I could feel the eyes of my companions upon me, trying to gauge my reaction. Mostly, I was stunned. After never hearing my name come up, I was shocked at this turn of events. There could be no greater position than a governor’s wife. And it hadn’t escaped my notice that it had been my inner qualities and aptitude that caught his attention as much as my looks. Most of the men who’d come through here had made beauty a top priority.

“She is certainly incomparable,” said Jasper. He managed to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. “And I’ll tell you a secret—our opening ball is coming soon, so you only have to wait a few days to meet her.”

“I don’t really need to meet her,” said Warren. “I’m sure she’s exceptional. And I’d like to seal a marriage contract now.”

“That’s not . . . how it works,” said Cedric stiffly. “The girls meet all potential suitors in our social season. Then they choose.”

Warren was undaunted. “I don’t want to risk losing her to someone who might woo her with a lot of flash and no substance. I’ll put out a price to make it worth your while for removing her early—one I might not be willing to match if I have to wait. One thousand gold if you do the deal right now.”

Some of the girls near me gasped. There’d never been a sum like that offered in the Glittering Court’s history. It was double my starting fee.

Even Jasper couldn’t believe it. “That is a very generous sum, Mister Doyle. Warren.”

“I know what I’m asking is unorthodox,” explained Warren, almost sheepishly. “And that’s why I’m willing to compensate for altering your policy.”

“Understandable,” said Jasper, practically licking his lips. “And very considerate.”

“Our policy,” declared Cedric, shooting his father a warning glance, “is that she gets to see her options and choose. We can’t just sell her behind her back.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” said Warren. He seemed a little taken aback by Cedric’s tone. “I can meet her today and then seal our deal.”

“It would be a breach of our normal policy,” said Jasper. “But I’m sure, given the circumstance, there’d be no harm in her at least meeting him now and—”

“She gets to see her options and choose,” repeated Cedric. “It’s in her contract. No preemptive deals.”

I could tell Jasper was having a very difficult time maintaining his genial façade. He turned to Warren. “Forgive me; it’s clear this is a matter we must discuss at more length. Let us do so, and we’ll be in touch once we’ve made some decisions.”

Warren looked hesitant about leaving with things up in the air but finally gave a conciliatory nod. “Very well then. I look forward to your reply—and an early meeting before the ball. Thank you again for indulging me in my unorthodox approach.”

As soon as the Thorns had walked him out, Jasper pulled Cedric into their private office and shut the door. The rest of us retreated to our wing, where I was immediately accosted with questions and comments. I had no answers to give, and the chatter soon began to make my head ache. It was a relief when I was able to shut myself in my room with Mira. She gave me a sly smile.

“Well,” she said. “That was certainly an exciting turn to the day.”

I stretched out on my bed, still reeling. “That’s an understatement.”

“What will you do?” she asked.

“I don’t think I can do anything. The Thorns will decide.”

She sat down beside me. “If you went downstairs right now and said you’d take the deal, there’d be no protest. Not even from Cedric.”

I straightened up. “Do you think I should?”

“It’s not what I think that matters. But I know you’ve had your sights set high. And this is about as high as you can get.”

“It would certainly speak well for my future. I mean, that is what we’re here for.” Although we didn’t have to take the highest bidder’s offer, a man putting down a lot of money generally suggested he had the means to provide generously for his wife. It gave the Thorns a higher commission and also increased the bride’s surety money. “Although . . . it was kind of presumptuous, coming in here like that, wanting to buy ‘the best’ right now.”

Mira laughed. “It certainly was—though even he seemed to recognize that. There was a brazen and bumbling charm to it. At least he wasn’t one of the ones asking if he could buy ‘the Sirminican’ at a discount.”

I squeezed her hand. That was an offer we’d heard many times. “It was nice that he seemed more concerned with my character than my looks.”

“He already saw you. He doesn’t have to worry about your looks.”

“But you wouldn’t take the deal. You still want to pay off your own contract.”

She shrugged. “I told you, it’s not about what I think. But no, I’d do as Cedric said and see the rest of my options. You can still choose him later.”

“Tamsin would’ve taken the deal,” I said sadly.

“Tamsin would’ve called for a priest and offered to marry him on the spot,” Mira said.

My heart sank. “Tamsin should have been the one getting the offer. She should have been the diamond.”

Word reached me later that Cedric had won out against his father: I wouldn’t be meeting Warren until the ball. I suspected Jasper had caved in the hopes that, seeing me with other men, Warren might end up offering more. In the coming days, as the household was whipped into the frenzy Cedric had predicted, I found I had mixed feelings about what had happened with Warren. I respected what Cedric had fought for. On the other hand, I worried I might have cost Cedric the commission he needed. Really, what else was there to look for? Marrying Warren would put me in the closest position I could get to my former lifestyle here in the colonies. Hadisen was in no danger from the Icori. It was simply unsettled land needing a society to thrive in it and work its gold mines.

Somehow, amidst the pre-ball tumult, I found a chance to finish the painting when Mistress Culpepper was away. A small window in the cellar offered remarkably good light, and stepping back one day, I was astonished that I really had captured Thodoros’s style. It was my greatest work. An inexperienced buyer certainly wouldn’t know any different. An art expert probably wouldn’t.

The cellar door creaked open, and I turned with a start, relaxing when I saw Cedric come down the stairs. He stopped next to me and stared.

“That’s it,” he said.

“That’s it,” I confirmed.

“Amazing. I thought the poppies were incredible the day we met, but this . . . this is something else altogether.” He continued studying it, transfixed. “I’ll smuggle this out of here tonight, over to my agent. He’ll evaluate it and let me know what he thinks it’ll get, but something tells me it’ll be high. Enough to cover my Westhaven stake.”

“You know what else would’ve helped with your stake?” I asked archly. “A twenty percent commission on one thousand gold.”

Cedric turned from the painting and met my eyes. “Really? You came all this way and prepared for a season of galas only to skip them and marry the first man who wants you? Without even meeting him?”