The Debutante (Season Series #2)

Chapter 33: The Point of No Return

I struggled with myself as I made my way down to the library, the giddy debutantes streaming down alongside me on their way to the stables. I was being punished by being excluded, but if I defied the queen again, I'd surely be forced to endure something far worse than a day spent in a library. Unwilling to find out exactly what lengths she'd go to in order to ensure my malleability, I forced down my disappointment and installed myself at a table in the dusty library.

The head librarian was just as much of a fool as Xavier had said. I had to produce the queen's list before he even so much as allowed me to sit down. When it took him the better part of a half hour to lug out the tomes I required, I wondered aloud whether he was deliberately sabotaging me. I forced myself to look on the bright side, which was the single slanting beam of sunlight that fell onto the table, as much a reminder of the day I was missing out on as a comfort that at least I hadn't been sent to the more dungeonous bowels of the library.

I read and read and wrote and wrote until I was about to go cross-eyed from the convoluted legal text. After the second item on the list, I realized that the queen was asking me to look up a history of military treaties and accords to summarize the terms. Eventually, I stretched my arms out and twisted my aching back, wondering how my brother could find researching in libraries to be anything more than mind-numbing, time-consuming tedium.

When the clocktower chimed three, I gave a little yelp when I realized I was not yet even halfway through the list. I hastened my pace as the sun sank, the golden pool of light slipping from the table to the floor. It was only when I could barely see my own writing that I struggled with the provided candle and flint-box. It was a race against the clock now if I wanted to attend that evening's ball and I had every intention of telling Andrew exactly what his mother had put me up to as a punishment for our kiss.

I'll admit that my last three summaries were hasty and that I'd skimmed the better part of the official documents, but when the clock chimed seven I knew I had to leave. I gathered up my papers, snuffing the candle and hurrying as fast as my feet could take me back to my suite. Unsurprisingly, Millie was hovering, clearly sent to prevent me from preparing for the ball unless I turned over my summaries. She gave no more than a quick glance at them before she nodded, allowing Brenna and Elspeth to sweep me into a hurried toilette. As per usual, the queen's maid had already chosen my dress, a vibrant, cardinal red silk concoction with strict instructions to pull my hair back and adorn me with diamonds, not rubies.

I didn't much care what I wore, my eyes flicking to the grandfather clock in the corner as the time ran away. I could hear the other debutantes leaving their suites before Brenna had even started on my hair. Gone was my goal to be prepared for the beginning of the ball, but I insisted my maids hurry up so I would at least be present to secure Andrew's first dance. After forcing down my bitter disappointment the entire day, I didn't think I could face watching him grant my dance to someone else.

Brenna was still attempting to push extra pins into my hair when I declared myself ready enough to leave. She followed me down the hallway, adjusting my dress and jewels as we went until she finally left me alone near the entrance hall. The music was already playing as I hurried down the staircase, heedless of the stares I was getting from the arriving nobles. I barged into the ballroom, my lungs exhaling a breath I hadn't known I'd been holding when I noticed the empty thrones.

Now that my urgency had abated, I took stock of the room. It was far busier than usual, this ball open once again to more than just the Season's participants. My stomach gave a hungry growl as my eyes landed on the buffet table, my lunch forgotten as I'd toiled away in the library. I'd barely taken three steps in the direction of the food when I was accosted.

"I heard Ella came to speak to you," Annabelle said, putting herself in my path. She had a rueful, apologetic smile on her face, but I felt my hackles rise nonetheless.