures to a small table, where a pile of glistening pastries sits next to a bowl of apples and oranges, and a large glass bottle of water. ‘Please, rest now. And let me know if there’s anything else you need.’
‘I might stay with Emelia,’ my mother says. ‘Get her settled in.’
Jennie regards us both, then nods again. ‘Bon. Penelope, we’ll be in the main salon when you’re ready.’ She leaves, swiftly, the door closing behind her with a click.
I sit on the ridiculous bed, testing the mattress. I feel as though I’m sitting on a cake. ‘I guess sleeping on the coach is out of the question?’
My mother shakes her head, frowning. She wanders around the room, her skirts whispering on the timber floors. Night pales beyond the long windows. Dawn isn’t far off.
‘What happens now?’
My mother turns, her finger to her lips, her gaze darting to the closed doors, which are a far cry from the reinforced steel door of my room at home. ‘A rest, I think,’ she says, keeping her tone light. ‘So that you’re ready for the ball later. I might stay here a while and read.’ She holds my gaze. Bertrand takes a position next to one of the sets of doors, facing the others with his arms folded. It will have to do.
* * *
I wake with a start to the sound of soft clapping, the rustle of silk. What in darkness? The windows are shuttered, and I can’t see much. There’s movement and, a moment later, the faint bloom of a candle lamp, awakening glimmers of light in the gold and silk. My mother is sitting next to the bed, a book in one slender hand. But why is she clapping?
‘Mother, what?—’
She widens her eyes then inclines her head, slightly, towards the foot of my bed.
I follow the direction of her gaze. And nearly fall out of bed. Vampires, probably a dozen or so, are clustered beyond the golden balustrade. All of them watching me. I clutch my covers, my mouth opening and closing. But seriously. What the fuck is going on?
‘Oh, Lady Raven, she is divine. Sleeping like a human yet looking so much like a vampire.’ This is a tall slender vampire clad in a tunic over fitted trousers, his face a pale gleam in the faint light. ‘Fascinating.’
‘What will she do next?’ A plump female vampire, her generous bosom spilling from the confines of her taffeta gown, comes forward. ‘Will we be able to watch her toilette?’
‘Speak again, dear Raven.’ This is a young male vampire. His blond hair is tied back, and he reaches a muscular arm towards me. ‘I would like to hear your voice once more. I wager it’s as beautiful as the rest of you.’
‘Enough!’ My mother gets to her feet. The crowd draws back. My mother’s tone is cool, pleasant, but her hand is clenched around the book. ‘I’ve indulged your curiosity these past hours, but my daughter is not here for your amusement. She is the heir to Raven, your next ruler. And should be treated as such.’
Several vampires bow their heads.
‘I appreciate,’ my mother continues, her tone softening, ‘that it’s long been the custom for these chambers to be open for all to enter. That the human court who once dwelled here would watch their rulers sleep, and that’s why I’ve allowed this. But I ask now for privacy, that we might prepare for the ball alone.’
With a rustle and hiss, the vampires leave, bowing before they flash through the doors. My mother puts her book down.
I’m stunned. And more than a little annoyed. ‘What the hell was that?’ I murmur.
‘Hmm.’ My mother darts her gaze towards the still open doors. Right. Got it. ‘Shall we get you ready, my darling?’ Hervoice returns to normal. ‘I’ll sort myself out while you shower. Bertrand will be here while I’m gone.’ She leans in closer, her lips brushing my cheek. ‘All part of the show,’ she whispers. ‘I’ll be back soon.’
A short while later she returns, immaculate in her usual red, her gown with a layered skirt like flower petals, the fitted bodice baring her smooth creamy shoulders. She does my hair as I sit at the dressing table, her alabaster fingers braiding then coiling it into an intricate bun at the nape of my neck.
‘Why were those vampires watching me sleep?’ I keep my voice low. ‘And why didn’t you warn me?’
‘That,’ my mother whispers, ‘was us reminding them who Raven is. Jennie suggested it, while you were sleeping; apparently it was considered quite an honour by the human courts who once ruled here.’
‘It was soweird.’
‘I hated it. Hated sitting there, watching them look at you like they couldn’t decide whether to eat you or worship you. Wanted to kill them all – and would have been within my rights to do so. But I endured it. Because they will take the tale back to their friends of how they watched the Raven sleep, and what she means.’
‘I’m going to get those families on our side,’ I whisper. ‘If I don’t, and it comes to war, I want to fight. I’ll do whatever it takes.’
‘Good.’ She reaches for a diamond flower, tucking it into my hair so it sits flat against the side of my head, close to the braided bun. I watch her reflection, the ridiculous jewelled chamber gleaming behind her.
It’s such a fucking joke. Humans built this palace, lived and loved and laughed here, even if some of them did go on to violent ends. Created the artworks I’ve seen, laid out the ancient cities, the stone monuments. Oh, I know vampires had a hand in some of them, legends of buildings appearing overnight simply distorted truth. But this world is overwhelmingly human.
