Caroline's new obsession was Delaney. After being around Ruby and Jade, growing comfortable with her hatred toward the latter, she was ready to add another entity to focus her attention on.

Delaney differed greatly from Aliya. From the moment they were first introduced, something was different about this new Belle. The first time they met, Delaney just stared at her from head to foot. The hair at the back of her neck stood and for a second she was afraid the young woman knew her secrets. On their second meeting, it was for tea with the other Belles in Coulway and for two hours, Delaney never spared her a glance. By the third time she was around the woman, she was certain she had found a new target.

For one, she looked nothing like Aliya, who had auburn hair and brown eyes. Delaney had black hair and grey eyes. And she was fierce. It was not in the way she acted, but more on the way she treated everything around her, including the other Belles who mostly assumed Delaney was that way because she was from the Court of Arms.

"She is the third lady in Belcourt to be recourted," said Ruby one afternoon while they were having a leisurely walk to the Tea House in the Village. They had just received the news that their new Mistress shall officially assume her role in a fortnight, and that it was Sasha. Jade went home right after the gathering. Ruby invited Caroline to the Tea House, and she took the opportunity to nonchalantly commented that she was not comfortable around Delaney. "The first was a woman fifty or so years ago. I believe she was the only recourted lady who desired to be recourted." Caroline just nodded. "Sasha was the second one. A big surprise that was."

"She was from the Court of Libraries."

"Yes," Ruby said. "It was clear from the start that Sasha did not want to be in the Court of Flowers. She the Fainting Belle because she fainted when the news was given to her. We knew she preferred being tucked away in the Library for some reason Librarians enjoy being in that court."

"But now she will be our Mistress."

Ruby nodded, her face hard. "Her circumstances, I believe, made her who she is today. She is no longer the Fainting Belle, of course. She's far from that."

"And Delaney is the third one to be recourted?"

"Yes. And perhaps, just like Sasha was, she is not proud to be a Belle. You cannot imagine how many women desire to be a Soldier. To be pulled out of the Palace differs from being recourted somewhere else. It can be construed as shameful, even. It means you are not worthy to serve the High Priestess and the Maidens. And for Delaney, who practically grew up in Belcourt, to be a Soldier is an honor. Perhaps she is only adjusting to this new role. Let us give her some time. I am certain she will appreciate being a Belle once she learns more about our true purpose."

Caroline knew that Delaney came to Belcourt at such a young age. Fatima and the others were kind enough to tell her that.

"Everyone thinks Lady Mariam had something to do with it. With her recourting. But, of course, it is obvious. The woman did everything she could to take Delaney into her court."

"I wonder why she did it?"

"It was not wrong that she did it. It was not against the law to plead with the High Court for additional Belles. Or servants. Or Librarians." Ruby laughed. "But then there is the rumor that she was influenced to do it."

"Do you believe the rumor?"

Ruby shrugged. "It has always been known to many Belles that the Mistress was keeping a secret lover. It was unfortunate that the most righteous Belle found out about it."

"Sasha."

"Yes."

"Then she must have done it so she can be Mistress."

"Perhaps. But she did what was right—ambitious or not. She did what every Belle ought to have done."

Caroline let the silence linger until they reached the Tea House. There were already several ladies inside, all wearing different cloaks. They took the first empty table and waited for their tea.

"Most laundry girls come here," said Ruby. "During this time, I mean. That is why it is a little crowded."

Caroline looked around. Women in black cloaks were indeed dominating the place, chatting and laughing together over tea.

"It is not always this noisy," Ruby explained. "It is just that the ladies assigned in the Palace do not always have the time to go out. Most of them get the day off every Wednesday. So they gather here with the laundry girls, among others."

Caroline blinked. "They do not go home to the Village every day?"

"Who? The Palace servants?" Ruby asked. "No, of course not. They are serving the Palace. It is more exhausting than serving Belles, I heard. They have seven Maidens to take care of. Then there are the Elected children to look after. And the Soldiers."

"The Elected?"

"The chosen ones," Ruby said, rolling her eyes. "Trained to replace the Maidens or the High Priestess herself."

Caroline just nodded, biting her lips as an exciting idea came to her.

⠒♣◆♣⠒

When she arrived in her villa that evening, Caroline gathered the ladies together, her eyes wide with excitement.

"I want to get into the Palace."

Carrie was the first to scowl. "Are you mad? No! Unless they summon you, you cannot just get in."

"I think I found a way."

Shay shook her head. So did Fatima. "You'll be facing harsh punishment if they find you out."

"No, I will not be, because I will not enter as a Belle."

"Then how will you enter? As a fly?" Carrie asked. "That is the only way you can enter unnoticed, but allow me to remind you that the palace may have a servant specifically assigned to kill flies so you may still be at risk."

She ignored Carrie and smiled at Fatima. "I'll come in as one of the servants. I'll be dressed as such. And the best day would be Wednesday."

"You cannot be serious—"

"I will borrow your clothes and your cloak."

"You mean we will be accomplices?" Carrie asked.

