To Cast a Dark Shadow

Chapter 5: An Unexpected Caller

Trinna's voice, a strained whisper, scraped against my ear. "Just a touch tighter, my lady." The corset squeezed my lungs, a familiar sensation that left me gasping, no matter how many times I endured it.

Behind me, the soft hiss of her breath mingled with the groan of the laces being drawn. Her bony knee dug into my back as she used it for leverage. I could envision the flush creeping up Trinna's neck, mirroring the dull ache blooming in my own stomach. Could a corset actually crush your organs? The morbid question, not a new one, flickered in my mind. If it could I hoped my parents would have the presence of mind to create a more exciting means of death for me when people asked.

Trinna, with a sigh that spoke volumes, finally released me, dabbing her brow with her sleeve. "There. As perfect as I can manage, my lady," she announced, a hint of disappointment lingering in her voice.

As if my day hadn't been long enough, I was now being shipped off to the theater with our neighbors, the Dorants, when all I wanted to do was to crawl into bed and sleep for the next three years and embrace the nightmares that I knew would haunt my sleep about tomorrow.

"Is Father back yet?" I asked, deflecting Trinna's ministrations as she fussed over a stray curl.

"If he is he's holed up somewhere, still fretting about that meeting."

He had left early this morning, before I was awake and out in the yard, without a word of where he was going.

"Don't you even think about undoing all my hard work before Lady Dorant and that pretty little daughter of hers arrives," Trinna teased, slapping at my hand as I unconsciously tugged at the waist of the dress, a playful lilt in her voice despite the worry flickering in her eyes.

I couldn't resist rolling my eyes, a smile pulling at my lips. I leaned in and planted a quick kiss on her still-flushed cheek before darting off.

The labyrinthine manor held its usual secrets as I navigated the halls, past the parlor, private chambers, the soft glow emitting from my favorite room, the library, before finally stumbling upon the heart of the house: the kitchen. Inside my mother perched on the counter, legs spread with her gown tucked between them into makeshift trousers. Her feet swung freely, bare heels clicking a tune on the cabinets beneath them as she licked a spoon clean, then handed it back to Dinah with a nod of approval. Dinah let out a grunt and turned back to the pot she was laboring over.

"Has Father arrived yet?" I panted, tugging at the constricting waist of my dress.

Mother plastered on a bright, artificial smile. "Just settled in. He'll be down for dinner before you leave for the theater. He's just feeling a bit tired."

A groan escaped my lips. "I can't believe you're making me do this tonight."

Her sympathetic gaze softened the blow. "It'll be a distraction. You've looked like you might topple over all day from nausea of thinking about tomorrow. And you do like to spend time with Giselle. I thought you girls might want a night out together while you're still able."

The nausea rolled over again when she said that. Giselle Dorant, Lisette, and I were the only young girls of noble status in our section of Pembrose District. Because of this, we had been thrown together often growing up and even though the three of us were all very different people, we had formed a kinship through the shared struggle.

"True," I conceded, my energy to fight this battle waning.

Mother squeezed my shoulder. "I know it's rough, sweetheart. Tomorrow, you can rest." Her attention shifted to my neckline, a critical glint in her eye. "Is that new?"