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Was she carrying that dagger?

I shifted my stance, then noticed that her white-slippered feet had disappeared beneath the hem of her gown. The way she sat made it appear as if she had no hands or feet.

The blonde snapped her fan, reflexively catching my attention. That was likely one of the reasons I found it hard to decipher what they spoke about. She peered at me from behind the laced edges of her fan, her large blue eyes filled with more than just a welcome. It was a promise.

Ladies in Wait weren’t required to be all that strict with whom they spent their time or how they chose to do so, but I was already very well aware of that.

The dark-haired one could not stay seated, leaving the mask she had been sewing tiny jewels onto on the table as she peered out into the garden, watching some bird outside. She was likely only at the windows for a few moments before a soft thump and the subsequent tinkle of crystals could be heard. I looked to see jewels of all colors under the sun spill out from the pouch the dark-haired one had been carrying for some reason.

“Oh, no!” she gasped, staring at the mess in such a desperate, helpless manner one would’ve thought she’d dropped a babe. “My crystals!”

“That was entirely clumsy of you, Loren,” Tawny drawled from where she sat watching her.

“I know!” Loren knelt in a dramatic flourish of silk and lace and began picking up each crystal, one by one.

“Allow me to be of aid.” I strode forward.

“Oh, that is so kind of you,” Loren beamed, straightening. “You’re so incredibly gallant.”

“I try,” I murmured, scooping up the crystals and dumping them into the pouch. Rising, I offered it back to her.

“Thank you.” Loren took the bag, her hand gliding over mine in the process. “Thank you so very much.”

Fighting a grin, I nodded and gave her a curt bow before returning to my corner. I wasn’t there long before the blonde halted midway to the table with refreshments.

“Oh, my.” Dafina lifted a limp hand to her forehead. “I feel so dizzy.” She began to sway.

Good gods…

I went to her side before she ended up in a pile of blue silk, like the crystals scattered upon the floor. “Here.” I took hold of her elbow, and she all but fell into my side. “You should sit,” I advised, leading her back to the chaise near the Maiden. “Would you like me to retrieve a drink for you?”

“If you’d be so kind.” Dafina batted her thickly lashed eyes. “Mint water, if you could.” She looked at the others, waving her fan. “It is so terribly warm in here, is it not?”

“Not really.” Tawny looked on, unimpressed.

I had no idea what the Maiden thought as I poured a glass of the mint water.

“It must be the warmth that has made me so clumsy,” Loren chimed in as I handed the water to the other Lady in Wait, once more having my hand touched in a way that felt more like fondling. Loren had now sprawled herself across the chaise, curving her body so one would have to be utterly unobservant not to notice how low-cut her gown had become. How suddenly low-cut both of their gowns had become. “I do say, it has given me such a frightening headache.”

Tawny sighed, rolling her eyes.

Beside her, the Maiden dipped her chin.

Unperturbed, Loren pressed two delicate fingers to her temple, and I suspected she was on the verge of slipping from the chaise.

“Then I suggest you make sure you stay seated,” I said, thinking to nip any attempts of her rising in the bud. I gave her a smile that had opened many closed doors to me in the past, flashing a dimple. “All right?”

Loren stared at my mouth as she dropped her hand from her temple to the lace of her bodice, her boldness amusing. She nodded.

Giving them all one more smile, I returned to my station. When both Ladies turned their attention to Tawny, I breathed a small sigh of relief.

“You know what I heard?” Dafina asked, snapping her fan as she glanced in my direction. She lowered her voice, but I easily heard everything she said. “Someone has been a rather frequent visitor of one of those…one of those dens in the city.”

“Dens?” Tawny asked, and I realized this was the first time she’d interacted with them outside of commenting on their clumsiness and apparent weak constitution.

Dafina tipped her upper body forward. “You know the kind, where men and women often go to play cards and other games.”

Tawny lifted her brows. “You’re talking about the Red Pearl?”

The Maiden sat as still as the limestone statues I could see in the garden.

“I was trying to be discreet.” Dafina sighed, looking at the Maiden. “But, yes.”