Page 7 of A Rose Among Snakes (Gardens of Ruin and Revival)

Chapter Six

I t had been two minutes. Two.

She could have gone anywhere in that time, though. Maybe Velian did recognize me and had been willing to overlook my brother’s trouble, but there was no way he would forgive me for letting Kezara out of my sight. My first day and I was already going to be sent home, which meant all of the strife with my mother had been for nothing. I’d let my family down once again.

I shook my head, pulling myself out of my spiral of self-pity. I could fix this. I just had to find Kezara. Walking over to the table they had been seated at, I examined the half-eaten food and teacups still filled to the brim. The surrounding chairs were pushed aside in a way that suggested a path had been forged through them, and it drew my eye to the line of cypress trees. There, hidden amidst the tangled branches, was an iron gate. The latch was out of place and I gave it a shove, rusty metal creaking as the gate opened up to the busy street outside.

I jumped through the gap between the trees and almost crashed into a woman with an armful of woven baskets. She yelped and stepped back, preventing the collision. I mumbled a half-hearted apology, but my eyes were scanning the crowded thoroughfare for Kezara. I walked down the path, my head swiveling from side to side.

“Ms. Blaise!” I called. No response. “Kezara!”

A man in bedraggled clothing sat on the ground nearby, and as I walked past, his hand shot out reaching for my ankle. I kicked out of his grip as he howled wildly, my heart pounding in my chest. A vein bulged in his forehead as his crazed laughter stole the breath from his lungs.

Ziffem.

Disgust roiled through me, and I had to resist the urge to kick dirt at him for scaring me. Instead, I turned away and continued my search, calling out Kezara’s name a second time. My breath caught as I spied a white feather poking above the heads of the marketplace. I pushed my way through until I found a break in the crowd, seeing a merchant selling colorful scarves from a stall. Beside it, the man dressed in all white draped a magenta scarf over the head of a petite woman. His guard waited by his side—every line of his body taut and ready to defend against any possibility.

My racing pulse began to soothe when I saw brown curls sticking out of the sides of the scarf. I’d found her. As I approached, Kezara’s friend leaned in and kissed her, placing his hands on her waist and pulling her body against his.

So, they were more than friends. And I was failing my chaperoning duties. Perfect.

“Kezara! ”

Her friend broke the kiss and darted a glance in my direction. He whispered something in her ear, planted one more kiss on her lips, and then disappeared into the masses with his guard.

I picked up a handful of my layered gray skirts and marched over to her. My relief at finding her faded as my blood began to heat. I would not let this girl make a fool out of me. Kezara did not move from where the man left her next to the stall, but she jumped as I placed a hand on her shoulder. She wheeled to face me with wide eyes, but her cheeks were flushed and she held a finger to her lips as if she was trying to hold onto the remnants of his kiss.

“Oh, Mihrra, it’s you.” She moved her hand from her lips to pull the scarf from her hair.

“What happened? I thought you’d been abducted.” Ire laced my tone, and I inhaled through my nose, letting the cool air dampen the embers smoldering inside me.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to alarm you. I wasn’t thinking straight.” Kezara’s hazel eyes widened again and she gripped my hands. “You can’t tell anyone what you saw or heard. Especially Velian. He can’t know yet. Please.”

I stared back at her. Something in her expression softened me, and I bit my lip. Keeping her secret was likely the best way for me to keep my job. And I needed this job to get answers about my father.

“Alright,” I said, “I won’t say anything to anyone.”

Kezara visibly relaxed, her shoulders dropping as she released my hands .

My curiosity was piqued, however, and I decided to take a gamble. “I won’t say a word if you tell me who he was.”

Kezara stepped back and frowned, but a sparkle lit her eyes. “Crafty, Mihrra.” She crossed her arms and lifted her chin. “I can appreciate a bit of blackmail, but I can’t tell you. My lips are sealed.”

“Hmm… they weren’t a minute ago.” The words were out before I could stop them.

Kezara’s jaw dropped, and I held my breath, afraid I had gone too far.

Her burst of laughter broke the tension, drawing the attention of passersby. “I like you, Mihrra. I think this is going to work out just fine between us.” She linked her arm through mine and led us back toward the tavern where Milner and the carriage were waiting. “In fact, I think we are on our way to becoming friends.”

I had no idea what to say back. The informality of the Blaise siblings was not what I had expected. I had imagined such a prominent family would barely notice the hired help, and I would be able to keep my head down and get my work done. Never would I have envisioned the lady I served wanting to build an actual friendship. Perhaps that would be to my benefit, though.

