Em turned gleaming eyes on Tracy as the woman got into the carriage with her.

Puzzled, Tracy glanced between Em and the basket.

“In your room. I had to take him away for your punishment.”

“Is he hungry?”

“No, no. I fed him twice yesterday and once this morning. We shouldn’t have any accidents.”

That wasn’t what Em was worried about. With a sigh of relief, she pulled Loki out of the basket and surprised him and Tracy by hugging him.

“Did you bring them to help me?” she whispered to him. While Tracy leaned out the door to talk to a knight.

“Bring who?” he said innocently. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Em smiled and hugged him again before putting him back into the basket.

He was a little pain in the butt sometimes, but a good friend nonetheless.

The rest of the trip went without incident. Unless you counted the time Loki got bored at dinner and tripped Tracy.

Straight into the arms of a knight with a scar on his cheek.

It was interesting to watch the two blush and avoid each other’s glances. All while taking peeks whenever they thought the other wasn’t looking.

For the whole rest of the trip.

Toward the end, Em swore she saw them kiss. But it was so fast, and half hidden by the carriage, she wasn’t 100% certain.

“Maybe you should be the god of love, instead. Or a little cupid angel.”

“No, thank you.”

But a three-week trip was still a three-week torture. By the end, Em was so tired and grumpy her attitude affected even Tracy. Em tried to cut down on her whining, but it was hard not to channel the half spoiled Emmaline in those circumstances.

“The city is only a mile away!” someone shouted outside.

There was a chorus of cheers.

“Thank the gods,” Tracy muttered under her breath.

Em sat up and crawled across the seat to the window. Sticking her head out as her spirits revived.

There it was.

Elyana.

Home.

Or what used to be home. To Em’s surprise, the feeling she once associated with the Capital city wasn’t there.

Instead, the word home brought to mind a certain old castle. Along with memories of the kitchen staff greeting her, dragging Todd off to play ball and practice swordplay with her, and hanging out in Flint’s office.

Her stomach clenched.

Home. I want to go home.

When had Silver Vale become home? The only things it was missing was her parents and Maddie.

Deciding not to think about the dead, Em pushed herself further out the window and enjoyed a breeze until they were inside the gates.

Where everything seemed like chaos.

The wedding wasn’t for another month. But there were many nobles from all over the country, merchants taking advantage of the event, and not to mention common folk also here to enjoy the festivities…

It made for crowded roadways.

The carriage slowed to a painstaking crawl.

“At this point, it might be faster to walk,” Em complained.

Tracy swallowed a smile, nodding to herself in agreement as she looked out the window.

After two hours of crawling through the crowds, they finally entered a less busy street and picked up the pace.

Then they pulled up in front of an unfamiliar house.

Em blinked up at the monstrous building. Which was bigger and fancier than the barony had been.

“What is this place?” she whispered to Tracy.

“This is the home of Lady Eileen Raynish.”

“Who?”

Before Tracy could answer, Flint opened the door and motioned for Em to step out.

Leaving everyone but Tracy outside, Em and Flint went inside. Where they were led to a receiving room close to the front hall.

Inside was fancy, too.

Em leaned in to study a statue on a pedestal. It was grotesquely shaped like two men. One was a half transformed lycan lion and the other a warrior stabbing the first in the heart.

Both butt naked.

“Don’t touch anything.”

Em straightened. “I wasn’t touching.”

She was pretty sure if she touched that statue, she’d end up infected, anyway.

“Good. Don’t even sit. Since we’re filthy from traveling.”

She frowned at her brother. Who had taken a stance with his arms crossed and was scowling at the door they’d just come through.

“Why did we come here before bathing, then?”

“Because-”

The door opened. Not with a bang but there was a sense of force behind it. And in marched… an old woman.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

Tall, straight-backed, chin held haughtily high, she marched straight to Flint and thrust her hand in his face. Em’s mouth dropped.

“Flint, nephew, how good of you to come.”

The words were polite but her tone… she sounded partly like she was trying to flatter him and partly annoyed.

Flint took her hand and kissed it respectfully.

She must be a Marchioness or higher, Em concluded. No one but a higher or equal rank would be so rude.

“You look well, Lady Raynish.”

She waved that away. As though it were old news and needn’t be bothered with.

“You’re late,” she informed him. Again, trying to sound polite but edged with annoyance.

“I apologize. The roads were not favorable.”

“You have an entire March at your disposal, and yet you don’t have a working gate?”

Em glanced at Tracy. They had this conversation before.

“There is much work to do. The gate being only one item of business and not the most important one.”

The woman humphed and looked around.

“Even when I was a girl and sorcerers were rarer, there were working gates in every county. Or at the very least, every Duchy capital.”

Then she spotted Em, who was half hiding behind Tracy.

“Is this the child?”

A pained look crossed Flint’s eyes. It was gone almost as soon as Em spotted it. But the apologetic look that replaced it didn’t disappear until he met Em’s gaze and returned his attention to the lady.

“This is my little sister Emmaline. Em, come and greet Lady Eileen.”

Warily watching the woman, Em stepped out from behind Tracy and curtsied.

The woman tutted.

