“No, they’re just gossiping.”
“Then what if I merely give them the urge to cut out their own tongues?” he asked, flashing one of his dimples.
Evangeline stifled a giggle, though she knew she shouldn’t be amused. She had no doubt he was serious about the tongues. “Don’t you dare—”
“You sure? They deserve it.” The whole House deserves it.
The thought was so quiet, Evangeline wasn’t sure Jacks intended for her to hear it. But before she could remark on it, LaLa was there, bursting through the manor’s double doors in a welcoming shower of golden, dragon-scale-shaped sequins and open arms.
“It’s so good to see you, my friend!” She wrapped Evangeline in a hug that made everything feel warm. Until that moment, Evangeline hadn’t known how much she needed a hug. When was the last time someone had hugged her?
It had probably been LaLa, which made Evangeline squeeze her friend extra tightly. “I’m so glad to be here.”
“Not as glad as I am. Most of the guests are Robin’s friends, so I was thrilled when you wrote and said you could make it.” LaLa’s grin was incandescent as she pulled away. “You two are the last ones to arrive. Everyone else is changing for dinner. Except for those who went out to hunt some poor little beastie, Robin included. So you’ll have to meet him later.”
“I still can’t believe you’re engaged to him,” Jacks muttered.
LaLa’s pretty smile hardened. “You do not get to judge my choices, Jacks. Evangeline told me what you did. I know how you framed her for murder and poisoned Apollo.”
Jacks shrugged insouciantly. “It was to open the arch. I’d have thought you’d approve. Or—”
“Shhh—” LaLa hissed. “You can’t talk about such things in this house.”
Jacks groaned. “First, I can’t kill anyone or cut out any tongues—”
“Whose tongue did you want to cut out?” LaLa interrupted.
“Just a few of your fiancé’s servants’。”
“Actually, that might not be a bad idea,” LaLa said, and Evangeline had a horrible feeling that her friend was not joking, either.
Fortunately, LaLa was smiling again as she ushered Jacks and Evangeline inside the manor.
It smelled like mulled wine and possessed all the grandness that Evangeline had come to expect from the Great Houses of the North. The arched ceilings were dramatically high, and the floors were covered in a mosaic of tiles that depicted men and women in battle, holding up swords or shields or the occasional bloodied head.
The history of House Slaughterwood seemed to clearly fit its name. Instead of books on shelves, there were more ancient weapons—war hammers, morning stars, maces, crossbows, and battle-axes. Every person who made it into a painting on the wall wore armor, save for one woman. She had a pleasant face and a very warm smile, and she reappeared in portraits quite often as LaLa led Jacks and Evangeline up a grand set of stairs.
It took Evangeline a minute, but eventually, she recognized the woman as someone she’d seen a picture of last night—Glendora. She’d been Vengeance Slaughterwood’s second bride-to-be—and unlike Aurora, Glendora had clearly gone on to marry him.
It seemed terribly unfair that Vengeance could destroy a whole House and then have a family of his own. Evangeline might have remarked upon it, but she didn’t want to bring any grief to LaLa by mentioning ugliness from the past.
“Here we are,” LaLa said shortly after they reached the fourth floor. “This is one of my favorite suites.” LaLa’s arms swung wide as she opened a door with a cheery swoosh.
Snow fell like magic outside the suite’s bay windows, adding a little whimsy to the early night and to the room, which was fitted with an enormous roaring fireplace, thick fur carpets, a lovely window seat, and a striking four-poster bed with a voluminous velvet quilt the color of sparkling wine.
“The view is truly spectacular,” said LaLa. “In the morning, you’ll be able to see Glendora Slaughterwood’s famed winter garden.
“And here are just a few party favors,” she trilled, motioning toward a large pile of wrapped parcels. “I also included a gown for tonight, in case your things were too wrinkled, and there’s a dress for tomorrow as well, in case you forgot to pack a costume.”
“That’s so very generous,” Jacks said, somehow making it sound like an insult as he wandered to an ancient desk and picked up a bookend shaped like a tiny dragon.