Chapter 9

A ccording to Jack, in lieu of another ball, the prince had planned to take walks with each of the fifteen women still remaining after the feast. As I had already walked with Stephen and received a letter requesting I stay longer, I wasn’t required to present myself in the ballroom that afternoon and evening while Stephen took each of the ladies for a stroll. When Jack and I stopped by the ballroom, I saw that Jasmine had been sent home, but my stepfamily was still there. My stepsisters were facing the door to ensure they were easily visible, and my stepmother sat in the shadows beside them, her back to the door and whispering in a low hiss to them. They took no notice of Jack as he strode toward the prince, nor of me, staring in from the crack in the doorway so I wouldn’t be spotted. For several minutes, Jack and Prince Stephen spoke in low whispers and stole glances at my stepfamily, who all sat rigidly straight with painfully wide smiles, fully aware of the scrutiny they were under.

“He agreed to have them go last and introduce them to his mother,” Jack muttered when he finally emerged again. “ But they aren’t announcing the order. That should keep them busy for a while.”

Each step felt increasingly dangerous as Jack and I crept toward my stepfamily’s suite of rooms, and I wondered how guards didn’t come running just from the sound of my pounding heart.

“We aren’t doing anything wrong by walking down the hall,” Jack pointed out in a whisper, but he kept his footsteps light as well.

“We’re not doing anything wrong yet ,” I corrected him. We’d been over the plan several times already, but my hands still shook. I swallowed, but my mouth remained as dry as chalk.

“Keep watch,” Jack murmured, withdrawing a key from his pocket. “If anyone sees us sneaking into the room…”

Each flutter of the hallway curtains and each flurry of the snow outside drew my gaze as I scanned the corridor for any movement. After a few seconds, there was a click of the bolt being slid back, and the door swung open.

I ducked inside, elated with our success. Jack followed, hurriedly closing the door as gently as possible. “Lock it again,” I reminded him. “If any guards come by?—”

“The guards don’t go jiggling the door handles of guests,” Jack laughed, but locked the door anyway. “They aren’t robbers.”

“No, but we will be soon if I can just find…” I began searching the room, careful to replace each item precisely how I found it as I searched the places I thought were most likely to hide an important document.

The amount of luggage my two stepsisters and stepmother had brought filled every nook and cranny of their expansive suite and could have hidden a library’s worth of documents. But no, my stepfamily’s vanity was evident as I sifted through their multiple trunks. There were cosmetics, dresses, hats, accessories, shoes, corsets, and several items neither Jack or I were able to identify, including a stretchy, skin-colored material that felt slightly more supple than a rubber boot heel.

“Any idea what this is?” I asked, holding it up and stretching it out experimentally.

He rolled his eyes. “You’re asking a man who has no experience with anything related to women or fashion. If you don’t know, how should I?” His head tilted as he studied the mysterious object. “If it’s used to stuff into their bodices to accentuate their curves, I may vomit. I’m not touching that.”

I burst out laughing, then quickly clapped a hand over my mouth to muffle my voice. “Don’t make me laugh like that,” I hissed at him. “This is a secret mission.”

“Then maybe you should act more secretive,” he said as I put the unidentified object back where I’d found it. “You need to be looking for the will, not—” He broke off, suddenly on high alert as the sound of a key sliding into a lock came from the door.

Eyes wide with panic, I grabbed the front of Jack’s tunic and whirled him into the closet, folding myself in after him and pulling the door nearly closed just as the door to the hallway opened. I stared through the tiny crack, almost forgetting to breathe as my stepmother slowly came into view, setting down the enormous handbag she always carried with her as she made her way across to the opposite side of the room.

The handbag.

I stared at it. It was large enough to conceal several documents, and it would make sense that she would never leave it unattended if that was her hiding place. But why would she be back so early?

My question was answered as I saw my stepmother cross to the vanity and sit down with a slight grunt. There followed multiple clicks and snaps of small containers being opened and closed as Valencia touched up her makeup. Of course; how could I be so stupid as to forget my stepmother’s midday practice of obsessing over her looks? Heaven forbid she have a single hair out of place at any moment. Jack and I wouldn’t be able to leave or make any noise at all for however long it took until she deemed herself perfect once more.

Silently, I pivoted away from the door and realized that the closet I’d thrown us into was the equivalent of a tiny broom cupboard. Jack had attempted to give me as much space as possible, but was still pressed against me, arm up above my head on the closet’s wall as he tried to avoid knocking anything off the shelves.

