I can’t be seen.My muscles tensed instinctively with every cool rush of water against my scalp. Black splatters dotted the floor as my most precious armor was stripped from me and cast to the side without a second thought.
At least you don’t have to hide any longer.Orin’s words rattled through my mind.
All I wanted to do was hide.
After wringing my hair for what must have been the hundredth time, the attendant had me undress and nudged me toward the tub. I went in quickly, eager to hide my body beneath the water’s milky surface.
“This feels incredible,” I moaned.
The attendant came around with a pitcher and tilted my head back, pouring fresh, warm water through my cleansed hair. The silky caress of the bath loosened my muscles, and I didn’t fight as the woman sponged me clean and rubbed oils onto my skin. She hurried me along, wrapping me in a thick robe and toweling my hair before setting me back in front of the vanity. A small plate of food was already waiting for me, and I nibbled at toast and eggs as she combed through my damp locks.
I couldn’t help but stare at my reflection while she worked. The last time I’d seen my hair, my true hair, I’d been a child. I hardly remembered the luster, the almost ethereal glow, that seemed to shimmer from the moonlit strands.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“Vora.” She didn’t look up as her nimble fingers twisted my hair into an artful braid.
“How long have you worked for the Ferngloves?”
“I’ve worked for my lord for years.”
“By choice?” I bit back a snort. There had to be at least thirty attendants, if not more, working at the estate. Fulfilling every Fernglove whim, and for what? To simply be in the presence of society’s finest?
She shot me a glare and gave my hair a final tug before brushing her hands along her dress. “You’ll find that everyone came here by choice.”
“That’s debatable,” I grumbled.
“You had a choice, and you’d do well to remember that.” Angling her chin high, she looked down her nose at me. “Are you having second thoughts? Because I won’t waste my morning getting you prepared if you’re just going to waltz out of here by lunch.”
“As if I could,” I muttered. Leaving would mean condemning my brothers to death. It might have been my choice to accept Orin’s offer, but it’d been a trap just the same. “Please continue.”
She nodded toward the dresser. “There’s an assortment of underthings in the top drawer. Take your pick.” Then she pulled a cream-colored gown with embroidered rosebuds from the wardrobe and laid it upon the bed. I eyed the green lace along the hemline and thin shoulder straps. She flipped it over and loosened the strings, waiting for me to finish slipping on my undergarments. I stepped into the pool of fabric, and she pulled the straps over my shoulders before cinching the corset bodice tight.
I trailed my hands over my arms and the smooth expanse of my neck and upper chest. A wondrous thrill ran through me. I hadn’t worn a gown like this in... well, ever. “Are all my clothes this ornate?”
“Ornate?” Vora folded her arms across her chest as she inspected the gown, then chuckled. “I imagine the family would find this one tame, but I do quite like it. Now, come along. Orin is expecting you.”
My shoulders stiffened. “Asking me to begin work already?”
“Did you expect anything less?” She waited a beat before shaking her head. “Orin only tells me what he wants me to know. For now, I believe, he just means to check in on you.”
“I’d hoped to spend some time with my brothers today.”
“That will have to wait.”
“Lovely,” I said through a forced exhale. “Well, let’s get this over with.”
She placed her hands on her hips, studying my sour expression as if she understood my quiet frustration. “Take solace in knowing they feel no pain. And if you’re successful...” She shrugged. “Then they will simply wake up and won’t fret about how much time you physically spent by their sides.”
Tension coiled tightly at the base of my neck. “One can only hope.”
“Indeed.” Something flickered through her sharp gaze. “Best not to keep Orin waiting.”
“Thank you, Vora.” I clasped my hands together. I imagined I wasn’t the first threadmender she’d attended to, and I likely wouldn’t be the last. At least it seemed like I could rely on her for the things I needed to survive. In this house, that was the most I could hope for.
She studied me for a long moment, a deepening crinkle forming between her brows. Then she made a beeline for the doors. “Be careful who you trust in this place, Edira.”
Her quiet warning was such a stark contrast to the disgusted frown she’d shown me when I’d asked if she and the others worked here freely. A heavy, uneasy feeling settled low in my stomach, and I clenched my jaw tight.
