Page 38 of Hawk & Sparrow

The young woman’s smile broadened as she accepted the tape. “Thank you.” She paused. “I’m Bess.”

“I know,” said Vesper. “We’ve … met before.”

The skin between Bess’s brows pinched a moment before new understanding touched her face. “Oh. You’re…”

“I kept my promise,” said Vesper quickly. “I didn’t tell anyone I saw you in the maze.”

Bess’s shoulders sagged in relief. “Thank you, again.” She looked around a moment, as though unsure of what to say, before a whistle sounded, pulling both their eyes back to the field. “That’ll be the first chukker done.”

Vesper blinked. “Chukker?”

Bess grinned. “That’s what the time periods in a polo match are called, they run seven and a half minutes each.”

“I see.”

“There are six chukkers in a single match, which means forty-five minutes of play,” Bess went on. “Since this is a private match though, my guess is they’ll only play four.”

“You know a lot about polo,” Vesper noted. “Do you play?”

“Oh, no.” Bess turned slightly pink. “I’d love to give it a try but, well … you know.”

“Actually, I don’t.” Vesper frowned. “If you enjoy the sport, why don’t you play?”

Bess looked sheepish. “Polo is considered a gentleman’s sport,” she explained. “It wouldn’t be appropriate for a woman to participate.”

Vesper sat back in her chair. “Oh.” Suddenly, she felt very foolish.

“It isn’t so bad.” There was a new cheerfulness in Bess’s voice that sounded slightly forced. “There are other sports women can play—croquet, archery, lawn bowling. I convinced my father to buy me a bicycle a few months ago. That was going all right until—”

“Well, well, this is interesting.”

Vesper and Bess looked up. A trio of young women were heading toward the medical tent. All three of them were smiling, but there was something about the look of the one leading them that made Vesper inexplicably uneasy. She was pretty, with light unblemished skin and glossy brunette hair tucked neatly beneath an extravagant feathered hat. Vesper took special notice of the golden choker necklace she wore around her neck; a red gem the size of a large grape rested at the hollow of her throat. The other two young women were flanking her like guards. Beside her, Bess stiffened.

“Hello.” The leader addressed Vesper first. “I don’t believe we’ve met before. My name’s Sarah Levant.”

Vesper stood and shook her hand. “It’s nice to meet you,” she said. “My name’s Vesper.”

Sarah’s lip quirked. “Oh, I know who you are. Everyone’s heard all about Maximilian Kite’s newest fascination. You’re the talk of the town.”

Vesper’s smile faltered a beat, but she kept it in place as she took her seat again. There was something about the way Sarah had said the word fascination that had sounded double-edged.

“We heard about the unfortunate mishap with the horse,” Sarah went on. “We came to see if you were all right. But it seems you’ve already found some very interesting company.” She turned to Bess. “Elizabeth, I must admit I’m surprised to see you out in public so soon.”

Vesper frowned in confusion. Elizabeth? She turned and saw Bess had flushed to a deep crimson.

“I don’t want any trouble, Sarah.” Her voice was small, barely a whisper.

Sarah’s smile turned cool. “No, I don’t imagine you would,” she said sweetly. “Certainly, you’ve stirred up more than enough trouble and embarrassment for your family.” She turned to Vesper. “Perhaps Miss Duxley hasn’t told you yet, Miss Evans, but she’s rather fond of offering coach rides through the city, especially at night. She likes offering other kinds of rides too, but I’ll let her tell you all about that.”

Miss Duxley. Elizabeth Duxley. Bess. Understanding dawned on Vesper. This was the girl Ada had told her about earlier.

The young women standing behind Sarah tittered, and Bess turned in her chair and started blinking rapidly. There were tears in her eyes. Anger suddenly prickled along Vesper’s skin. She recognized the look now clouding Bess’s face. It was the look of a girl who’d been made to feel small more than once. Vesper didn’t know what it was like to be the subject of a local scandal like this one, but she did know what it was like to be belittled, and she did know that bullies came in all shapes and sizes. She stood, so that her and Sarah’s eyes were level.

“Miss Levant, that’s quite a lovely necklace.” She gestured toward the choker. “I wonder, might I ask where you procured it?”

Sarah blinked several times, clearly thrown off by Vesper’s abrupt change in subject, but let her fingertips graze the necklace with obvious pleasure.

“Oh, this little thing? It was a gift from my parents, for my eighteenth birthday.” She spoke slightly louder. “It’s a red diamond actually, procured off the shores of the Calida Isles by professional deep-sea divers last summer. I’m told there’s no other gem like it in the world.”