By holly, we were going to be stuck like this for at least half an hour while my stepmother went through her extensive skincare and cosmetics application process. The narrow sliver of light from the cracked door fell across my face and lit up the closet just enough that I was able to see Jack’s facial expressions, much easier to pick out because of his pale features. I slowly lifted my finger to my lips then pointed toward my stepmother.

He mouthed, How long ?

I shrugged. It was very difficult to find the motivation to pull my attention away from reading Jack’s lips. She’s doing her makeup , I mouthed, pleased when Jack’s gaze dropped to study my mouth. I had to mouth the words several times before he understood, and I found myself watching his lips, trying valiantly to appear as though I was simply waiting for him to respond. But the moments stretched into minutes and neither of us looked away.

The closet was warming up unnaturally quickly considering that it was snowing outside. Jack always felt warm, but he could have rivaled a furnace for the waves of heat he gave off and I struggled to remember that he was a mage with ice magic. I hoped the dim interior of the closet hid the redness that I was certain was rising to color my cheeks.

Jack’s throat convulsed as he swallowed, still looking down at me and standing so close that it was impossible not to touch him. My fingers curled around the front of his jerkin, scrunching the fabric into my palms. A gentle touch brushed against my side as Jack’s hand crept up to trail along my waist, fidgeting with the seam on my dress with light, hesitant touches. It left me desperately wanting more, unable to restrain myself as I lifted my hand to run my fingers up his chest and around to the back of his neck. Staying away from him demanded an inner fortitude I wasn’t sure I possessed. His thumb raised to caress my jaw, our mouths mere inches apart. I closed my eyes, certain that I would be able to live forever on the ecstasy of this moment alone.

My stepmother continued to clatter her numerous powders and creams around on the table, and with each noise, my breathing grew lighter and more rapid. In contrast, Jack didn’t seem to be breathing at all. Mages were still human; they had to breathe, even if they weren’t allowed to get married to non-mages.

My stomach jolted and my eyes shot open. The stark realization of the indecency of our situation hit me with the force of an avalanche. Mages were still banned from courting non-mages; it was illegal. If we were discovered in such a compromising situation, it would mean the end of Jack’s career, and I would be responsible. Why had I endangered his job in such a careless manner? And the prince would certainly not care to hear that one of the women he was seeing was wrapped around his advisor. I would be thrown out of the competition and sent away from the castle, unable to discover if my stepmother had truly stolen my inheritance and unable to plead my school’s case to the king.

Even with all of the reasons we shouldn’t be together, and with all of the reasons I should be horrified by our current situation, the forbidden nature of being with Jack only served to make him even more desirable. Blood pounded in my ears as my breathing mingled with his.

My right leg went numb from being in an awkward position for so long, but I dared not move a muscle. If Valencia discovered us…

Jack dropped his head slightly closer, the tip of his nose brushing against mine, but we mustn’t kiss. We mustn’t. Any unusual sound would alert my stepmother to our hiding spot, and kisses often made noise. Was it worth it to attempt a silent kiss?

A mental image of my stepmother wrenching open the closet doors to discover us locked in a passionate embrace was motivation enough to hold me back, but only barely. It wasn’t just our embarrassment at stake. Both of our futures would be in jeopardy if we were found. Would the prince and his parents have Jack imprisoned, or would his years as an advisor be enough to keep him out of a cell?

There was a screech as my stepmother pushed the stool back to stand, finally done with fixing her face to hide her years. There were a few additional clattering noises as she adjusted her makeup brushes, then the sound of her voice nearly made me jump out of my skin .

“You’re too kind, Your Majesty. I think our children will get along splendidly. How fortunate that they found each other.” Her simpering tone elicited an instant image of her cooing at her reflection, batting her overly long eyelashes and twirling a coil of her eternally perfect curls.

Jack raised his eyebrows at me, listening as my stepmother continued in a fawning voice, “Oh, either of my girls would be the perfect choice for Prince Stephen. He’s such a handsome young man.”

She hummed to herself as she picked up her bag. My legs had long since gone to sleep, and when Jack took advantage of the sounds of my stepmother’s footsteps to adjust his position slightly, one of the coats fell off its hanger and to the floor. The noise was faint, but there. Jack and I stared at each other, horrified, and my heart forgot to beat.

