Page 18 of Charmless

“Who is your seamstress?” Ardelia persisted.

“Um— Delphine.”

“I have never heard of anyone in Midtown by that name.”

“She lives in Misty Bottoms.”

“Misty Bottoms!” Ardelia’s lip curled in disgust. “You shop inthatpart of the kingdom?”

“I would go there for such a gown.” Her younger sister sighed. “Where exactly can we find this Delphine?”

“Yes, please tell us,” Lucy begged.

“Oh, no, no!” I said, fighting to conceal my alarm. “I would not advise you to seek out Delphine because... because she has been forced out of her dress designing business. The woman was too unpleasant to her customers. To be honest, she was a bit of a witch.”

Actually, Delphinewasa witch, possessing among other things the ability to transform herself into a black cat. I feared what she might do if any of these foolish ladies turned up on her doorstep, demanding gowns from her. I might find these Heights girls a trifle annoying, but I had no wish to see any of them cursed with boils or turned into toads.

“Truly, I was only jesting about this Delphine,” I lied. “I fashioned the gown myself.”

“Yousewyour own garments?” Ardelia said in same tone she might have accused me of picking my nose.

I was sure she had maids for that. The sewing, not the nose picking although perhaps she had a servant for that as well.

“Look, it has been really interesting meeting all of you, but I must be going.”

I tried to edge away, but Priscilla caught hold of both of my hands, protesting, “You still have not told us all the romantic details about you and the prince. Can you not give us one small hint about what you did to make him fall in love with you?”

The girls all leaned forward eagerly, even Ardelia, as though they expected me to impart some astonishing secret.

I pulled my hands away from Priscilla. “Truly, I don’t know how it happened. I danced with Prince Florian once and later I bumped into him in the royal garden. His Highness had obviously been—” I paused, realizing that I could hardly accuse the heir to the throne of snorting pixie dust.

“He had been freely enjoying the wine, so he got a little too amorous and I ran off and I lost my shoe.”

“Was it a magic shoe?” Lucy asked.

“No, I keep those locked away in my closet.”

Assuming that I was jesting, the girls burst into giggles again.

Ardelia frowned and admonished me. “Do be serious, Miss Upton.”

“I am! It was just an ordinary old dancing slipper I lost. But the prince was able to use one of those ugly aura cats to hunt me down and then he proposed.”

“How romantic.” Priscilla interrupted me with a sigh that was echoed by the other girls.

“No, it really wasn’t,” I said. “It was more embarrassing than anything else. If you want my advice, you all make a great mistake by trying so hard to pursue Prince Florian. He is rather like a hunting spaniel. He loves to be the one doing the chasing.”

“Do you think his brothers are the same?” Priscilla asked.

“Very likely.”

“Let me get this straight,” Ardelia said, knitting her brows. “When a prince approaches one of us, you are recommending that we just run away?”

“That’s right. Flee in the opposite direction as fast as you can.”

“But ladies are not permitted to run,” Lucy wailed. “I am not even sure I would know how.”

“It’s easy. Just pick up your feet like this.” Lifting the hem of my skirts, I tore off running from the square, leaving all the Heights girls gawking after me.