Any small sense of calm that Ellanor had been wielding like a shield was lost by the time the day of the ball came around. Tara had been gone day and night, sneaking around inside the walls of Redstone Castle trying to get a glimpse of what the Duchess might know or suspect – to no avail. Yvet had been busy with the preparations for the ball, and any time she was not running about the castle she was either eating or sleeping. Even Clados had been laying low, waiting on Yvet or going about regular servant chores.

"Either they are acting normal because they do not wish to risk whatever plan they have," Ellanor said, pacing the sitting room of her suite, "or we have simply been wrong in our suspicions this entire time, and Clados really found nothing in the Duke's study."

Jane hummed from the sofa where she sat, green wings casually folded behind her. "Both are possible options," she said, "although I hope for the latter."

"We should assume the former, and act accordingly," Lukas said from beside her. He was tense in all the ways she was not, back straight and slit eyes narrowed. Dark smudges had begun to form under his eyes, telling of the late hours he had been patrolling extra. Ellanor should order him to sleep, but she knew he would refuse.

"We are acting 'accordingly', Luke," Jane said, not bothering to hide the sharpness in her tone. "The ball is tonight – then we leave. Besides, even if the Duchess has somehow found out about the Duke's business, there is no evidence connecting our Madam to it."

"Our Madam is the evidence," Lukas muttered and rubbed at his eyes with a hand.

Jane scoffed. "That would be far-fetched, even for the Duchess." Yet she did not sound as certain as before.

Ellanor stopped her pacing and faced her two guards. "Jane is right," she said, and their attention snapped back to her at once. "But so are you, Lukas. We should prepare ourselves for the worst, but act for the best. We cannot say how much Yvet knows – and if she knows, what she plans to do with that knowledge – but we need to do our most to lower her suspicions. The ball is tonight, Duke Dalton will have returned by then, and there will be too many curious eyes around for Yvet to cause a scene."

Lukas shifted where he sat, brown wings tucking in tighter. "She might want a scene, Madam," he said softly. Ellanor nor Jane had an answer to this, and silence fell over the room. Ellanor slumped down onto the couch opposite her guards and covered her face with her hands.

"I should not have come," she whispered.

Jane leaned forward, her face softening. "You could not have predicted all this happening."

"And whatever happens next, it will not be your fault," Lukas added. "It is like Jane says: we should not get worked up over what the Duchess might or might not know."

Lowering her hands Ellanor smiled weakly at the avvir in front of her. "Thank you. Both of you."

Jane got to her feet, quickly followed by Lukas. In unison, they bowed. "It is our duty, Madam," Lukas said.

"And our pleasure."

Ellanor nodded and stood as well, smoothing out her skirts. "Well then, I suppose I have a ball to prepare for. Jane – you will be with me. Lukas, I want you to stay with Tara once I leave for the ball."

Confirming their orders, the two avvir exited the room to stand guard outside. A soft rustle from the bedroom announced the arrival of Tara; Ellanor's knees nearly buckled with relief when she found the handmaid unhurt standing by the armoire.

"You were gone all night again," Ellanor said by way of greeting. Tara stopped her work and turned. "Did you find anything new?"

"No, nothing," the handmaid said, frustration shining in her eyes. "Clados was fussing over the Duchess' evening dress all morning, together with a Casan seamstress, and Yvet herself has been soaking in a bath for hours."

Ellanor raised an eyebrow. "Oh, are you spying on our hostess in her bath now, are you?"

Tara threw her a dry look and pivoted back to face the armoire. "I saw her walk into her steaming bathing chambers, and then never saw her exit. There are no hidden doors to that room – I checked."

Ellanor snickered and plopped down on the bed. She watched as Tara pulled out a few dresses from the wardrobe, hanging them up on the room divider to properly display them. Stepping back they both study the selection.

"I am not sure," Ellanor drawled, rubbing her chin. "What do you think?"

Tara huffed and was just about to offer her opinion when the rap of a knock sounded from the door. Exchanging glances, Ellanor gestured for Tara to stay quiet, as she alone walked out into the sitting room and up to the doors.

"Who is it?" she asked before opening. Jane's voice answered.

"One of the castle servants with a delivery."

Grabbing the handle, Ellanor swung the door open. Indeed an avvir man stood in the corridor – framed by Jane and Lukas – a coffer in his arms. He bowed as far as he could without losing his balance over the box.

"A gift from Duchess Dalton," he said. "May I?"

Ellanor nodded, and stepped aside, trying her best to hide her surprise. "You can leave it here," she blurted out as the servant aimed for the bedroom. He obeyed without question, stretched another, proper bow, and then left. Jane stepped inside the room as the door closed to inspect the coffer. Ellanor would have called her overprotective had it not been for the unusual circumstances.

"What is it?" came Tara's voice from behind them. She threw an eye around before stepping out into the larger room.

Ellanor turned toward the coffer and knelt down to open the lid. A whiff of lavender rose up from inside, the lovely scent filling the room. She almost sighed out loud, pausing for a moment to appreciate the perfume.

With more steady hands, Ellanor removed the top layer of silky white paper, letting it rustle to the floor. What lay beneath made her breath catch in her throat.

The frown was almost audible in Jane's voice. "It's a dress?"