Testament (6 page)

A satisfied smirk curled on Richard’s lips. “Very nice, Miss O’Bryant. We welcome you to the competition.”

My stomach lurched at his words. I was officially going to have to participate in the pageant. “Thank you, sir,” I mumbled, before fleeing the room.

When I came out, I didn’t see Maggie. The line was still pretty long, so I eased down on the floor and watched as the other girls trickled in and out. Some didn’t come back into the rotunda. I wondered if there was a special door for those who didn’t pass the interviews.

After what seemed like an eternity, an advisor shushed us. “Thank you, ladies. We’ve now completed our interviews, and we’ll be moving you on to the guest quarters in just a moment.”

My eyes scanned around the girls in the rotunda, mentally counting them. After the initial interviews, only seventeen remained. The irony wasn’t lost on me that the number coincided with the numerologist’s pick of special seventeen.

Pity I hadn’t made the cut.

Since I knew the basic setup of the palace, I assumed we would be placed on the main floor to share some of the guest suites—the ones I usually did dream interpretations in. Instead, we were ushered in four separate groups up the gold-plated elevators to the tenth floor—a floor I’d never actually been on before.

Mrs. Munroe, Richard’s social secretary, led us down a long, red-carpeted corridor. We struggled to keep up with her pace, not to mention she talked a mile a minute. I don’t know how she wasn’t winded by the exertion.

“Now, you will each be given your own room. This evening you will have a fitting to dress you for the first segment of the pageant, which is tomorrow morning. A standard evening gown will be provided for everyone.”

Surprise resonated on several of the girls’ faces. When Mrs. Munroe spun around to face us, she noted the expressions. “We want Kellan to truly see you, not your dress. If,” she paused, “you advance to the next level, you will be able to choose your dress for the second part of the competition, which is tomorrow night.”

Her response seemed to sit well with some of the girls. I didn’t know if I completely agreed with her reasoning, but I knew there was no point in arguing. She continued on. “Each of you will have a half hour consultation this evening with a stylist. Then they, along with their assistants, will prepare your hair and makeup for the pageant.”

She gazed around at us. “Dinner will be served in the dining hall at six. Then you will have rehearsal from seven to eight.” She momentarily paused to draw in a breath. “Any questions?”

No one stepped forward. We were all too overwhelmed, or perhaps, too afraid to ask. “Good, let’s get you settled in your rooms.” She flipped open her notebook and began calling out girl’s names and corresponding suite numbers.

“Cadence O’Bryant.”

My head snapped up, and I rushed forward. Mrs. Munroe held the door of my suite open and handed me the key. Hesitantly, I stepped inside. “Wow,” I murmured, under my breath.

The room was an overdose of frothy peaches and cream. Everything from the curtains, to the bedspread, to the wallpaper, was done in either cream or peach. A four-poster queen-sized bed sat in the middle of the room. On the far wall was a couch and love seat. I ran my fingers over the fabric, musing how it put our ratty sofa at home to shame.

Thoughts of how mine and Griff’s house compared to the palace suite sent envy washing over me. I had once had a nice home and nice things, but all that had been taken away. Now the only way to get them back would be to win the pageant. I wrinkled my nose in disgust as that option sure as hell didn’t sit well with me.

In the bathroom, I found a nightgown, robe and slippers. Along the vanity were a rainbow assortment of different soaps, shampoos, and lotions. I brought one to my nose and inhaled. Vanilla filled my senses and brought me back to my childhood. My mother always wore vanilla-scented lotion or perfume. My father used to wink and muse, “She smells good enough to eat.”

A rap at the door brought me out of my thoughts. I put the lotion back and hurried to answer the door. I swung it open to find Maggie smiling at me. “Looks like we made it after all, huh?”

“Yeah, I’m thrilled beyond words,” I replied, with a grin.

Maggie grinned too. “Well, at least we know we weren’t one of ‘the toos’.”

“Exactly.”

