"Colonel Kesley, madam."

Colonel Kesley stepped through the door held open by the butler. He always looked so smart in his military uniform, Cress thought, with his wide shoulders and impeccable posture. The colonel bowed to Levana, then turned to Winter and Selene and smiled broadly.

"Lady Winter, Lady Selene—what a pleasure to see you again. It's been much too long since my regiment was last in the area."

Winter and Selene voiced their agreement, both smiling as well. Their relationship with Colonel Kesley was affectionate, almost like that of sisters and their brother. The colonel then turned to Cress, who stood off to the side of the sitting room, fiddling with her gown. Levana stepped forward, one corner of her lip turned up.

"Colonel Kesley, this is Miss Darnel, a ward of Lord and Lady Park. Lady Winter has…taken her under her wing, so to speak."

"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Darnel," the colonel said as Cress murmured her agreement. Then his eyes brightened. "I have someone to introduce to you all. Two someones, actually."

He turned back to the doorway. A woman and a man stepped into the room. The woman was young, not much older than Cress, and very handsome. Her hair was a unique shade of bright red and had been styled in curls underneath her hat. She moved to Kesley's side and smiled up at him, and Cress almost swooned at the look in both their eyes. It was obvious they were very much in love.

The man was dressed in military uniform as well. Though he, too, stood with the disciplined posture of an army man, there was a twinkle in his blue eyes that took Cress aback. He surveyed the room of women, his eyes landing on Cress last, and her heart leapt in her chest. He was the most handsome man she had ever seen. Strong jaw, high cheekbones, and heavens, those eyes…she got lost just looking into them. She must have blushed, because the man chuckled quietly before turning to look at Kesley as he introduced them.

"Ladies, I'd like you to meet Miss Scarlet Benoit, my fiancée," Colonel Kesley said, gesturing to the woman with the red hair. "And this is Captain Carswell Thorne, a good friend of mine. I've told them both so much about Artemesia Manor and its residents, and they couldn't wait to come and meet you."

"You're very welcome, Captain Thorne, Miss Benoit," Levana simpered. "What an honor to meet you."

"You're engaged!" Winter clapped her hands. "How wonderful. Thank you so much for bringing her, Colonel. We would have been devastated if you hadn't."

She and Selene moved to talk with Miss Benoit, and Levana took Colonel Kesley by the arm, leaving Cress standing alone with Captain Thorne. She stared at the floor, desperately hoping he'd ignore her.

"Artemesia Manor is certainly beautiful, isn't it?" Captain Thorne said, looking down at her with a grin. "I don't know if I've ever seen so much beauty in one place."

She nodded, her cheeks turning pink again.

"The company's not too bad, either," the captain said, nudging her arm ever so slightly.

Now Cress's face was fully flushed. "Y-you think so?"

She cringed at her stutter. Before Thorne could reply, Winter flitted over to them and took Cress's arm.

"Oh, Miss Darnel, you must help me convince my cousin. I'm positively determined that we shall have a ball while the soldiers are in town, but she will have none of it!"

Cress looked one last time at Captain Thorne before Winter pulled her away. She couldn't be sure, but she thought she saw him wink. She put her hand to her heart, dazed, as Winter pushed her toward where Selene and Miss Benoit stood by the window.

"Tell her, Cress," Winter said. "Tell Selene how delightful it would be to put on a ball. I'm sure Miss Benoit would love to meet all of her colonel's friends here."

Cress shrugged meekly. "A ball might be fun. I'm afraid I'm not much of a dancer, though."

"At least you don't make a fool of yourself every time you try," Selene said. "Watching me dance, you'd think one of my feet was made of metal."

"Nonsense," Winter said. "You're both perfectly….adequate. And this is for Miss Benoit's benefit, not just ours. Wouldn't you love to have a ball?"

Miss Benoit smiled. "I'd say I don't have much choice either way, but yes, I do like dancing. And I'd love to meet any friends of my fiancé."

"Then it's settled."

Winter flashed one of her brilliant smiles, the kind that made everyone in the room stop and stare. Cress couldn't stop a twinge of jealousy at her friend's effortless beauty. She'd always been the talk of the town, and many a suitor had come calling for her at Artemesia Manor. Though she was kind, Winter always rebuffed their attempts to woo her, though Cress couldn't quite understand why. She would give anything to have the kind of romantic opportunities that Winter did.

But she was only an orphan, one lucky enough to be taken in by Lord and Lady Park. Without them, she would be no one. It didn't help that she was tiny and quiet, hardly noticeable in a room occupied by girls like Winter and Selene. Cress sighed as Winter set about making plans for the ball, pulling Colonel Kesley and her stepmother into the discussion as well.

Only Captain Thorne remained aloof, smiling crookedly at nothing in particular as the others talked. He looked up and noticed Cress watching him. She averted her gaze quickly and made it a point to stare at anything other than him for the rest of the evening.