Riyah watched the ladies go. She wondered if the dull ache would ever go away. Each time she was reminded of her curse she longed for the day it would be lifted. But for now, it proved useful. It allowed her to be something more than what she really was.

Riyah turned away from the ballroom. From what Mary had revealed to her it looked like Derek Hughes enjoyed sleeping with already pregnant women and with the help of his father he shipped a poor maid to Midland to keep it hidden. Riyah briefly wondered who was requesting this information and what were they going to do with the information. It didn’t much matter to her though. It’s not like the secret plans and hidden motivations of nobles affected her. Despite her birthright, she was not one of them. She might as well go home. She got what she came for.

Riyah headed toward the entrance intending to track down the carriage driver. If she left now she might be able to make it back before Snowy turned in. She could convince him and Dione to play a few games of cards over a cup of tea. Well tea for her. Snowy and Dione would probably prefer ale. Just as Riyah was deciding on what game they would play she spied someone ducking down a darkened hallway. It was a man. It clearly wasn’t Calloway. Calloway sported a distinguished mustache and an air of refinement while this man was bare faced. She couldn’t tell with him disappearing into the dark but he looked quite a few years younger too. Riyah bit her bottom lip. She hated the dark but clearly, a man stalking the halls of a mansion that did not belong to him was suspicious, meaning there could be another secret for her and the guild could sell.

Riyah looked around to see if anyone was watching her. To no surprise, there weren’t. She took a deep breath and followed the man down the hallway. She kept close to the wall and several lengths behind. She could barely see the man through the shadowy darkness. Where was he going? At the end of the hall, the man started up a narrow staircase likely used by the servants. Riyah waited at the bottom of the stairs until she was sure he was on the next floor. She walked up slowly, silently cursing at every creak the steps made. At the top, she poked her head out of the alcove. There were three directions the man could have gone. He could have gone left, right, or straight ahead. He heard low voices from the right. The other directions were covered in darkness but there was a subtle candlelight at the end of the hall to the right.

“I have a gift for the child,” a voice said.

“I am sorry my lord. This is very improper,” another voice said. It was clearly a butler speaking to the man she was following.

“Then call the nursemaid,” the man said, annoyed, “I will leave the gift with her.”

The butler sighed, “Please wait in this room then. I will fetch her.” There was a sound of a door opening and closing, and then the glow of the candle came closer. Riyah pulled back into the alcove of the stairs and prayed he wouldn’t turn down them. Instead, he turned down the straight hallway. Riyah could see his back. He was an older man with a bald spot on his head. He was wearing a butler’s uniform. He must have been assigned to patrol the halls to ensure no guests strayed deeper into the mansion.

Riyah waited crouched low in the shadow of the alcove. She didn’t want to risk coming out when the butler could come back at any moment. A long time passed. So long that her legs were beginning to cramp. Finally, a figure walked slowly down the same hall where the butler had disappeared. It carried a candle revealing it to be a woman. She looked to be in her late twenties. Her hair looked mussed as if she had been roused from sleep. She did look awfully tired. Was this the nursemaid? What did the man want with the nursemaid anyway? Riyah could hear her labored breathing as she came closer and her walk seemed to be more of a waddle. Was she okay? It wasn’t until she turned the corner and passed the alcove did Riyah noticed that the woman was very visibly pregnant. Alarm bells went off in Riyah’s head. She knew exactly who the man waiting for the nursemaid was.

Riyah burst from the alcove, almost tripping over her skirts.

“Wait!” she shouted. The nursemaid paused right before she reached the room Derek Hughes was waiting in. She turned and raised the candle.

“Hello?” she called. Riyah quickly walked into the light of her candle so she could see that she was not a threat.

“You shouldn’t be up here ma’am,” the nursemaid lectured, “This area is off-limits to the party guests.”

“Yes, I know,” Riyah put on her most charming smile, “Please trust me when I say that you should not go in there.”

“Why not?” she questioned, eyeing the door.

“Please trust me,” Riyah urged, “An unsavory fellow is in there and it would be in your best interests to avoid him all together.” Riyah quickly glanced down at the nursemaid’s round belly. She noticed the look and protectively wrapped her free hand around it.

“Tell the butler to escort him back to the party,” Riyah told her. She prayed that although she would most likely forget her words that her uneasy feeling would prevent her from returning. The nursemaid stepped toward Riyah. Suddenly the door opened. Derek Hughes leaned out. Even in the low light, Riyah could tell that he was drunk. Now that she thought about it he did seem to sway as he walked earlier. How was he this drunk already? The party had only been going on for a little over an hour.

Hughes’ eyes landed on the nursemaid and a mischievous smile grew on his face and his eyes turned dark. He didn’t even look at her face but at her stomach.

“Go!” Riyah barked, “Quickly!” The nurse broke out into a quick waddle.

“Hey,” Hughes snapped. He lurched out of the room and went to grab her but Riyah blocked his path. Hughes tried to sidestep her but Riyah again blocked him. The nursemaid managed to turn the corner down the other hallway, back the way she came. Hughes snarled. He shoved past Riyah sending her into the wall.

“Stop this instant or I will go downstairs and tell everyone your secret,” Riyah blurted out. Hughes froze.

“That’s right,” Riyah continued, hoping that she could provide enough time for the nursemaid to get away, “I know about your disgusting perversion and I know what you did to your maid and what you were planning to do to that nursemaid.” Hughes slowly turned back to her. He looked less like a man and more like a monster. The only light provided was from the moon shining through the windows a few feet away.

“You won’t be saying much once I’m through with ya,” he said. Riyah’s mouth dropped open. Had he just threatened her? Had he lost his mind? He was a gentleman of society and they were in the home of an esteemed noble. But he was drunk and clearly, he was a mean drunk. Hughes lunged forward. Riyah yelped and leaped away. He slammed against the wall with such force it rattled the artwork hanging nearby. He really meant to harm her. Riyah took off down the hall. She wished she could go back down the servant stairs but she wasn’t confident she could make it past him. Instead, she ran in the opposite direction praying she would run into a servant. Only a beat passed before she heard footsteps pounding behind her. She needed to get out of his sight. Just for a moment. Just long enough for him to forget who he was chasing and why he was drunkenly running down an empty hall. She was approaching a turn. Hopefully, there was an open room she could hide in around the corner. The hair on the back of her neck was standing up as she could feel him getting closer to her.

Riyah skidded around the corner and slammed into a wall. Her arms flailed about as she began to fall but a hand on her lower back stopped her descent. She looked up. It wasn’t a wall but a man. Riyah barely registered what she was doing when she clutched onto the front of the man’s suit jacket and yanked him to her as she pressed herself into the wall.