Across the Midnight Sea

Chapter 3: The Performance

Adira craned her head looking through the crowd in an attempt to find Xavier. He had gotten up several moments ago to find them both another drink and had not yet returned. 

"What is keeping him?" She wondered aloud and then her eyes locked on her mother, who also seemed to be searching the crowd for something or someone. 

Adira knew the second that Lady Warren's gaze landed on her that she was in trouble. Her mother narrowed her eyes and made her way through the milling people with a determined, albeit shortened, stride. One  hand was resting protectively over her swollen stomach while the other swished people out of the way with an unquestioned authority.

Adira's back straightened automatically.

"Where have you been hiding?" Lady Warren asked  scolding "I have been looking all over for you," her tone was on the edge of frantic. She seemed to be that way more often now. Her mother's anxiety levels had begun to rise the second she had found out that she was carrying Lord Warren's baby and they had only increased with the growing of her belly.

Adira opened her mouth to answer her mother and was cut off as Lady Warren plowed on.

 "Really Adira what are you doing sitting here all alone? This is a supposed to be a social event," her mother shook her head, an edge of disapproval seeping through.

"I was being social," Adira responded looking up at her mother.

 "Come now," Lady Warren said as she gently took her daughter's arm.  Her swollen belly made it hard to stoop down . Adira rose quickly so as not to cause her mother any extra stress.

"You are supposed to be mingling with our guests," her mother chided her tone softening as she  patted Adira's arm.

"But Mama-" 

"Ah-ah-ah," her mother cut her off and continued. "I made sure you had a perfect dress for your performance this evening and what did I find you doing? Hmmm? Hiding it away in a corner and letting it get wrinkled by sitting on it."

"I am afraid that is entirely my fault Lady Warren," said Xavier cutting across their path with formal bow. Adira had no idea where he had popped up from. In his hands were two flutes of champagne and he handed one to Adira calmly.

Adira's mother Xavier up and down and raised an eyebrow.

"I do not believe we have been formally introduced," said Lady Warren after a moments pause. Her tone made it quite clear that she did not appreciate Xavier intruding on a conversation between mother and daughter.

Adira flinched inwardly. She desperately wanted her mother to approve of Xavier and hated the idea that his attempt to smooth things out between them by taking Adira's might have ruined her mother's view of the only boy Adira had ever come close to liking.

Much to Adira's dismay, Her mother  believed her status as Lady Warren meant she could dismiss people who did not treat her with what she considered the proper level of respect. She had married someone who was practically royalty and therefore now considered herself royalty as well.

As much as Adira loved her mother, she hated that particular change more than anything else that had come along with marrying Lord Warren.

"Forgive me my lady," Xavier took the rebuff gracefully, and tipped his head forward in apology. When he raised his gaze back to her mother his eyes were steady making Adira wonder how many times he had been disregarded or rebuked socially that he could handle it with such decorum.

"Mother," said Adira trying to shift things. "May I present to you Xavier Kingsplain, Sebastian Kingsplain's cousin. We met at Lillia's birthday party when he joined Sebastian as a guest."