Milner saw our approach and he had the brougham door open for us. This time, Kezara accepted his assistance into the carriage, smiling as she took his hand. We rode home mostly in silence while Kezara stared dreamily out the window. Studying her now, my opinion of her began shifting. She wasn’t an impetuous child; she was a young woman apparently in love, and love made you do crazy things. Or so I’d heard since I’d never been in love myself. There was no time for romance when you were the only one holding your family together.

As if reading my mind, Kezara broke the silence by saying, “I really love him, you know. This is not some immature infatuation. He wants to marry me. There are just a few…” she paused, searching for the word, “obstacles to overcome first. Can you imagine, though? Me, a–” she broke off mid-sentence. The dreamy look slipped from her face as her eyes darted to me, then back out the window, “-a bride. I can’t imagine myself as a bride.”

My brow furrowed at her strange behavior, but I said, “You will be a stunning bride.”

Kezara beamed, but continued staring out the window until the carriage came to a halt in front of the manor. Expression sobering, she grabbed my hand, “Remember, not a word, please.”

I mimed locking my mouth and tossing away the key.

She squeezed my hand, then climbed out of the carriage as the door opened. I followed behind her, but she paused with her hand on the iron handle of the front door.

“Have you had a chance to settle in yet?” she asked.

“No, I have not.”

She ducked her chin, a pink tinge creeping into her cheeks. “I apologize for whisking you away like that, then. Let me show you to your room.” She opened the front door and led me down the broad hallway, past the closed doors of Velian’s study, until we reached a quaint sitting room boasting vaulted ceilings and enormous windows. A glass door revealed a covered patio featuring an iron furniture set. Across from the sitting room was a narrow hallway, which Kezara turned down and stopped in front of the second door on the left. She knocked twice, waited for an answer, then turned the knob.

The room was small but pleasant. Each side was a mirror image of the other; a bed with a wooden nightstand and matching armoire. A single window sat between the nightstands, letting in a stream of sunlight. My bags sat beside the bed on the right, waiting for me to unpack them.

“Here we are,” Kezara said. “This is where my former maid slept, so I’m sure it’s where you’re meant to, as well. Go ahead and get settled in, and then would you please come help me get ready for supper?”

“Of course. Thank you, Kezara.”

“Great, see you soon.” She smiled and walked out, closing the door behind her. I sat on the edge of my bed and flopped backward expecting the crunchy support of a straw mattress, but I sank in, cocooned by a fluffy cushion of feathers. How wealthy were the Blaises that even their servants slept in luxury? I marveled at the comfort of it, wondering how it was possible I was in this position. Taz would be incredibly jealous.

Groaning with reluctance, I made myself sit up. I got to work unpacking my bags, placing my blouses and skirts in the armoire. I reached for the compact, wooden box holding the meager amount of jewelry I owned. I opened it and picked up the gold ring that had belonged to my father. The last memory I had of him washed over me as I turned it in my fingers .

The sun had barely risen, hiding behind dark, angry clouds. I met my father in front of our home, opening the door he had just closed while trying to leave without waking us. He cupped my face in his immense, calloused hands.

“Help your mother and look after your brothers and sisters.” He kissed my forehead, then reached into his pocket. He grabbed my hand, turned my palm over, and placed the ring there, closing my fingers around it. “Hold onto this for me, will you?”

The abnormally tense set of his jaw and tightness around his eyes unsettled me, but I nodded. He pulled me into a firm hug, told me he loved me, and then mounted his horse. Fat raindrops trickled from the sky as he rode away, his cloak flapping in the wind.

My chest ached with the memory, and I ran my finger over the ruby in the center of the gold band. Engraved on either side of the gem were two snakes, each with their bodies curling around it, mouths open as if trying to devour the ruby. I held it up to my lips, kissing it, then pulled a delicate, silver chain from the box. After looping it through the ring, I fastened it behind my neck, tucking it under the neckline of my dress.

I moved to the small mirror hung on the same wall as the door, and studied the freckles blooming across my nose, made more prominent by the sun. Beneath them, my skin was turning a faint pink, further evidence of my exposure. I frowned, the expression deepening as I looked at the dark eyebrows I’d always felt were too strong for the rest of my features, especially compared to the delicate azure color of my irises. A few wild strands of hair had pulled loose from my braid, and after weaving it back into submission, I left my new room to find Kezara, hoping no one would notice the burn developing on my face.