"I am afraid we already are," Fatima told Carrie.

Carrie's eyes went to Caroline. "Why would you want to get into the Palace, milady?"

"To find out who the High Priestess is."

The three ladies gawked at her. "No."

"Very well, you can all just pretend that you did not notice one of your clothes missing. Deny ever knowing about my plan when I get caught."

"She is crazy!" Carrie said to Fatima, pointing at Caroline. "This scheme is crazier than when we hid your pregnancy!"

Caroline just smiled at her maids. "Well, you can all talk about this and decide if you shall help me. For now, I have somewhere else to go."

"Where?"

"My fiancé, of course."

"Do you want me to drive you to his estate?" Carrie asked.

"No," she said, taking off her red cloak to replace it with a brown one she procured in a fair last week. "I want you to stay outside Jade's villa."

Carrie groaned. "Ah, the crazy one."

Caroline smiled at the three ladies. "Well, ladies, I hope you think about my proposal. If you have some details for my plan, perhaps the exact location of the High Priestess, I will be happy to listen."

Carrie stood up and grumbled under her breath as Caroline exited the kitchen.

⠒♣◆♣⠒

"Now, I am not trying to judge your ability to think, Carol, but I do not understand why you would reveal everything to your maids!" Trent hissed an hour later.

"Because they will not trust me otherwise. These women have been in Belcourt for years, Trent. It took a tragedy for them to rely to each other. They trusted Aliya because she kept their secret. They continue to serve her. Because of them, Delaney has been recourted. And that is what Aliya always wanted, yes? For her sister to be in the Court of Flowers so she has a chance to pay her dowry."

Trent's jaw tightened. "St. Vincent's wife, Carol, is still being tested. For the Royal Master and Darcy, she cannot be fully trusted yet. She is acting all on her own."

"And because of that, the Circus gains something by cooperating with her. Do not deny it. The Circus must have had a part in making Lady Mariam practically beg for Delaney's transfer." She walked to the window to look out into the street. It was clear and safe. She considered telling Trent about her plans to enter the Palace, but she decided to put that aside for now. It was not a good plan and he would not like it. She had to come up with something that even he would find hard to contradict. She turned to him again, leaning against the window frame. "Now, I knew you would be disappointed, but I still told you because I trust you."

"You are acting as if you are doing this in behalf of the Circus."

She blinked at him, her face straight. "Pardon, did I heard you correctly?" She let out a mocking gasp. "But I am being used by the Circus, am I not?"

"The Circus does not—"

"Oh, boo-hoo, I know the Circus is quite happy to know that I am inside Belcourt. I only told my maids what they already know, Trent. And I told them I am part of the Circus, which is a lie, yes? Because I am not."

"But I am."

"We are not married. The Circus would not precisely consider me as somewhat connected to them." She saw his jaw tighten, and she blinked away. "All they care about is that Fatima's son is safe. And that Aliya is safe. They hang on to the hope that they will reunite with their old mistress by helping her attain her goals. Having me as an additional comrade is helpful to them. They will gain nothing if they rat me out. I am not part of the Circus. I can just always tell Belcourt this was my plan all along. I was trying to find their rat, so I pretended to be a Royal."

When she searched for him again, he was still standing in the middle of the room, hands on his hips, shoulders sagging with resignation.

"By the by, I do not trust Delaney."

"Why?"

"She seems a little different."

He shrugged. "I barely had any interaction with her since she was recourted. She has a villa nearby, I hear."

"Yes, precisely."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Carol, do not tell me you have been spying—"

"She is my current obsession. I told you—she is a little off."

"Fine. How can you say she is little off?"

"For one, she has been spying on her own sister who looks nothing like her."

He stiffened. "She is?"

She nodded. "I followed her carriage twice. She went wherever her sister was, but never approached the woman." She pushed away from the window. "And also, she has been following Oliver St. Vincent at least twice now."

"Bloody tarnation—"

"Inform the Circus."

He nodded. Then he turned to check the clock. "Are you going somewhere?" she asked.

"Yes."

She cleared her throat. "Where?"

He turned and pretended to fix his cravat. She knew he was pretending, and she knew he was uncomfortable.

"You can just speak her name, you know. It will not change the fact that I desire to kill her."

"I promised to have dinner with her."

"This is rather late for dinner."

He cleared his throat. Then he turned to face her. His eyes locked hers. "Carol, I am doing the best I can."

"Of course, you are. The Circus expects you to gain something from your Belle—whatever it may be. But to be honest, Trent—and you have to agree—she is rather useless. I have gained more in a few months than you and you have been her flower how long?"

He just shook his head. "You know she is not my mission."

"It is Aaron Stanway, I know. He is not even in Coulway, is he? I heard he has not yet returned since the party in Islefield." Which means you MAY not have to see your Belle tonight, she wanted to add, but that would be stupid. His relationship with Jade was important for his fruitless mission.

Then, as if he read her thoughts, he said, "I do not touch her."

She scoffed. "You lie. You have to at least kiss her."