“Come on, it’s time to go to our fitting.”

We joined the rest of the girls out in the hallway, and then followed Mrs. Munroe back down the corridor to the elevators. “Your fittings will be on the third floor, ladies. Once you have finished there, you should go to the dining hall on the main floor for dinner.”

The third floor was another new area for me, but at least I was familiar with the dining hall. After the elevator doors opened and we were corralled back together, Mrs. Munroe handed us over to three lesser secretaries. I once again got the feeling of being merely a piece of cattle when we were herded into a line to await our fittings.

I turned to Maggie who was leaned against the wall examining her nails. “So, I haven’t seen you around before. Do you not work at the palace?” I asked.

She shook her head. “No, since my father is a doctor, I have a job at the hospital.”

“Hmm, sounds interesting.”

“Oh, trust me, it’s not. I’m basically an errand girl, or if there’s something disgusting like a bed pan to empty or a puke pile to clean up, I get the honor.”

“Ew, that’s terrible!”

Maggie grinned. “Yeah, it sucks, but I guess everyone’s job sucks nowadays.”

I nodded. “Well, I mean, mine doesn’t suck that bad, but it’s really hard on my brother.”

“Griff’s talents are certainly wasted on the fields,” Maggie replied.

“Um, with you working at the hospital, how is it you know my brother?”

I could’ve sworn that Maggie’s face reddened a bit. “He came in the hospital with a friend who had been injured in a tractor accident. I guess we kind of struck up a conversation—I had once thought of becoming a nurse or doing something in the medical field.” She surveyed my expression, and then said, “I’m really trying to pull some strings to get him a job in the hospital.”

“Really? That would be wonderful. I can’t imagine anything that would make Griff happier.” Of course, I refrained from telling her that if the Abir were successful in their rebellion, Griff wouldn’t need her help.

She smiled. “I know. He’s so excited by the prospect. At first, I didn’t want to say anything to him about it, you know, in case it didn’t happen, but then I couldn’t help it.”

Suddenly it hit me. Without thinking, I blurted, “Wait a minute, are you and Griff, like dating or something?”

Maggie’s eyes widened, and she hissed, “Um, you should probably not make that known to everyone here.”

“Oh, sorry.” I hadn’t even thought that some of the girls here might actually have boyfriends. I didn’t think that Richard really cared about that fact at all.

“So,” I said, lowering my voice, “are you worried about the pageant? You know, like what would happen with you and Griff if you were chosen?”

Before she could answer, one of Mrs. Munroe’s secretaries called my name. Reluctantly, I followed her to the fitting room. She flung open the door without another word. Micah’s mother, Naomi, stood in the middle of the room, a tape measure around her neck. “Hello Cadence,” she said.

“Hi,” I murmured, ducking my head under her intense stare.

Naomi stepped forward, bringing the tape measure around my bust. I fought the urge to jump back since she was invading my personal space. She jotted down the measurement before moving on to my waist and hips. Tension hung heavy between us as I could tell she was holding back from saying something to me. The corners of her mouth wavered back and forth. I wondered if she knew Micah was in the Abir and what he has asked of me.

She wrapped the tape measure around her neck and then went over to the dress rack. She flicked through the dresses until she picked out one for me. “This one should work just fine without alterations.”

I eyed the rich, ruby colored fabric. “Odd color choice. I mean, red isn’t very demure.”

“It’s Kellan’s favorite.”

“And it’s going to look terrible with my hair.”

Naomi shook her head. “You would look beautiful wearing a burlap sack, Cadence.”

I laughed nervously. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” She walked me to the door. When I started out of it, she jerked me back inside. “Cadence, I shouldn’t say anything. But, I’ll regret it every day if I don’t. I know how much my son loves you. Micah isn’t great at saying how he feels. He is like his father in that respect. We would have never gone out had I not had the courage to ask him.”

I shifted my gaze to the floor. “Uh, he, um, he did tell me how he felt the night before I left.”

