It sounded so crass when said that way—as though all these young women were animals on an auction block. Although in fairness, it was certainly no worse than how I’d been selected. At least they were willing.
“My brother is under his command,” I offered timidly, uncertain why she was revealing this information to me. “He speaks very highly of Lord Aiden.”
“He would.” There was heat in her voice. “His command is all that he attends to now—it is as though he has no time for anything other than military pursuits.” As abruptly as her anger arrived, it vanished. “Though that was not always the case. At one time, it seemed his entertainments would consume him. But this last year he’s changed—become melancholy and brooding, prone to disappearing for days at time. I hardly know him.” She huffed out a breath, and waved her hand as though to dispel the tension of her words. “Young men, Cécile—they are impossible.”
I ventured a smile. “Perhaps during our performance, he’ll realize that the one he’s looking for has been here the entire time.”
“Perhaps.” She straightened and stepped away from the wall. “Sometimes what we are looking for is right in front of us, but more often, I think, one must look long and hard, for she will not reveal herself so easily.”
Her words echoed in my ears, and I bit my tongue to keep from reacting.
“Your mother is performing for us tomorrow night, as she has done so many times over the years,” she said, her eyes searching mine. “Although I understand you will soon be taking up her torch, and it will be your voice gracing our dinner parties.”
“I can’t find it in myself to believe she truly intends to retire,” I said, tension rising up my spine as it dawned on me that this woman was far more familiar with me than I was with her. Fred had said that contact with La Voisin would bring the attention of those in power down upon me, but what if it already was? Lady Marie du Chastelier had no reason to care who I was, no reason to seek out my attention. No reason, unless she knew I had a darker purpose for being in Trianon beyond performing onstage.
“Believe it,” Lady Marie said. “Genevieve’s time on the stage is over, but I’ve no doubt you’ll make a wonderful successor. Your talents, it would seem, are endless.”
“I’ll do my best.” My words sounded breathy, and a bead of sweat ran down the back of my leg. She was not talking about my voice…
“Are you quite well, dear?” She touched my arm, and every muscle in my body twitched. She frowned.
Get control of yourself!
“Sorry!” I took a deep breath, trying to control my pounding heart, but it did no good. “My apologies, my lady. I’m overwhelmed—I didn’t expect this.”
Lady Marie’s frown melted away, but that did nothing to ease the tension singing through my veins. “Such an innocent little thing you are. Hard to believe, given whom you’ve been spending time with…”
“Please excuse the interruption, my lady, but Monsieur Johnson is asking for my daughter.”
My mother had appeared out of nowhere, and was now standing next to me. She knows about the trolls, my mind screamed, but I forced a smile onto my face.
“By all means, take her,” Lady Marie replied, eyes fixed on Genevieve’s, expression flinty. “After all, that is why she is here.” Her gaze went to me. “We’ll be watching every move you make, Cécile. Be sure of it.”
I bobbed a shaky curtsey, allowing my mother to lead me away. A droning like that of a swarm of flies filled my ears, and I could all but feel her eyes burning into my back.
“What did she want?” My mother’s breath brushed against my ear, her voice low. “What did she say?”
“That she might like for me to perform for them in the future.” My tongue felt almost too numb to form the words correctly.
“Excellent.” Her voice was low and full of satisfaction. “She and her predecessors have long supported the opera. I’m pleased Marie intends to maintain the relationship.”
My head jerked up and down, but my mind shouted something quite different. Marie knew I was a witch and she knew about the trolls, I was sure of it. But then why invite me to perform? Why not lock me in a dungeon or burn me at the stake like every other witch the Regency caught? What did she want from me? How much did she know?
We’ll be watching every move you make… We’ll be watching… We’ll… As the words repeated themselves, a theory began to form in my mind. An idea that should have sent me running as fast and far as my feet would take me. But instead a wicked anticipation like nothing I’d felt before fueled my stride.
I’ve found her.
15
Tristan
“Item fourteen!” The auctioneer’s voice echoed through the market, voice magnified by a simple but effective trick of magic. I watched, but I didn’t see. I listened, but I didn’t hear. It was merely a place to be while I thought.
I’d heard nothing since leaving Marc in the depths of the mines. That meant the worst had not happened—he hadn’t sunk so low as to wreak vengeance upon Trollus, nor found some way to contrive to end his life. Which didn’t mean he was well, and certainly didn’t mean he’d forgiven me, but I’d take it. My problems were stacked high enough that even small blessings were a relief.
Something struck me in the backs of my calves, and I turned to see a troll woman limping slowly away. It had been her cane that had hit me, and I did not think it had been an accident. Sure enough, she glanced over her shoulder, expression far from apologetic. I recognized her as the sculptor called Reagan. She was a nasty-spirited creature, but had gained a certain notoriety for the Guerre sets she made for the upper classes.
“Female, age twenty-six, scaled at five.” the auctioneer shouted, the number catching my attention back to the stage. Half-bloods scaled at more than a four were rare to see at the auctions—their sales were normally conducted privately. That the woman was being sold here indicated something about her was undesirable.
“House born and trained!”
But no mention of which house, which meant they did not care to be associated with her. One of the auction workers snapped a lash of magic at the woman’s feet, and she jumped before following the instruction to walk the length of the stage and back. To my eyes, she looked normal enough. No obvious deformities, twitches, or signs of madness. She kept her face lowered, as any house trained servant would, but I was close enough to see the tears dripping off her chin.
“Reads and writes in four languages! Takes dictation with an excellent hand.”
Which meant nothing to any of the buyers here. Her power made her too expensive for bourgeoisie who might use her skills, and whatever she’d done made her unpalatable to the upper classes. The Miners’ Guild would take her, I was sure of it.
“Proven breeder.”
And there it was. An indiscretion, and it would not matter whether it was voluntary or not.
“We’ll start at fifty!”
The bidding began fast and furious, but my attention snapped away from the proceedings as I felt a familiar and impressive amount of power coming up behind me. Turning round, I came face to face with my brother. On his arm was the impostor, and behind her, the Duke d’Angoulême.