Mother followed him out with a cigarette already in her hands. As Analiese passed me by the doorway, she paused. "You're going to have a miserable life if you insist on breaking the rules."

"I should be more like you, then? Sterile and cold?"

"Impetuous actions and whiny objections will never get you anywhere." Her heels clacked as she swept from the room.

I ruffled my bangs. A marriage—for me. I couldn't believe it. I needed to see Cookie.

I found her alone in the kitchen, kneading dough. Her warm scent of sweet vanilla enveloped me. I sat across from the woman who I'd always wished were my mother. I bit my lip. That was another desire of mine that would have to change...or be crushed. So many wants to deliberately forget and in such a sparse amount of time—only one week.

Cookie looked up from her dough. "How was lunch?"

I laughed mirthlessly. "Congratulate me, Cookie. I'm to be married."

"Married," she said. She looked at me, and in her eyes, I saw myself as a child. She blinked, and the image was gone, chased away by her inherent, practical nature. "It was only a matter of time, Celeste. Who is he?"

"Kassel Elijah Bauer of West Pacifica."

"A Kassel." Her mouth practiced saying the word. "Is that a good position?"

"Their system is a little different from ours, but yes, it is a good thing. A Kassel is the equivalent of a king or our Citizen Principia." I ground my teeth. I very badly wanted it to be a bad thing so that my complaints could be justified. 

As it stood, I was engaged to one of the most powerful war leaders of our time, a man only second to his father as a military strategist. He wasn't ugly. He wasn't too old—only two years my senior. In two months, I'd be seventeen and that would lessen the gap even more. He was perfect. My father chose perfectly. The only problem was me. I was not ready to give up the rest of my life. 

Cookie nodded. "Good. You will be safe."

"Safe," I said derisively. "In a foreign land with strange customs and people."

She narrowed her eyes at me. "Don't be ignorant, Celeste," she said as she started pinching the edges of her dough, creating the delicate ridges of the crust.

"Analiese is betrothed, too."

"Oh?"

"Yes, to King Philippe of Elbonia. Just what she's always wanted." I curled my lips, letting the bitterness through. "She quickly swallowed her values for the crown. I don't know why I'm so surprised. She's always followed in my mother's footsteps. Why wouldn't she now?"

"Your sister has had a hard life, Celeste. You shouldn't judge what you don't understand."

"Hard?" I laughed. "The hardest decision she's ever made was whether to cut her hair short or keep the length. What a hard life for her."

Eyes hard and face stern, Cookie asked me, "You think you can define pain? Cage it within an absolute definition? Bind it within the steady ink of your novels? Never wavering from those constraints? You think you have that right? You think you are that special?"

"Why are you defending her? She'd never do the same for you."

"Because respect for others is never contingent on how they treat you. You see that over there." Her finger sliced the air as she pointed to the door. "You know why I took that door out? I did it because this is my domain that I claim as a safe place, free for anyone and everyone to join with no barriers or restrictions. Now listen, Celeste. I don't care what you do upstairs. Your dancing lessons, etiquette instructions, language mastery—those, I don't care about. They have no place in my kitchen. All I demand is love and respect for everyone. You have problems with the girl, fine, but you will leave the disrespect at the door. She is your elder sister, so you will find a way to tolerate her, and if you can't, you may leave. Do I make myself clear?"

Something coursed low in my belly, something hot and dangerous. I felt anger and betrayal. Cookie was my warrior, my protector. Analiese had Father, she had Mother, but I had Cookie, and now she was stripped from me, too.

I pursed my lips. "Does this new decree apply to Mother, too?"

Cookie scowled at the mention of her name. "I never said I wasn't a hypocrite. But I...suppose your mother shouldn't be exempt. Whether I listen to my own advice—that's another story."

I laughed, but only for a little while. "Cookie, I don't want to marry."

"Honey, I don't think your father will be giving you a choice." Even as she said the words, I understood that she didn't get it, didn't understand why I protested, and didn't know how I could see any bad in all of this. I changed the subject, asking her about her day until she left on an errand. Soon after, voices filled the room.

The kitchen girls pushed through with their mops and buckets in hand.