“And?”

If I could have died of embarrassment, this would have been the moment. Being forced to discuss your romantic feelings with the boy’s mother you were emotionally confused about was mortifying.

Naomi must have sensed it because she reached out and patted my shoulder. “I’m sorry, Cadence. I shouldn’t have brought it up. I know you must be overwhelmed right now.”

“It’s okay.”

She opened the door for me. “Good luck.”

Before I walked outside, I turned back to her. “I-I do like Micah. How could I not as sweet, funny, and caring as he is? I hope…we can build on that.”

Naomi nodded. “I’m glad to hear that. I hope you can, too. I would like you to be a part of my family, Cadence.”

Heat rose in my cheeks, and I didn’t know what to say. I just mumbled a goodbye and headed out the door. I was so ready to be away from Naomi and her questions that I skidded out into the hallway and ran smack into one of the secretaries. Her clipboard clattered to the floor.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” I mumbled, bending over to pick up the clipboard.

She gave me a disapproving look before snatching it out of my hands. “You need to report to the dining hall.”

I nodded. When I got downstairs, several of the other girls were already eating. I grimaced when I saw my boss, Mrs. Sullivan, was the one handing out dinner. The sour expression on her face showed me how displeased she was to serving, rather than bossing people around. “Hello Cadence,” she said.

“Oh, hello.”

She raised her eyebrows as she slid me a tray. “I assume it must be surreal to be on the other side of the serving table?”

I gripped the tray fighting the urge to truly mouth off to her. But, I knew that I would be returning to my old life just as soon as this pageant nonsense was over, and Mrs. Sullivan would still be my boss. “Yes, it is a very interesting experience. But, I’m sure the fairy tale will soon be over, and I’ll be returning to the real world soon enough.”

“Oh, do you think so little of yourself that you feel you wouldn’t be a viable candidate for Kellan?”

I bit the inside of my lip. “No ma’am, I’m just amazed by all the wonderful young ladies who come from our province.” Without waiting for her response, I snatched up my tray and flounced off. As I soon as I got to the tables, I skidded to a stop. Most of the girls were spread out among the tables and were eating alone. Only two or three of them sat together.

Easing down in a chair, I wished for Maggie to be through with her fitting. Not only did I want to press her for more information about her and Griff, but I really wished for a dinner companion since I hated sitting alone. As I gobbled down the rich food, I’m sure I gave some of those around me the impression I had little table manners. But I was more concerned with how delicious everything tasted and how wonderfully full my expanding stomach felt than making a good impression. I was still chewing when I went to dump my tray. I met Maggie coming in the dining hall as I was leaving.

“Oh, you’re finished?” she asked, with a disappointed expression.

I nodded. “Sorry we couldn’t eat together. I’ve got to go meet with my stylist now.”

“Have fun with that one. I hear most of the stylists are extreme bitches.”

Rolling my eyes, I said, “Fabulous. Can’t wait.”

I made my way back to the third floor. I met the same secretary I’d crashed into before, and she led me to a room to wait.

After what seemed like forever, my stylist flounced in the room, reeking of cigarettes and pungent coffee. Another sniff, and I got the impression the coffee tried to mask a few stiff drinks she’d had too early in the day. She took one look at me and groaned. “They would give me a redhead at the end of the day.”

I cocked my eyebrows at her. “Nice meeting you, too.”

A smirk curled on her lips. “Ah, one with an attitude to match her hair. That’s a nice change from some of the simpering prima donnas I’ve seen already.” She thrust out her hand. “I’m Laurel.”

“Cadence.”

Laurel spun me around in the chair to better give me the once over. “Hmm, not bad. Not bad at all. I can work with you.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, I guess it’s good I’m not a total mess. I wouldn’t want you to have to break a sweat trying to make me presentable.”

Laurel’s dark eyebrows shot up into her forehead. “Well, well, looks like someone is going to give Kellan a run for his money.”