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His mother stilled. “Both?” she asked delicately, her eyes flicking to Merletta, then back to her son. “Well.” She pulled herself together quickly. “I’ll save my greetings for then.”
Sage took a quick leave of their hosts, then nudged Merletta toward the door. “Come on,” she said quietly. “We should give them some space to talk.”
Confused, Merletta mumbled a thanks to the family and followed Sage toward the door. She heard one of Andre’s brothers mutter an audible aside as she swam through the entrance.
“But I thought she was the Tilssted orphan.”
“You been holding out on us, little brother?” another piped up.
“Shut it, Ethan.” Andre’s voice sounded unimpressed, but Sage was tugging Merletta along, and she could hear no more.
“What was all that about?” she demanded as Sage steered her down the street.
“It’s a cultural thing,” said Sage shortly.
Merletta frowned. “A Skulssted versus Tilssted thing, you mean? Andre has always been so relaxed about it, I thought for sure his family wouldn’t be so prejudiced against Tilssted.”
“It’s not that,” said Sage. “It’s just…oh never mind, it doesn’t matter now.”
She would say no more, just swam ahead with tense strokes, leaving Merletta with the sinking feeling that she was missing something.
* * *
The reaction of Sage’s family the next morning to the news that Andre had invited Merletta to attend the celebration further confirmed Merletta’s suspicions. Serena giggled openly, only subsiding when Sage glared at her.
Merletta followed half-heartedly when the family made their way to Andre’s home at around noon. Any excitement she might have felt at the prospect of witnessing a Skulssted celebration was completely overridden by the awkward way she’d secured her invitation.
This is about August and the others, she reminded herself firmly. Not about inviting myself to a party. She would speak to August’s wife, and leave without further fuss.
Even with that goal in mind, she couldn’t help a thrill of delight when she saw the way the space had been transformed since the evening before. The celebration was held in the very coral garden where she and Sage had told Andre about the guards’ survival, but it was unrecognizable. Shells of all sizes were arranged in sculptures, live starfish adorned many surfaces, and crenellated green seaweed was festooned over everything. A stone slab had been carried out into the space, balanced on a smoothed boulder, and covered with every festive food imaginable. It was like a miniature version of the Founders’ Day feast the Center hosted for its residents each year.
“Wow,” said Merletta, her eyes wide as she took it all in.
“It looks beautiful, doesn’t it?” Sage said, her casual tone informing Merletta that she was much more used to such displays.
“Sage.” The call from Sage’s mother, while calm, was clearly a command.
Coloring slightly, Sage swam to join her family, from whom she and Merletta had been separated by other arrivals. Merletta followed more slowly, meaning that she entered the gathering alone, rather than with the other four. There could be no doubt that this manner of entry had been intentionally orchestrated by Sage’s mother. Merletta squirmed all over again at the memory that the older mermaid had declined to invite her along as their guest. Clearly she wanted it known that Merletta was attending on her own.
Merletta saw Andre swim forward to greet the family, addressing a respectful welcome to Sage’s parents. As soon as the middle-aged couple had moved on, Sage drifted over to Merletta, Andre in her wake.
He gave the two of them a more natural smile, although Merletta noticed he was holding himself more tightly than usual.
“Welcome,” he said. “I’m so glad you’re both here. Help yourself to some food. I’ll be free to talk to you more later.”
They chivvied him away to greet his other guests, and he was soon replaced by another familiar figure.
“Sage, Merletta. I didn’t expect to see you both.”
“Emil.” Merletta smiled. “It’s nice to see you. I heard you’d be here.”
“Whereas I didn’t think you would be here,” said Emil bluntly.
“Merletta!” Sage’s hiss cut off Emil’s words. “There she is.”
Merletta followed her friend’s gaze, her heart racing at double speed as she saw August’s wife float through the doorway.
“Is that why you’re here?” Emil asked abruptly, his eyes darting between Eloise and Merletta.
