Page 45 of Smoke, Mirrors, & Misdemeanours

It was what she did every year on this day. The same rhythm. The same solitude.

Because doing the same things felt easier than something new.

“Would you accompany me tonight, then?” he asked.

Cassia’s mind went blank. She spun around to face him just as he continued, as if it were the most natural question in the world.

“There’s an event I must attend tonight,” he explained. “It requires formal dress. It’s the perfect venue for your first public appearance as my Chosen.” He paused. “It’ll be a statement for us to be seen there together.”

“Tonight?” Her voice came out high-pitched. She bit her lip, scrambling for an excuse. “Well, tonight I can’t⁠—”

“She’ll go!”

Cassia startled as two voices answered for her in unison.

Mrs. Potts and Mrs. Tilly stood by the shelves near the register, their all-knowing gazes fixed firmly on her.

“Of course she’ll go,” Mrs. Tilly added, arms folded as if daring Cassia to refuse.

Cassia opened her mouth, only to close it again.

Betrayal. Absolute betrayal.

Before she could muster a protest, another voice eagerly cut in. “Let me make her dress. Please.”

Cassia turned just in time to see Opalina staring at them, eyes practically gleaming with determination.

“I’ll make a beautiful one,” she promised. “You won’t regret it, I swear.”

Ark tilted his head, considering the suggestion. “Yes, that is a good idea.” His gaze slid back to Cassia, measured and far too calm compared to the palpable excitement radiating from Opalina and the murmurs of the room. “What do you think?”

She opened her mouth again, but he was already turning back to Opalina before she could say a word.

“If I pick Cassia up at six,” he said, “are you certain you can finish in time?”

“Yes.” Opalina was already moving, her chair legs scraping against the floor as she stood. “Yes, I’ll make it work.”

Cassia swallowed the tightness in her throat. She forced herself to speak before everyone else got carried away. “But tonight, I⁠—”

Mrs. Tilly’s hand on her arm stopped her. The elderly woman looked at her with a softened expression. “It’ll be good for you to go, my dear.”

Cassia’s chest squeezed. “Mrs. Tilly, tonight is⁠—”

Mrs. Potts’s voice was even softer. “That’s precisely why you must go, Cassia.” Her papery hand found Cassia’s cheek, gentle and knowing. “Don’t spend tonight alone again.”

Cassia’s breath caught.

There it was, the reason she had planned for an early night, had wanted solitude instead of company. The ladies knew. Of course, they all knew.

She turned only to see Ark quietly watching her. If he’d sensed how the room had shifted around her, he didn’t comment. His voice was quieter when he asked, “Is this alright with you, Cassia?”

She scanned the faces around her—Mrs. Tilly’s knowing smile, Mrs. Potts’s gentle hand, Opalina’s barely contained excitement. Even Lilibeth grinned approvingly, despite her earlier suspicion.

“Yes.” She finally relented. “It seems I have . . . an event to attend tonight.”

Her own acceptance hung in the air, still strange on her tongue. She had said yes, carried along by everyone else’s current. Now, the reality of it settled in.

“Where are we going?” she asked him.