He sighed. "She kisses me."

"You have to kiss back, you dimwit, lest she will suspect something is amiss. I wager she already does."

A long, heavy silence hang in the air between them. "I hate kissing her," he admitted. "I hate it when I feel her hands on me. Makes the hair on my arms stand and she reads it as desire."

If she was not ridden with an odd feeling of resentment, Caroline would have just laughed at him. But she could not because she did not know what to tell him.

"You can just... I don't know... turn off the lights," she weakly suggested with a shrug.

He blinked, then scoffed. She watched him shrug into his coat.

Her feet were about to take a step back so she could climb back out of the window, but she made a move toward him instead.

Without a word, she cupped his face and rose to her toes to plant a kiss on his mouth.

She no longer considered such a spontaneous act to be a mistake. They had gone beyond that stage. His arms wrapped around her and hers around his neck, deepening the kiss.

It was no question either that she was hungry for more. Her body had no shame as it pressed closer and slid against his length, knowing this kiss was all she would have.

And that was indeed what Trent was only willing to give her.

He pulled her away from him, a stupid grin on his face.

She matched it with a confident smile despite the fury building inside her. "You said I can kiss you."

"I know," he said, voice deep and calm. He moistened his lips with his tongue and she almost jumped to kiss him again. The desire to do so was so strong, tingling the tips of her fingers, feeding her rage even more because he seemed so calm. She swallowed with a frown. The control he had was impeccable. Perhaps he could pull away from her because he could get something similar somewhere within an hour.

Dinner my arse, she thought, erasing the frown from her face to smile at him and say, "I hope your imagination takes you far this time."

"Why, thank you, Carol. I truly appreciate you reminding me of my special weapon."

No, she changed her mind. He may only appear and sound calm, but his eyes told her he wanted to strip her of her dress and take her to bed where he would have his way with her. Just one look and her mind was taking her to places, giving her body liberty to demand its need to feel flesh; and hot breath; to be consumed.

The bed was just a few paces away, and she had never been so strongly aware of it until now.

Perhaps it was time to beg now. She considered for a while.

She turned around to walk to the window. "Is there a chance she will taste me in your mouth?" she asked with a laugh instead.

"You are bloody insane."

"Ah, perhaps her mouth will focus on something else tonight."

"Something, eh?" The tone in his voice brought back the image of the bed and damp skin. And laces. And locks of hair between her fingers.

She cleared her throat. "Yes. Her spoon," she said, giving him a wink over her shoulder. "You are having dinner, yes?"

He just scoffed at her in disbelief. "You are unbelievable." His hair looked perfect. That whore would run her fingers through them later, she was certain of it.

"I bid you good luck, Trent," she said as she climbed over the windowsill. He walked over and helped her down the ladder, and she almost slapped his hand away. But she had to pretend that she was okay. He did not have to know she was nearly in tears.

She had to use a ladder and enter his room through a window to see him. And she could only get to kiss him. And she barely even spent an hour with him. Then she would have to walk home.

And yet that whore would be having dinner with him, and God knows how long it would take. And then perhaps also run her hands through his hair. And chest. And maybe elsewhere. Indeed, their dinner could be very eventful.

Suddenly, Robert's voice saying, "The longest was six," echoed at the back of her mind with a mocking tone.

"Be careful," he said through the window as she climbed down.

She did not look up because her eyes were already filling with tears. One blink and she would be crying.

Jumping to the ground, she pulled the hood of her cloak up and blinked. The tears dropped straight to the ground. She pressed her back against the wall.

"What are you doing?" Trent asked from the window.

Caroline ground her teeth. "Waiting!" she hissed, blinking hard to be rid of the rest of her tears, but there seemed to be a decent amount left. She could not look up yet, so he could hear her.

"What?"

"I have to make sure no one is about!" she hissed without looking up.

"What?"

"Just go!" she said, voice loud enough for him.

"Do not forget the ladder," he said.

Do not forget the ladder.

He sounded like when they were children after taking their toys to the garden. He always reminded her to bring back her dolls to the playroom while he carried the dollhouse.

She turned her head and glared at the ladder. "I hate you," she gritted out. Grabbing the wooden ladder, she dragged it back to the garden gates where she found them earlier. With as much force as she could muster, she pushed the ladder against the brick walls.

When she circled back to the front, she found Trent's carriage driving away to the direction of Jade's villa.

Stiffly, she turned and retraced her steps back to her own place.

She cried all the way until Carrie found her later and noticed her tears.

"Are you crying, milady? I saw your fiancé outside Jade's villa that's why I decided it was time to go. Did you fight?"

"No."

"No, you are not crying or no, you did not fight?"

"Both."

"But you have tears in your eyes."

She sighed. "We did not fight."

"But you are crying."

"Yes."

"So you must be... sad?"

"No."

"Then you are jealous. He is with Jade, after all."

She relaxed her hands after realizing had balled them into fists. Then she let out a long sigh. "Yes, I am," she said. "Dangerously so," she added.