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I lifted an eyebrow, but tucked the vial into my pocket and slipped past him. The sunlight dispelled some of the shakiness from his kiss, but I still felt like I was floating on air as I walked up the steps and knocked on the door. A heavy sound of echoing footsteps replied, and the entrance was opened by the snootiest butler I had ever seen. His nose was turned up so high that I could see his brain matter.
“Yes?” he cooed.
“I’m here for the book club,” I told him as I got a quick look around his stiff form. The entrance hall of Trent Manor was a pretentious mix of marble and curl-footed furniture.
“Name?”
“Millie Lucas.”
He twitched his nose in disapproval but stepped aside. “Please come in.”
He didn’t look too pleased with the invite, but I stepped inside and he closed the door behind me. The butler led me into the bowels of the white cavern from where I hoped to someday return.
CHAPTERTWENTY-FIVE
We meanderedthrough the lower floor of the imperious palace to a salon at the rear of the house. Curtains hung about the walls for no reason other than to muffle the chatter that came from the two dozen women who congregated in small groups in the corners. A hush fell on the crowd as I was led in by the butler, who stepped to one side and bowed his head to the women.
“Miss Millie Lucas,” he announced before he stepped out of the room.
“Darling!” a woman cooed as she swept away from her friends and over to me.
She was about fifty but tried her hardest to appear twenty years younger with more foundation on her face than a construction site. The woman wore a flowered dress with so many loud colors that I wondered if Ben could hear it from his alley. Her long nails were immaculate and her hair was dyed a bright blond. She embraced me in a tight hug that took my breath away and her frame was so bony it made me want a refund on that air.
She drew us to arm’s length and smiled at me. “It’s such a pleasure to finally meet you, Miss Lucas!”
I lifted an eyebrow. “Lady Trent?”
She laughed. “Oh, how darling of you to pretend not to know me! Surely Count Castle has told you all about me!”
“He’s mentioned a few things.” A very few.
“It’s just a delight to have you here-” She froze and her eyes invariably looked down at my person. I followed her gaze and realized that my clothes weren’t completely untouched by the filth in the garage and its environs. A few dark smudges of dirt and grime had stuck to me.
I gave her a sheepish grin. “I ran into a little trouble on the way here.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Yes, well, we’re waiting on a few others, so feel free to look around. You won’t find a more spacious and inviting salon in all the city.”
“In all the continent,” one of the women piped up.
Lady Trent bowed her head to her visitor. “You do me a great honor, Cicily. If you will excuse me, Miss Lucas.” She eagerly drew herself away from me and back to her fawning fans.
I breathed a sigh of relief and wandered about. None of the groups enticed me, and more than a few of the prim ladies took one look at my attire and turned up their noses before returning to their vacuous conversations. I noticed a singular figure in a far corner of the room.
It was a young woman of about eighteen with short brown hair and pale skin. She wore a simple white dress and a slightly frightened look on her face.
I put on my best smile and walked over to her. “Hello there.”
She perked up at being addressed. “H-hello.”
I held out my hand to her. “My name’s Millie.”
She blinked at me a moment before her face lit up and she grasped my hand. “I’m Serena Lowe. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
I laughed as I sidled up beside her. “Don’t say that just yet. You haven’t had time to properly access my attire.”
She looked me up and down and her eyes widened. “My goodness, what happened?”
“I’m starting a new fashion trend,” I quipped as I brushed a hand down my pant leg, smearing more of the dirt into my clothes. “I think I’ll call it ‘fashion without care.’”