Valencia’s footsteps halted. From the crack between the door and its frame, I could barely make out my stepmother’s profile as she stared around the room, listening for any additional sounds. Each second felt like an eternity.

Finally, Valencia gave a slight shrug, hoisted her handbag a little higher on her shoulder, and moved beyond the narrow range of my vision. A few seconds later, I heard the door open and close, followed by a key scraping in the lock. Retreating footsteps clicked away down the distant hall.

Jack let out a long stream of air that swirled around my neck, wafting his sweet peppermint scent over me. “That was close,” he whispered. “She’s gone now. We can get out.”

I made no effort to move. “She might come back. And my legs are numb.”

“Mine are too.” Jack didn’t move either .

“We’ll get that sharp-needle, prickly feeling once we move again.” I couldn’t let go of Jack, I just couldn’t. Now that my stepmother was gone, it was much too tempting to stay put with Jack, far closer than we would be allowed in public. Was it so wrong to find a few excuses to stay where I could forget the world and be happy for just a few moments?

I tilted my chin upward, inviting Jack to do what I knew we were both thinking about. The danger had passed now that my stepmother had left. If there were a few slight noises, no one would be around to hear it. Jack didn’t lean forward, but I saw the yearning in his eyes. Could I be bold enough for the both of us?

Examining his face, I decided I could be. Inhaling deeply, I began to close the last tantalizing inch hovering between our faces, but Jack pulled back.

“We can’t,” he breathed.

“No one would know.”

“But it can’t last. I don’t want a taste of something I’ll never be able to keep.” His voice was thick and husky, and the injustice of our situation beat against my heart once more, battering it so effectively that it felt bruised.

Suddenly angry at the world, I stumbled out of the closet, avoiding Jack’s eye. While I hadn’t been able to stop staring at him while closeted together, the keen sense of loss and letdown I now felt wouldn’t allow me to look his way. Jack’s reasons were good, but selfishly, I wanted a kiss to remember him by. Even more selfishly, I wanted to ensure that he would never forget me. The phantom pinpricks began as blood flow returned to my extremities and I focused on the sensation, gritting my teeth against the uncomfortable feeling.

“It goes away faster if you walk it off,” Jack told me .

“I know.” I strode around the room, trying to think of something to say, but came up with nothing. Our search of my stepmother’s room had yielded no results, just as the search of the records room and library had been in vain. I bit my tongue as I focused on distracting myself. Nothing would ever come of falling for Jack, either. Was I always going to throw my efforts into things that were for naught? I glared at one of the beds, where a thick downy quilt and six pillows all stuffed with goose feathers were lying on the mattress.

“I managed to get you a room so you have your own space,” Jack told me, clearly trying to fill the awkward silence. “I’ll get you the key by tonight so you don’t feel like you kicked me out of my bed.”

“Thank you.” I couldn’t look at him. I ought to feel glad that neither of us would have to sleep in the dog barn again, but the only thing I managed to think of was that now I would be even farther away from Jack.

“It wasn’t a lack of desire, you know,” Jack said hesitantly. “Back there.”

“I know that, too.” The tingling sensation was beginning to fade. “It just isn’t fair!” I burst out. “The king and queen have done so much for you, but you still aren’t allowed…”

“It isn’t up to them,” Jack reminded me. “The ten lords need to propose a law before the royal family signs?—”

“I know, I know.” I sighed. “I just wish there were an easier way.”

“It isn’t out of the realm of possibility,” Jack told me encouragingly. “The lords already drafted several proposals before that were signed into law. Your father was working on a bill that would grant full rights, and it was gaining popularity. ”

“But that was when my father was alive and advocating for mage rights.” I sighed again. “And until his will is discovered, we don’t have a tenth lord.”

Jack’s smile was forced as he crossed to the exit. After a moment of listening at the door, he eased it open. “If both you and your stepmother agreed on it, you could both sign on behalf of the tenth lord since you’re the only ones claiming the estate, otherwise you would have to wait until one of you is officially proclaimed as the next lord.” He held the door open for me, and I slipped out, waiting until he silently closed and locked it again.

“Ah, but that would assume my stepmother and I agree on anyth—” I stopped dead in my tracks, paralyzed when I saw that, at the very end of the hall, my stepmother was staring as we left her rooms. She was watching Jack and me with her arms crossed, a knowing smile playing about her lips.

She knew.