Page 20

“Is she all right?” I ask. I can’t let any opportunity to find out about Hazel pass. “The surrogate, I mean. After that companion raped her and all.” The lie bites at my throat—it’s the Duchess’s lie, the one she told the world when Ash escaped. It’s strange to think that, as far as Maude knows, the surrogate is still me.

Maude stiffens. “The surrogate is fine. That’s all you need to know.”

“Of course,” I say quickly.

We reach the bottom of the stairs and Maude begins to rattle off hallways.

“The dining room, the library, the ballroom, the main gallery, the drawing room . . .” Everything looks the same down here. When I was living in the plush surrogate quarters, I nicknamed the hallways based on what they contained—the hall of flowers, the hall of portraits . . . for the servants, every hall seems to be the hall of stone.

However, unlike the ones I nicknamed, these halls are bustling with people. Chambermaids and laundry maids and scullery maids and footmen and that old butler (James, that was his name) and I even see a Regimental. He is big and burly and he nods to Maude.

“Six,” she says. “How are things with the newlyweds?”

He smirks. “The same. I think Garnet would rather have married a turtle to be honest.”

“This is Coral’s new lady-in-waiting,” she says with a wink. The Regimental’s eyes pop.

“They finally got one for her, did they?”

“Garnet arranged it himself,” Maude says.

“Good luck,” the Regimental says to me.

Then he turns and walks off down the corridor.

“What did you call him?” I ask.

“I should have introduced you. He’s Six. The Duchess has six personal guards.” I must look confused because she frowns. “Didn’t they number the Regimentals at your former palace?”

I straighten out my expression. “Yes, of course. I just . . . he looked like someone I used to know.”

Maude’s eyes twinkle. “A lover?”

“No,” I say firmly.

“Good,” she says. “The Duchess won’t tolerate any of that nonsense here.”

“She won’t need to worry about that from me,” I say.

Maude looks pleased. “Just watch out for William. Devilishly handsome footman. The Duchess has fired three girls because of him. Oh, and there’s a companion here, so make sure you avoid all contact with him. Especially after the last one.”

I wonder again if it would be safe to reveal myself to Rye. A companion, in the Jewel, on our side, could potentially be great help.

It’s exactly what Ash wanted. He just wanted to do it himself. I feel a tiny stirring of guilt and squash it down. I am here and Ash isn’t. I won’t deny a possible ally.

We reach the end of the main corridor and Maude leads me up a set of steps, still doling out instructions.

“The Duke never gets up until after eleven and it’s always best to avoid him,” she is saying. “Terrible temper. The Duchess is very particular about her meals, they must be at certain times and always in the dining room. Unless she’s attending a dinner party or luncheon. Garnet and Coral eat with her in the evenings, so you’ll have to make sure Coral is dressed and ready, usually by eight.”

I hope I can remember enough of what Annabelle used to do to pass as a proper lady-in-waiting. I should have asked someone back at the White Rose, but really, the only person who would know anything about how to properly dress for dinner would be Ash.

I wonder if he’s still mad. I picture him, alone in our hayloft, stewing over where I am, if I’m all right, why I had to leave him. I think about how I would feel if the situation was reversed and then I don’t because I’d be so upset with him. I’ve already made my choice so there’s no point in regretting it now.

The door at the top of the stairs is wooden and doesn’t have a knob—Maude slides it to the side, and we step out into a hallway I recognize. The hall of portraits. The eyes in the paintings stare at me as Maude slides a wooden panel back into place, concealing the door.

“Now, here is the concert hall—it hasn’t been used since Garnet’s engagement party but the Duchess likes to keep it clean.”

I peek inside, the warm, rich air bringing another wave of memories. This room holds so much meaning to me. It was where I used to play for Annabelle, just me and my cello onstage, a way to take myself away from the reality of my life.