“Aunt Eileen. We may not be blood but we’re still related. Do that curtsy again, child. No, deeper. Your footing is awkward and your expression revealing. I will have to give this child lessons in etiquette while she’s here, Flint. I can’t have her embarrassing both our households while under my charge.”

“What are you talking about?!”

Both adults looked at her. Flint with a flinch and the haughty woman with a raised eyebrow.

“Excuse me?”

Em whipped her eyes to Flint.

“What does she mean ‘while I’m here’?”

“You mean the child doesn’t know?”

Now both females were glaring at Flint. Who avoided their gazes.

“I didn’t have time to tell her.”

“You were on the road for three weeks and didn’t have time to tell her?” was the lady’s icy reply.

“Tell me what?”

Flint sighed. Then stepped closer to Em so he could put a hand on her shoulder.

“We no longer have the barony house to use while we’re here. That means, me and the knights will have to stay at the palace in the guest barracks.”

“Which is an inappropriate place for a young lady,” Lady Eileen interrupted with a sniff. “It would ruin the Grimshaw reputation. So my dear nephew asked me for a favor.”

Em felt like the floor fell out from under her.

The last thing she wanted was to stay with this horrible person!

She turned pleading eyes on Flint, who looked away.

“No one else had room for you.”

It hit like a blow to the stomach.

Out of all her parents’ friends, of all the people Flint must’ve known in the Capital, only this woman was willing to take her? Her throat constricted.

Am I that much of a burden to them?

And the townhouse being gone… that’s my fault, too.

All other protests died on her tongue as the weight of it all settled heavily on her.

“Okay,” she whispered. Resigned.

Flint smiled painfully and kept a hand on Em’s shoulder as he turned to Eileen. Squeezing gently in reassurance.

“I’ll be checking on her between my duties.”

“Of course.”

“I’ve brought some funds. It isn’t much, but she needs a new dress or two for the events.”

Eileen’s face twitched. But she managed not to scowl, smiling with false brightness instead.

“Of course. I’ll take care of everything.”

“And-”

“I know how to take care of a child, Flint. And the maid is staying, is she not? I’m sure she knows the child’s needs, yes?”

Flint hesitated. With a sigh, he nodded.

“Adele, please escort Lady Emmaline and her maid to their rooms. Make sure the young lady gets a bath and send her back down for supper.”

“Yes, my lady.”

The maid bowed to Lady Eileen. Then waved for Em and Tracy to follow her.

Em hesitated at the door. Then abruptly rushed back in and threw her arms around Flint. Burying her face in his diaphragm.

“Only for a month? Then we can go home?”

He smiled. Actually smiled! Stunning his aunt into silence as he stroked Em’s head with one hand and hugged her with the other.

“I promise. Not one day longer than we have to be here.”

***

Em was still gawking at the piles of dresses carefully stacked around the room. Maids had been coming in and out for a while now, filling the guest room like it was a boutique’s storage room.

“What is all this?”

Bewildered, she turned to Lady Eileen. Who was watching the proceedings with her arms crossed and tapping one elbow.

Scowling.

Em had been determined to say as little to the woman as she could. For the three days since Flint had left, she’d done everything she could to be as polite as possible. And to follow instructions since, after all, Aunt Eileen knew best how to survive a social world. A setting Em barely remembered existed.

But last night!

Em had eaten almost no dinner because of the woman’s constant pestering.

Use this fork, now that spoon, sit up straight, if you’re going to talk at all, by the gods, enunciate!

If she didn’t vow as much silence as possible, she was afraid she might lose her temper. And if she lost her temper, she might say something to disgrace Flint.

Hello?, Em thought. Annoyed. Did you vow not to listen at the same time I vowed not to talk?

Em crossed her arms and pressed her lips together. All the while watching hills of clothes turn into mountains.

Finally, one maid bowed to Lady Eileen.

“That’s all of it, my lady.”

“Good. We’ll start with this pile.”

Eileen pointed and obediently the maids each picked up a single garment each. Holding them for inspection.

“This one.”

Eileen pointed and the maid stepped forward.

The dress was the ugliest green and dull yellow Em had ever seen. Her mouth was already hanging open before the dress was held up in front of her.

“Yes, have the child try it on.”

“I’m not wearing that!”

Em shoved it away and glared at the old woman. Who glared right back, eyes narrowing dangerously. Em did not miss it when the maids hastily took a few steps back, bowing in visual submission.

“Excuse me?” The woman’s tone was as icy as ever.

Em crossed her arms and raised her chin.

“I can choose my own clothes, thank you.”

“While you are in my house, I will approve all your clothing. I can’t have you traipsing around in the undignified way you are obviously accustomed to. And I can’t have you embarrassing our households with your clothing choices.”

She gave Em’s now too small black dress a sniff.

Em’s face reddened, though she wasn’t sure if it was anger or embarrassment.

Then she almost laughed when she pictured the woman’s face if she ever saw Em in her boys’ clothes.

“Look,” said Em patiently. “There are dresses that look like someone puked it up and dresses that are decent. You can still approve, but I get to choose. I mean, it’s not like there aren’t a thousand options here.”