Chapter 1 #

I reached port half a day early. The moment I stepped into the Guild auction hall, I saw another woman sitting in my seat.

Livia Sorrell wore the crimson gown I had paid to have custom-made, idly turning Cassian's house seal between her fingers. Cassian sat beside her, pouring wine for her with the familiar gentle smile on his face.

He had no idea I was standing in the shadow of the colonnade right behind them.

Just last month, he had told me Livia needed to attend a Guild banquet on his behalf. If she looked too shabby, he said, clients would look down on the Severus house. He asked me to front the cost of a formal gown. I hadn't quibbled over a few gold coins, and now another woman was wearing it. My seat and the seal I had made by hand had gone to her too.

"My lady, shall I go over there?" My assistant Chloe Arden stared at the seal in Livia's hand, her voice already cold.

"No."

Oh, I wanted to see exactly what they were up to!

I took a seat in the last row. A column hid me from view; Cassian wouldn't see me unless he turned around. Chloe waited near the exit. At one word from me, she could fetch the ship deeds or ledgers, or summon the Guild guards.

Leon Harrow, the auctioneer, raised the first major item of the evening: an emerald brooch. Lady Vesta had already raised her paddle three times. It was the coming-of-age gift she had chosen for her daughter.

All proceeds from tonight's auction would go toward repairing the outer harbor lighthouse and providing for the families of sailors lost in last year's storm. Lady Vesta had deliberately chosen not to have her steward purchase the brooch privately. Bidding in public was her way of making sure every coin went straight into the relief fund.

Leon was about to bring down the gavel when Livia suddenly raised Cassian's seal, topping Lady Vesta's bid by a single silver coin.

The murmuring in the room died instantly. A last-second bid wasn't against the rules, but everyone could see she had no interest in the brooch. She just wanted to humiliate Lady Vesta in front of everyone.

Lady Vesta turned around, her tone composed. "You're fond of emeralds as well, Miss Sorrell?"

"I don't need a brooch." Livia toyed with the seal, her voice dismissive. "I'm just collecting a little interest for Cassian.

"Your husband can afford to keep a woman on the side, but he still hasn't settled what he owes Cassian. You have money for gifts for your daughter, so what's wrong with me claiming this brooch for him?"

Lady Vesta's hand froze on the edge of the table. Her husband's affair was no secret, but no one in the Guild had ever ripped open that wound in public, much less used it to shame her while she was choosing a gift for her daughter.

Someone murmured, "That's Lady Vesta's private matter. You shouldn't be bringing it up."

Livia didn't back down an inch. "If she could keep her husband in line, nobody would have anything to say."

Cassian finally frowned. I thought he would at least make her apologize. Instead, he just lowered his voice. "Enough. Next time, don't be so blunt in front of a crowd."

"I was just standing up for you." Livia smiled, leaning into him and tugging playfully at his sleeve.

Cassian looked down at her with a helpless smile.

Leon asked once more if anyone wished to raise the bid. Lady Vesta did not raise her paddle again. She simply told the steward behind her, "Make a note of the Severus name."

After she left with her entourage, Cassian finally showed signs of unease. The Vesta family bought nearly half of the Severus house's cargo each year: spices, fruit wines, and dyes from the southern coast. I had brought Cassian most of that business. Losing this client would cost far more than a single brooch.

But he didn't go after her to apologize. Instead, he called his attendant over. "Go check the port and find out when Helena's ship is arriving. When she's back, have her bring a gift to the Vesta estate and smooth things over."

The attendant hesitated. "What should I tell her?"

"Say Livia is young and spoke out of turn. Helena and Lady Vesta are both women. It's easier for her to handle it."

I gripped the auction catalogue so hard my knuckles ached. So that was it. Years of my love and indulgence had made him forget who he really was! He actually had the nerve to send me to apologize on behalf of the other woman!

Leon signaled for the next item. An attendant swept away the black velvet, revealing a silver dolphin pendant that gleamed coldly under the lamplight. The faint scratch along its tail caught my eye at once.

It was my mother's necklace.

When I was a child, I had sneaked away with it to the harbor, tripped on the stone steps, and chipped the dolphin's tail. My mother, Eleanor Valeria, hadn't scolded me. She said it was the necklace she had worn the first time she raised money for the families of lost sailors. Once an old thing carried memories, it truly belonged to a family.

Cassian knew its history. He knew why I needed to buy it back. Three days ago, his letter had been perfectly clear: no matter how the necklace ended up at the auction, he would secure it for me first, then trace how it had changed hands.

Livia turned first and spotted me behind the column. Her smile froze for a moment. Then she deliberately set Cassian's house seal into the gold tray before her.

Leon announced the terms for everyone to hear. "Once the seal enters the gold tray, the Severus house will automatically match every bid until the other bidder withdraws, no matter how high the price climbs. The order cannot be revoked. Do you wish to activate it?"

Cassian was looking down at the catalogue. He didn't even raise his head.

Livia looked straight at me across the hall and answered for him, loud and clear. "Yes."

I raised my own Silver Swallow seal.

She raised her wine glass toward me and smiled, slow and deliberate.

"It belonged to a dead woman. Anyone can wear it. Lady Helena has plenty of jewelry already. Why not let me have it?"