Another weighty question. “My father,” I said after several long moments. “It was a game we played. To test my memory.”

He quickly noticed the change in me. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up something upsetting. But he must have been remarkable to have that kind of faith in you. From what I’ve seen, most noblemen just care about their daughters behaving politely and marrying well.”

“He was interested in those things too. But I don’t think what I’m about to do is exactly the marriage he had in mind. Do you know about Rupert, First Earl of Rothford?”

“Of course. All Osfridians know about him.” Cedric gave me a meaningful look. “And I know who his direct descendants are.”

“Throughout my entire life, I’ve had the importance of that drilled into me. What a responsibility that title is.” I leaned against the rough wooden wall, thinking of Grandmama. “Sometimes I wonder if I’m tarnishing that heritage. I don’t know.”

Cedric’s expression softened. “Well, I know two things. For you to be countess, he’s one of the rare progenitors to let his title be passed to his female descendants. Most don’t do that, which means he wasn’t someone who believed in abiding by archaic rules. You should be proud of that.”

“You don’t need to pitch me on my own ancestor. What’s the other thing you allegedly know?”

“There’s no ‘allegedly’ about it. Rupert left a comfortable life back on the continent, sailing west to a savage land he knew little about. He didn’t do it because it was the safe choice or because it was the easy choice. He did it because it was the right choice, because he knew in his bones that staying in the old land was draining him and he had to move on to greater things. He didn’t tarnish his heritage. He was brave and bold.” Cedric looked at me meaningfully. “Sound like anyone we both know?”

“Are you talking about yourself?”

I started to turn away before he could see my smile, but he caught my hand and pulled me back. When I looked at him, I felt my mirth vanish. There was something disconcertingly serious in his face. The hall suddenly seemed very small, the space between us even smaller.

“Never underestimate your own worth,” he told me. “I certainly never have.”

I wanted him to smile again or make a joke, and when he didn’t, I broke away. “I have to go. I’ll see you later.” I hurried off to my room, afraid of what I’d see if I looked back.

Chapter 11

Cedric was nervous in those first days. He’d expected me to put brush to canvas and start instantly creating people and scenery. Those things would come, but first, I had to do the groundwork. I sketched and laid base colors, and slowly, bit by bit, the work began to come to life. Each time I finished a session, I always felt as though I hadn’t had enough time. The minutes flew by, and I’d have a pang of worry that I wasn’t going to be able to finish before the end of our journey.

Outside of my makeshift art studio, however, my painting time was noticeably long.

“There you are,” exclaimed Miss Bradley one evening. I hadn’t been able to leave the storage room until some paint had properly set, making me late for dinner in our common room. All the other girls were seated, their eyes locked on me as I stood in the doorway. On a long trip like this, anyone getting in trouble was high entertainment.

“I’m sorry, ma’am.” I clasped my hands in front of me and tried to look contrite. “I was taking a walk on the deck, and when I started to come back, there was a group of sailors in my way in the stairwell—doing some sort of repair. I didn’t want to have to pass so close to them, so I waited—discreetly—until they were done. I thought that was the proper thing to do.”

Miss Bradley tsked. “The proper thing to do would have not been to go above deck alone.” At least I wasn’t alone in this crime. A few other girls with cabin fever had been chastised repeatedly too.

“I’m sorry,” I said again. “I just needed some air. I get nauseous down here sometimes.”

She surveyed me a moment longer and then nodded for me to take a seat. “Very well, but don’t let it happen again. And that goes for all of you.”

Everyone nodded meekly, knowing full well this would probably happen again. I breathed a sigh of relief and settled next to Mira. Since this business with Cedric had started, I hadn’t been able to spend much time with her. At first, she’d commented on it and tried to include me in excursions, but she’d eventually given up. Now, when I wasn’t painting, I’d sometimes find her alone in our room rereading her Sirminican swashbuckling stories. Other times, I couldn’t find Mira around at all.

“Another decadent meal,” she said, handing me a basket of hardtack.

I picked up one of the stiff biscuits with a scowl and then added some pickled cabbage from a serving platter. Our lessons in fine dining and etiquette weren’t of much use at the moment as we subsisted on this simple ship’s fare. The food in and of itself didn’t bother me so much as eating the same thing each day did.

I’d lifted the hardtack to my mouth when Clara suddenly said, “Isn’t it raining up above? Why aren’t you wet, Adelaide?”

I froze as all eyes once again swiveled toward me. “I . . . kept under cover,” I said at last. “I knew Miss Bradley wouldn’t want us to ruin our clothes—or even our hair. Maybe we aren’t in Adoria yet, but we should still maintain certain standards.” Sure of my footing now, I smiled sweetly at Clara. “I can understand why you might not think of those things on a trip like this. But as our cohort’s diamond, I find it’s something I must constantly keep in mind.”

“Excellent point,” said Miss Bradley. “Just because we’re in rough conditions, it doesn’t mean we should be any less diligent about our manners and appearances. You are going to have to be in best form the instant we reach Adoria. As soon as word of our ship’s arrival spreads, there’ll be prospective suitors down at the docks to watch you come ashore and size up this year’s group.”

Those words took all of us aback for a moment. It wasn’t anything that had ever come up before. I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised, however. Everything we’d done had been scrutinized at Blue Spring Manor, with the understanding that we’d continue to be scrutinized in the New World. Why not from the first moment we stepped on shore?

“Sized up like livestock.” Mira pitched her voice low, but Miss Bradley heard her.

“There are young ladies begging in the streets of Osfrid who’d love to have the opportunity to be dressed up and ‘sized up,’” she said sharply. “I’m sure if you’d like to join them, arrangements can be made for you to return with the Thorns to Osfrid at the end of the summer.” While most of our household now accepted Mira, Miss Bradley obviously hadn’t come to terms with having a Sirminican in our cohort.

“Of course not, ma’am,” said Mira. “Forgive me.” Her tone was as apologetic as mine had been, and like me, she wasn’t sincere.

“I think if Mira had her way, she wouldn’t get married,” I told Cedric on our way to the cargo room one day. Long weeks had passed, and amazingly, this ocean journey was nearing its end. “Sometimes I just feel like she’s here because she has nothing better to do.”