Anne's voice said behind me, "I think I know what happened to Evelyn."

My ears perked up. Rose said, "You always say that."

"This time it's true."

"Has she told you anything?" Dalia asked.

"She didn't have to tell me anything. I easily guessed." She paused dramatically.

"Anne, stop with all the theatrics," Ruby said, "and tell us already."

"You all know how my mother passes Evelyn's house on her way to work. For the past three weeks, ever since Evelyn's disappearance, the house has been empty, no sign of her father or brother. Well, early this morning, my mother saw Evelyn through the window shoving everything she could fit in her small suitcase."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Patience, Teresa." Anne said. "The important part isn't what she was doing, but how she looked doing it." She paused dramatically.

Violet gasped. "No...Anne, tell me she's not..."

Dalia spoke up. "What, what is it?"

Anne started "She's—"

"—pregnant." Violet finished.

Rose gasped. "I don't believe you."

"My mother isn't a liar."

Ruby laughed. "No, she's just everything else."

"Well, it explains so much," Violet said. "The sick days, the mood swings, the weight she'd gained. How far along would you say she is?"

Anne replied, "My mother said four or five months."

"This still doesn't explain why she left for three weeks or why she was packing today." Teresa bit her lip. "Do you think she's alright?"

Anne snorted. "Oh, she's fine."

Dalia asked, "How do you know?"

"Judging from the diamond my mother said was weighing down her finger, I'm sure she'll have a splendid life."

"But why wouldn't she at least say something?" Teresa added.

"Would you?" Ruby countered. "It's a tough world out here. I'll applaud any girl who finds a way out."

"I would never do what she did." Anne said. "Imagine, ten years of friendship, and then she meets one man, and it's all over, just like that. I hope he dumps her, and leaves her pregnant, alone, and broke."

"Anne!" they yelled.

"I'm serious. If any of you ever do that to me, our friendship is done. By the way Olive is acting, I'm sure it will be sooner rather than later."

Violet scoffed. "She would never, at least not with Nathaniel. I know she likes him, but he's too poor for her. A boy like that could only drag a girl down."

"Then, she's safe," Anne said, "for now. But, Evelyn? I've said it before and I'll say it again. She is no friend of mine."

I wondered at their conversation. When Cookie had left, I'd wandered to the corner where I was semi-hidden from view. 

I hadn't forgotten their first mention of Evelyn or her disappearance. Pregnant with a baby. The girl I remembered with her shy smiles and freckles couldn't be a mother in my mind. She was too young and timid. But she was—at least, she would be...in four or five months. And I thought I had problems.

Now, I could understand the incomprehension in Cookie's eyes. My father had made me an excellent match, politically and financially. Our two states would join through marriage, and our fathers' alliance would be cemented. Same with Analiese. I was the same age as Evelyn, but if Cookie had been my mother, her fate could have been mine, and I might not have ended up as well.

I understood my privilege, my blessing of being the lucky child who had been born to this family and not to another. I just...and it was so hard to think it, so hard not to seem unappreciative of all I'd been given. It was just that this was not the life I wanted for myself. Even hearing what I had heard and knowing what I did about the other world, about the people who did not live in the palace to be served and adored, if given the choice, I would have gladly chosen to be Cookie's daughter instead of Elaine's.

Cookie reentered with a young man following in her wake. They carried crates of onions, peppers, and spices. Cookie greeted me with a nod. Olive trailed behind with a crate of eggs in her hands.

Anne speared me with a sharp glance, her brows drawing together. She sidled up to me while the other girls helped Cookie unpack.

"You were eavesdropping," she accused.

"No," I said. "You just talk too loudly."

She spun on her heels and started sorting the spices.

"Anything else you need carried in?" The young man asked Cookie.

"Nothing for now, but can you check with Jesse to see if he'll have enough salmon delivered by tomorrow?"

He nodded, sauntering off. In the doorway, he said, "Join me, Olive?" She threw him a smile and agreed. Setting the eggs on the counter, she followed him out the door, her unbound hair swishing as she went.

His height and slim build were familiar to me. I'd seen him before, nearby my mother's apartment. I would bet money that his name was Nathaniel.