Page 15 of A Rose Among Snakes (Gardens of Ruin and Revival)
Chapter Fourteen
K ezara woke up starving the next morning and rushed me through getting ready. I had an especially difficult time detangling her mane, and the dark circles under her eyes told me she had slept fitfully.
“Can’t we just braid it like yours?” Kezara whined, squirming in her seat.
“Not if we can’t detangle it.” I tugged on a knot and Kezara groaned. “What about a twist?”
She wrinkled her nose in disgust. “I’m eighteen, not eighty.”
I rolled my eyes and sighed. Raking my fingers through her curls and pinning them behind her head in a loose style.
“Are you almost finished? I’m starving.” Kezara reached her hand up to touch her hair and I swatted her away.
“Don’t rush me,” I chastised. “You should have had more of your supper and less wine.”
“I wasn’t hungry then.”
Her gaze dropped to her lap, and I pinned another curl as I asked, “How are you feeling? ”
Kezara’s shoulders raised with an exaggerated inhale as she met my eyes in the mirror and beamed. “Perfect! The sun is shining and I’m ready for a new dress.”
I raised a disbelieving eyebrow and held her stare. Hers only faltered when I snagged a knot with my fingers.
Still smiling, she said, “I don’t want to dwell on it, Mihrra. So let’s simply enjoy our day.”
I bit my lip, resisting the urge to prod her into honesty, knowing she would open up when she was ready.
With the last pin put in place, we were ready to go downstairs. We ate breakfast separately and then departed the manor to head to a dress shop in town.
As Milner helped Kezara out of the carriage, she said, “We’ll be here all day, Milner, so there’s no need to wait around. Please return by seven o’clock this evening, though.”
“Certainly, Ms. Blaise,” he replied as he helped me down to the ground next.
The dinging of a bell signaled our arrival as Kezara waltzed into the dress shop. An elderly woman, the shopkeeper, toddled out from behind a counter to greet us. She gripped a cane with one bony hand and with the other, she clutched the black, knitted shawl draped around her hunched shoulders. White hair sat piled atop her head in a neat twist.
“Hello, Ms. Blaise. It’s wonderful to see you.” Her voice was as frail as her appearance, but her smile was warm as she asked, “How may I help you today? ”
Kezara greeted the shopkeeper with a kiss on each cheek. “Hello, Mrs. Drusen, it’s wonderful to see you, as well. This is Mihrra, and we are both in need of a new gown for the ball next week.”
“How exciting, I did hear a rumor about that. An engagement for the prince, what a thrill! Have they announced who the lucky lady is?”
Kezara tossed a curl out of her face and sniffed. “No, I haven’t heard.”
Mrs. Drusen clapped her hands together and said, “Enough gossip—do you know what you are looking for?”
Kezara strolled around the room, scrutinizing the sample dresses presented on mannequins. She ran her hands along a shelf lined with bolts of fabric. Though I yearned to do the same, I stood in the center with my hands clasped in front of me feeling out of place. Kezara occasionally picked up scraps of fabric, rubbing it between her fingers before putting it back; what exactly she was looking for, I wasn’t sure. Kezara pointed to one of the gowns on display and asked,
“Mihrra, what do you think of this one?”
“It’s beautiful. It would look incredible on you.”
“No, not for me. We’re looking for you first.” She turned to Mrs. Drusen trailing behind her. “Let’s try this one on Mihrra.”
The old woman nodded, and with a strength belying her appearance, she carried the mannequin to a back room down a narrow hallway .
Knots formed in my stomach as I made my way over to Kezara. “I don’t think I can afford this, Kezara. I don’t need a new gown.”
She looked at me with a sparkle in her eye. “What, do we not pay you enough?” She turned back to the shelf and sifted through more fabric.
“Oh, no, I am paid plenty, but I can’t justify this.” I flipped over a tag hanging off a gold gown and widened my eyes.
“Never you mind, I’m paying for it since I’m the one dragging you into this. It’s the least I can do.” Kezara grabbed a bolt of burgundy chiffon and a swatch of black lace and held it up to me, shook her head, and put it back. This continued for several more minutes until she had found plenty of options to hand to Mrs. Drusen.
Once we were in the dressing room, the old woman pulled the corset laces so tight I thought my bones were cracking, but the gown fit perfectly. I wasn’t full-figured, but I had never considered myself skinny either. Now, I hardly recognized the cinched, curvy reflection in the mirror. Mrs. Drusen picked up my trailing skirt and followed me out of the room to where Kezara was still browsing.
“What do you think?” Mrs. Drusen asked in her wavering voice.
Kezara flicked her gaze over me, her jaw dropping. She swept between the shelves and grabbed my hand, lifting my arm to spin me around .
“You are stunning, Mihrra. Simply gorgeous!” She clapped her hands and squealed. “Every man will ask you to dance in that dress. I want to ask you to dance in that dress.”
My face flushed as I chuckled, shaking my head. “I will not be dancing with anyone. I’m only there to support you.”
Kezara barked a laugh. “You will absolutely be dancing. You will attend as my guest, and there is not a chance you will be ignored.” She turned to Mrs. Drusen. “We’ll do one just like this, but in crimson, and let’s make lace cap sleeves.” Using her hand, she turned my shoulder and shoved me back toward the dressing room, denying me any chance to object. Mrs. Drusen took my measurements and then helped me back into my simple, dove-gray dress.
It took more time for Kezara to try on multiple gowns as she told Mrs. Drusen what she did and did not like, not attempting to mince words. Eventually, Kezara commissioned a gown that sounded so beautiful I was sure no one would pay attention to me with her in the room.
Kezara paid for the construction of the dresses and Mrs. Drusen said she would have them sent to Blaise Manor, so we didn’t have to come back and collect them. Kezara led me around town and into several more shops, trying on jewelry, shoes, and other accessories. I had never known such luxury. While I was soaking up every moment of it, I had to swallow down the guilt that I felt when I wondered if Savine or Ambrelle would ever get a similar opportunity .
We ate our midday meal, stopped by a pastry shop to enjoy some sweets, and then continued shopping. Kezara hardly purchased anything for herself and kept buying things for me, no matter how much I protested.
“You deserve this, Mihrra," she said, as I tried to pull off a pair of tight, elbow-length, red gloves.
“Kezara, I don’t need all of this. I am your maid—when am I ever going to wear any of this again?”
“Don’t think like that, it ruins the fun.” Kezara was staring out the shop window.
“Are you looking for Milner?” I asked.
“Uh… no.” She turned back to me. “Why do you ask?”
“Because you seem distracted. Do you want to return home? I refuse to let you buy anything else for me.”
“No, we can’t go back yet. It’s not time.”
“Time for what?” My impatience manifested as a headache at the back of my skull.
Kezara gave me an apologetic grimace. “I decided I do want to meet—” She scanned the room to make sure no one was listening. “You know who. I want to hear him out.”
I nodded slowly. I couldn’t pretend to know how it felt to be in love and then have it ripped away, but I also couldn’t deny I was relatively disappointed in her decision. I shook it off and tried to offer a supportive smile.
“That makes more sense. You’re killing time.”
“Precisely, and I think we are close enough we could head to the tavern. ”
“I’m not getting these,” I said, holding my hands up and wiggling my fingers. I had only been able to get them halfway off and the flopping fabric made Kezara giggle.
“Of course not,” she said, helping me remove the gloves. She turned to the shopkeeper standing behind the counter in the corner. “We’ll take these in white. Please send them to the manor.”
I opened my mouth to object, but she cut me off, linking her arm through mine. “You’ll thank me later.”