Cameron found Sophie seated at her dressing table looking somewhat frustrated as she held one of his earrings up to her ears.
“Problem?” he asked, bending to kiss the curve where her neck met her shoulders. She smelled delicious, something spicy and warm rising from her skin. The dress she’d chosen for the ball was a rich green, like holly leaves, the neckline and hem edged with gold embroidery.
“I want to wear these,” she said. “But I have to wear the queen’s necklace, and they don’t really match.”
“Wear the necklace,” he said. “I don’t mind.”
“I mind. I want to wear something of yours.” She put the earrings down with a sigh and picked up the necklace, looping it around her neck twice. The warm color of the pearls looked good against her skin and the dress, and he let himself admire her for a moment, thinking of the part of the party he was most looking forward to . . . the moment it was over and he could bring her back up here and take the dress off again. Then he remembered why he’d come to find her earlier than he’d promised.
“As to that, I may have an answer to your dilemma.” He took the case Liam had given him out from his jacket pocket and put it down in front of her. “I’m supposed to give these to you at the ball, but I’d like you to see them now. Happy birthday.”
“You didn’t have to get me a present. It’s not even really my birthday.”
“I’ll spoil my wife when I choose, thank you very much,” he said with a grin.
She smiled back up at him, the strain that had been shadowing her face for the last few days—despite his best efforts to distract her when he could—clearing. She opened the case, and the smile widened. “Oh. Oh, they’re beautiful.”
“They were my mother’s,” he said. He leaned past her shoulder and picked up the topmost bracelet. “Here. Let’s see how they look.” He undid the clasp and slipped the emeralds onto her wrist. Then he repeated the process twice more.
Sophie held her arm up, admiring the sparkle of light on the jewels. Liam had been right. They did suit her. Not wanting to spoil her happy mood, he decided he’d give her the gun later. Tomorrow even.
“Thank you,” she said. She undid the bracelets after running her fingers over them a final time, put them back in the case, and handed it back to him. “Here. Take these before I change my mind and put them back on.” She smiled, a little ruefully. “I promise I’ll look surprised when you give these to me later.”
“You’re most welcome,” he said. “Now you have to finish getting dressed. We have a party to attend.”
Sophie entered the ballroom on Cameron’s arm, reminding herself to smile. After all, this ball was for her. Theoretically. In reality, it was about almost everybody else but her. And especially the queen.
Just one night.
She could make it through just one night. After this, she could do her best to just blend in and fade out of the queen’s and the Domina’s immediate attention. Having spent six hours at the temple yesterday, learning how to do what the Domina had deemed was a suitable party trick, she was heartily tired of feeling like a performing monkey to be trotted out for a show. Though the Domina probably would have been more patient with a monkey than she was with Sophie.
But Sophie had gritted her teeth and done as she was asked with as big a show of goodwill and demure obedience as she could muster.
The Domina had revealed a little of her true ambitions at the council meeting, and Sophie had no desire to be dragged into the dangerous game she was playing. She wasn’t going to assist any attempt to embroil the country in a war. A war that would cost the country dearly even if they won. Far better to continue as they were. Two countries with opposing ideals that left each other alone wherever possible. As long as Anglion was surrounded by oceans, there was no simple way for the wizards to overrun the place with their demon sanctii and take over. Anglion should be content with that. With freedom.
Not the sort of things she wanted to be thinking of tonight. She made herself look at the room and the crowd instead. Eloisa had spared no effort, and the ballroom had been once again put back to its intended use. The chandeliers glowed with earth-lights and candles. The dancing light reflected in the crystal glasses and silver-edged china set on the tables that lined the long edges of the room. More candles flickered on the tables, rising from arrangements of white roses that filled the air with their scent. The white decorations served as the perfect backdrop for the court, decked out once more in all the colors of the rainbow for the occasion.
They worked their way through the guests, moving toward the far end of the room to pay their respects to Eloisa, who was sitting at the high table with Lord Airlight and Margaretta and her husband. Sophie, as guest of honor, was supposed to take her place at the table as well, though she’d have preferred to sit with her parents. She and Cameron stopped in front of the table, and she curtsied as he bowed. As they rose, the room behind them fell silent. Eloisa rose.
“We welcome our devoted servant, Sophia Mackenzie, and wish her every happiness on the occasion of her birthday and felicitations on her Ais-Seann.” The court broke into applause, and Sophie curtsied again. When she straightened, Eloisa was holding a long blackwood box about the length of two loaves of bread, though not nearly as high as a loaf might be. It was inlaid with silver, and small pearls and nacre formed a rolling wave across the lid.