Hedith Kaldor was a woman who was proud of herself. It was not an undue pride. She was a landlord’s daughter, who had risen to nobility. Landlords were only lords in name. Their domain was only over dirt. As Lady Kaldor, she had power, she had influence, and she was a lady over other human beings. Her husband had wide swathes of land with tenant farmers who took off their hats and bowed their heads if she was so much as in the vicinity. When her name was announced as she entered gatherings, she could hold her head high and look down on those less fortunate.

It had all been possible because she was beautiful. Hedith knew that was why her husband had thrown away sense and married a woman with little dowry and no name. Beauty blinded even the most intelligent of men. She worked hard to maintain her beauty, because even the position of lady of the house was an unstable one.

She paid attention to her appearance, to the clothes she wore. She made sure if she was one of the most beautiful women in any room she stepped into.

Now, it looked like her daughter would go even higher. Laureline was lovely in a way that exceeded even Hedith’s expectations. She hadn’t had to suffer the effects of a childhood under the sun, of chores that roughened her hands, or of a family that didn’t understand the true value of a woman’s beauty. She had the benefits of proper education, of knowing how to speak and what to say, and how to give flowery praise while seeming absolutely sincere. It was coming in so useful now. A few decades before, Hedith could never have imagined that her daughter would be walking holding onto the queen’s hand, that a royal family would compliment her on having a lovely home.

She could have more. Fenix would be a lord, but Laureline could be a princess. If Hedith was lucky, she would see her daughter as a queen. As for Ardisia… Hedith looked up at the manor, where her youngest daughter was in her room. Ardisia would benefit from her sibling’s good fortune for a time.

Two out of three was not terrible, Hedith convinced herself. It was enough to cement her place in society. She had produced an heir, and a beautiful girl that would bring her father a good name. As for Ardisia and her illness, that was something the girl had inherited from the Kaldor family, not Hedith.

“You have such lovely roses,” the queen commented, and Hedith smiled. It was a genuine smile. Her roses were the pride of her garden, the envy of her neighbors. She’d had the plants imported from Revordell, and her husband had balked at the expense. Now, the roses had paid for themselves.

“Thank you, your majesty,” Hedith said. “Laureline loves roses and chose this variety.”

The queen took her hand out of Laureline’s grasp and placed it around her shoulders instead.

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“It appears your daughter has good taste at such a young age.”

Hedith beamed and offered the queen another curtsy. Praise filled her stomach more than food, and each word from the queen’s mouth confirmed her belief that she had done the right thing by focusing her attention all onto Laureline. The fact that the roses were actually Ardisia’s favorites did not matter. The queen could never meet Ardisia, never doubt that perhaps the Kaldor blood had flaws or hereditary disease. Hedith knew she could not hide it forever, but it would be enough if she could hide it until they had gained more favor.

Her husband’s wealth was moving the nation forward, as the railroad industry gained momentum, she knew they would become wealthier still. It was true that Wright was only a baronet, but that could change with time. Now, she knew that while she was a Lady, her husband’s title did not even have enough power to give her a title of their own. Duke’s wives were duchesses, counts has countesses, but baronets were so low in the hierarchy that her husband’s title was sometimes seen only as a courtesy. Sir Wright Kaldor had leveraged his wealth to buy himself a place in high society, but he had not gotten a good bargain.

“I was told that you had three children?” the queen asked. “Is the youngest not here?”

“My youngest—,” Hedith searched for a plausible excuse. She would lie and say that Ardisia was with Hedith’s parents. It was true that her father and mother doted on Ardisia in a way they did not with Laureline and Fenix. For some reason, they found something lovable within the child that Hedith had yet to see. Before she could open her mouth, she heard a sound from the manor. It came from above them, and Hedith pleaded to the gods for it to just be a bird.

Instead, they all saw the tiny head darting back inside the window. Ardisia’s illness came on suddenly and unexpectedly, and she’d told the maids to restrict her to her room for the day. They’d told her that she was sick with a fever just the day before.

“My youngest,” Hedith continued, gathering her wits. “Is quite the wild child. You know how the youngest children are.”

She meant to come off joking, and she hoped she succeeded.

“Then invite her down,” the queen said. “She looked close to my son’s age.”

Hedith hesitated and then called for one of the maids. As long as Ardisia stayed healthy and behaved herself, there would be no issues. The queen would still be taken with Laureline. Hedith glanced at Laureline, and saw the beginnings of a scowl beginning to form on her face. No matter how much Laureline was prettier and more liked, Ardisia’s appearance meant that she would have to share the attention she was getting.

Her older daughter was good at many things, but sharing was not one of them. Hedith cleared her throat and gave Laureline a look. Within a second, Laurel’s face was back to her usual good-natured smile.

“Would you like to see our hedge maze, your majesty?” Laureline asked, leading the queen away from the manor and towards the maze. To others, it only looked like a child showing an adult what she thought was interesting. Hedith knew better. Ardisia was still young, and she was scared of the maze. She had gotten lost in it once, and never stepped foot in it afterward.

Hedith followed them in. She had racked her mind on how to keep up the image she had created, of the flawless family with the perfect daughter. Laureline had done it with ease. Ardisia would stand at the edge of the maze until they returned, and by then, it would be almost time for the royal family to leave.