My fingers froze above one of the lines. The muffled voice came from behind a slightly cracked door, just a few steps away. I took a sip of my drink, tasting pomegranate, and—my eyes widened as the liquid sparkled and popped in my mouth, like popping candy. I held back a cough and swallowed the war in my throat.
“It’s like the story of Romeo and Juliet—” The words washed away. I shifted closer to the door.
“Like Romeo and Juliet,” a woman’s voice repeated, and someone cut in with a mumble. When she continued, she sounded annoyed, “Because she disappeared first, then he died, and now, boom, the girl is back. How hard is that to understand?”
My forehead creased. What were they talking about? Another set of voices joined, lower than the ones before, but I couldn’t get out the words.
“I know that Romeo and Juliet both died at the end.” It was the woman again.
“That wasn’t the point, Sil,” an older woman’s voice cut in. “They didn’t know each other, you mug. Lilian’s granddaughter grew up somewhere else.”
Lilian’s granddaughter? Were they talking aboutme? I pressed myself closer to the door, careful not to accidentally push it in.
“They weren’t in love,” another agreed.
They weren’t in love? Who? Who were they talking about?
“Still. Isn’t it heartbreaking?”
“Eh,” someone else said. “They didn’t know they were engaged to each other. They didn’t even know each other.”
Engaged? The word rang in my head, sharp and sudden, like a newly built cathedral in my mind, testing out the bells. I tried to make some sense of what I was hearing.
“Maybe the girl didn’t, she grew up away from her family. But I know for a fact, the boy did.” It was the older woman talking again.
Someone let out an agreeing grunt. “I heard,” the voice lowered, “that Varden not only knew about it, but he was waiting for her. They raised him to be her husband, and the poor thing never even got the chance to meet her.”
Varden.The name echoed through my mind, tugging at something buried deep inside, something hidden beneath layers of fog I couldn’t lift. My heart drummed against my ribcage, each beat heavier than the last as I strained to hear more.
“You heard? I told you that, you knob.” It was the older woman again. “I went to their house a few times, you know, delivering my own sews for them when Nikolaj—my deliveryboy—was sick,” she explained. “They were nice people, the Aldridges, they didn’t deserve the horror that happened to them.”
The floor creaked on the other side of the door and I flew back, running back the way I came from before they could catch me eavesdropping. The Aldridges? As in Alex Aldridge, my mum’s friend?
Could it be that I was engaged to someone named Varden Aldridge? A son of Alex Aldridge? No, that was absurd.
My steps slowed as I reached the stairs, my heart throbbing in my throat in anxious rhythm. I fixed my dress—my palms damp like misty leaves—and descended the stairs, manoeuvring through the swirling haze of grey cigar smoke that thickened the air.
Varden. Died. Engaged.The three words ricocheted inside my head, drowning out everything else. The people, the smoke, the rich scent of incense?—
A hand landed on my shoulder. I flinched, spinning around, only to be greeted by Declan’s wide grin.
“Sorry about that,” he said.
I blinked as he slowly multiplied before my eyes. What was happening?
“I’ve been invited to a game if you would like to join,” he continued while my vision blurred. My head was getting heavier with each breath I took. He gestured toward a black door with the wordprivateetched into a polished gold tag, and I shook my head.
“Actually,” I breathed. “I think I need some air.”
The smoke thickened, and I couldn’t decide if I was flying or dancing or just walking as I usually did, then—air. Cold and biting, just enough to bring my senses back to life. I blinked. I was on the street. I blinked again, twisting around.
“Your car,” I said. “It’s been stolen.”
Declan held my arm, lifting an almost empty water bottle to my mouth.
“Drink.” He laughed, and my brows knit, but, to my surprise, I did. The cold freshened my whole body.
I blinked, again and again, until slowly, my head cleared. I inhaled the cool night air.
