Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 58747 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 294(@200wpm)___ 235(@250wpm)___ 196(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58747 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 294(@200wpm)___ 235(@250wpm)___ 196(@300wpm)
“Daphne?”
I whirl with a yelp. Armand stands in the doorway between the bathroom and the ladies parlor. I didn’t even hear him come in.
“What are you doing here?” Without my contacts, his far away features are a bit blurry, but he stands out, a dark specter in the midst of pink and white marble. “This is the ladies room!”
“And I’m the biggest queen here.” He strikes a pose. “At least until Philip Waters arrives. Are you feeling all right? Your pupils are dilated.”
“I’m…fine,” I slur, leaning back on the counter. “Drink hit me the wrong way.”
“Hmmm.” He comes closer, leaning in to study me. “You haven’t been imbibing belladonna, have you?”
“What?”
“Renaissance women took belladonna to make their pupils larger—”
“I know that,” I flap my hand. “Believe me, I know everything about belladonna the plant that there is to know. And I have not imbibed it.” I’m just feeling a wee bit queasy…
“Good. Because you’re late for a very important date.”
“With Adam?”
“Not him, you sly girl. You’ve got another secret admirer. A beast of a man.”
“What?”
“I was told to give you this.” Armand hands me a rose.
I hold it close, staring at the whorl of red petals. “Who sent this?” The rose is exactly like the one left in my office. Rosa x hybrida. I know roses—my mother made sure of that.
It can’t be a coincidence. I’m this close to knowing who my secret admirer is.
“I don’t know. Big man in a scary mask. But what I wouldn’t give to find out.” He waggles his brows.
I put a hand to my head. Is this really happening?
“He wants you to meet him in the labyrinth. Take all right turns. Oh, and he says the future of Belladonna depends on it.”
What?
There’s a knock on the door in the outer parlor. “Daphne?” comes Adam’s muffled voice.
I stiffen, clutching the rose close. Is it a bad sign that I’m so tempted to grab this lifeline Armand is offering me—or the fact that it feels like a lifeline in the first place? What’s wrong with me? Any woman here would kill to be in my place with Adam waiting on the other side of that door for her.
“Is that Adam Archer?” Armand asks. “The plot thickens.”
“He’s worried about me.” I bite my lip.
“You do look flushed. Are you sure you’re all right?”
I shake my head and hold up the mysterious rose. “Help me?”
“This way.” Armand grabs my hand, guiding me down the line of stalls, as if helping me sneak out of the ladies bathroom is the most normal thing in the world.
At the end of the bathroom is a giant gilt mirror. Armand pushes a hidden button and I gasp when it swings open a crack, revealing a tiny door.
“Never come to a party without a planned escape route,” Armand announces, pulling a key out of his jacket pocket and fitting it to the door’s lock.
“Seriously?” I gape.
“It’s New Olympus.” He shrugs. “Nothing is as it seems.”
“Thanks, Hermes,” I giggle. Tomorrow I’ll think this is all a weird dream. But right now, the champagne is really hitting me.
“Daphne?” Adam’s voice echoes, getting closer. “Are you in here?”
I should run to him. But instead, I squeeze behind the mirror, frantic to get away. “Cover me,” I mouth to Armand.
Through the looking glass I go.
Armand nods and closes the door behind me.
I step into some sort of low ceilinged hallway. It’s completely dark but I can feel around with my hands and I trust Armand not to send me towards a dead end. But this night is getting stranger by the second. I stumble on, feeling my way with my hands and find another door, this one unlocked.
It swings open and I emerge into the night air.
Four
Daphne
It’s cool outside, and gods it feels good. Strains of music float above my head. I’m at the foot of a large staircase, the twin to the one I entered at the front of the Parthenon. This one leads to a balcony where guests can gather. Unlike inside, there are no stars in this sky. But a path of tiny twinkling lights leads to my destination.
The labyrinth.
The maze is made of towering hedges, shaped into thick walls of dark green. But at least the elaborate decorations mean that standing light sconces are set up every five feet or so, so I can see in spite of the dark, moonless night. Evening mist floats along the ground.
Creepy much? I shiver and wrap my arms around the soft bark of my costume’s waist.
I look down at the rose clutched in my hand. I held it so hard in the darkness, the thorns pricked my hand and there are two dots of blood on my palm. I wipe them against the dark bark of my bodice. So much for not getting anything on my dress. I glance down the labyrinth.