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I looked at Cait with wide eyes. “Show your card. I’ll look Enforcerly and hope that does the job.”
Cait pushed the curtain aside and held her card out.
“Just one passenger?” the Enforcer asked.
“Yes,” said Cait with the calm poise of a noble, “and a Law Enforcer I brought along for added security.”
I kept my back straight and held my breath while waiting to see if the driver would insist on seeing my nonexistent rank card.
She looked at me, her eyes instantly softening as she saw my face. “Proceed, sir and madam,” she said with a smile.
The carriage rolled forward, taking us into the Class A Quarter.
“Everyone trusts me as a man,” I said. “It’s absurd.”
Several minutes later, we stopped in front of Zenitha’s shop. I opened the carriage door and stepped into the street. Today, the shop was crawling with nobles. Through the windows, I could see people trying on hats and wigs. A nobleman emerged with a beard so neatly groomed that I suspected it wasn’t real.
Cait bumped into me on her way out of the carriage.
I stepped aside. “We can’t go in there with all those nobles.”
“Wearenobles,” Cait whispered. “And nobles act like they belong everywhere.”
The driver clicked his tongue at the horses and they trotted forward, leaving us standing in the street.
“Fine.” I opened the door of the shop and went in, Cait close behind me.
Even the air felt crowded, as if it had been inside too many pairs of lungs. Impulsively, I turned around to find some better air.
“My dear Enforcer Graves!” said a surprised voice behind me. “And Lady Lowery. Back again so soon?”
I paused, turning back. “Madam Zenitha,” I said in my breathy man voice. “ I hope this day finds you quite well.”
“This day finds me quite busy!” she said, her eyes shifting to the customers. “I have appointments until closing time, so if you need assistance, I’m afraid you’ll have to wait.”
“Wait all day?” Cait asked with impatient snobbery fit for a noble. “But we have a ball to attend!”
“We can pay you generously,” I said quietly.
“So can they,” Zenitha gestured to the crowded shop. “You’re quite welcome to wait, but these are my best customers and I will not have the quality of my service compromised.” She lowered her voice and pressed a key into Cait’s hand. “Take this. My home is yours for the next few hours, so feel free to help yourself to any sustenance. I have the most delicious peach preserves and a freshly baked baguette.” She flashed a smile. “Stay quiet and I’ll help you the moment I can.”
Our frustration gave way to reluctant acceptance. Zenitha clearly wanted us to stay out of her customers’ way. She was our best option and I’d take what I could get.
I just hoped we could still make it to the ball in time.
Key in hand, we headed for the back door of the shop that led to Zenitha’s home, shooting one glance behind us to make sure no one was watching. Every one of the nobles seemed to be either examining the wares or admiring themselves in the full-length mirrors, so we slipped through the door unnoticed, the bustle of the room muffled as the heavy door closed behind us.
Several hours later,I stared at my new self in the mirror as Zenitha placed a final dark red peony onto the pile of jet-black curls atop my head.
“There,” said Zenitha, stepping back to admire her work.
Cait stood beside me in a cerulean blue gown, her hands covering her painted red lips in delight. A brunette wig the color of her eyes had completely transformed her look, completely hiding her red strands. “Okay, I liked the Enforcer hair, but I like this evenmore.”
My face was no longer my face. My eyebrows were now as black as my hair and my lips were a deep rose, my teeth standingout dramatically against them when I forced myself to smile. I stroked the raw silk of my gown, a plum that matched the flowers in my hair. Like the other dress she’d given Cait, it came from Zenitha’s wardrobe. The color was fine and rich, so dark in the creases that it seemed to be woven from shadows.
“Thank you,” I said, my voice almost a whisper as I handed her the entire bag of cowries we’d brought. “I hope this covers it.”
She glanced inside. “Oh! You meant it when you said you could pay generously. Now I don’t feel so guilty about the exorbitant price of the gown I purchased for tonight’s ball.”
