The evening after Charles sent the letter, Avaline pored through her books, but none of them mentioned what to cook for a blood-born. If that wasn't a challenge, the rest of the Stark family was in a panic. For them to host a blood-born for dinner was unheard of. Where would they start? Elaine, especially, was flabbergasted. Her upbringing only encompassed socializing with humans.
"What are we to do?" Elaine asked.
She paced around Avaline's room. The candles bathed the room with warm light. Avaline sat at her desk, flipped through another page, while the darkened sky beyond the window.
"I'm sure Lord Nightingale won't mind a few mistakes," Avaline said.
Elaine gasped. "Of course he will!" She stalked closer to Avaline. "Aren't you worried he might think we're insulting him?"
The thought hadn't occurred to her. Lord Nightingale had spent a decade fighting Hellios. He also didn't seem like the type to put much stock into societal obligations.
Avaline closed her book. "Elaine. Tomorrow is a new day. Let's think more about it in the morning."
Folding her arms, Elaine said, "You are of no help."
With a shake of her head, Elaine walked out. As soon as she was alone, Avaline let out a groan. Her stomach twisted, and her hands shook. It wasn't like she wasn't nervous. However, feeding into Elaine's anxiety also wasn't ideal. Neither of them knew who to turn to for help. Even hosting Lord Nightingale was a new venture.
She glanced at the books. Even if she read through all six books and found something useful, there wasn't enough time to prepare everything. Elaine would not permit anything to be done at the last minute. That's how mistakes were made.
No, there was someone she could ask for help. Before she could change her mind, she wrote Lady Ophelia a letter. She thanked her for her assistance at the bookstore and asked for her help once again.
As she finished the letter, Avaline bit her lip. She didn't know of anyone in Blackburry who had ever invited any blood-born to social events or dances. So, all that was left for Avaline to do was to take the first step.
Avaline sent the letter through the night post. She didn't have high hopes that Lady Ophelia would answer, but it was better than doing nothing.
***
"Avaline!" shrieked Elaine down the hall.
Avaline roused from her slumber and sleepily peered at her door. Footsteps thumped down the hallway before the door burst open. Elaine rushed at her, with loose strands of hair falling out of her braid. She waved a letter in the air.
"What did you do?" she asked.
Yawning, Avaline rubbed her eyes. She snatched the letter from Elaine's hands. The envelope was addressed to Lady Stark. It made sense why Elaine had mistaken it for hers. The letter, however, was addressed to Avaline from Lady Ophelia.
The contents were simple: a meal guide and where to buy the ingredients.
"Who is Lady Ophelia?" Elaine asked.
Avaline smiled shyly. "She's a blood-born I met in town the other day. She helped me with some trouble with Lady Sheila." Avaline shrugged. "I thought that if anyone knew how to host Lord Nightingale, it would be her."
Elaine put her hands on her hips. The new apron paired well with the light blue dress. "How could you not tell me? Last night, you acted like you didn't care."
Sheepishly, Avaline rubbed her neck. "I didn't want you to worry."
"That's my job as lady of the house."
Sighing, Avaline grabbed Elaine's hand and pulled her down. "I'm the one who's courting Lord Nightingale. It's only fair I help you in some way."
Elaine pouted. "You should have warned me. Imagine my fright."
Avaline smirked. "I heard it." She glanced at the window. "How late is it?"
Elaine's ears turned pink. "Seven. The twins aren't up yet." She cleared her throat. "To ask this Lady Ophelia for help, I don't know you should have."
Avaline placed an arm around her sister-in-law's shoulder. "Who in Blackburry will help us?" she asked. "They know of our situation, perhaps Lady Ophelia does, too, yet she decided to help anyway. What other ladies do you know would do the same?"
When many of the invitations stopped, it was clear. The families no longer wanted to be associated with the fallen Stark family. Only a few loyal friends had stayed in contact, but it wasn't many. Most of them belonged to Avaline's circle of friends.
"You're right," Elaine finally said. "I'll have Jonna start preparing immediately." She stood. "Oh, and don't think about sleeping yet. You've a house to clean."
Avaline rubbed her face with a smile. That wasn't exactly a bad thing to do. Not with what she hoped to get out of it.
***
The day of the dinner came all too quickly. Avaline and the twins spent most of their days helping Elaine host the perfect night. At night, Avaline studied her books and helped the twins with their lessons. The tutor, Lady Margot, had left extra work for them since she only met with them once a week, unlike her other pupils.
When she wasn't doing that, Avaline kept in touch with Delilah through Belle. Delilah's vocabulary and sentences had improved through their nightly conversations. It was how Avaline found Lord Nightingale was busy, meeting with soldiers. The news brought a sense of apprehension. If Sebastian was meeting with many of his men, was it because of the Hellios?
Though Avaline tried to remain optimistic, she couldn't help but keep an ear out. Blackburry would use their siren system to inform of any Hellios sightings. The sirens had only been sounded twice before when Avaline was younger, but not since she came of age.
The last message Delilah sent was that she was also attending the dinner. Considering how young Delilah was, she was still considered family, and blood-born brought their main family along
The news nearly broke Elaine. One more meal to make. One more impression to make. Avaline almost didn't have the heart to tell them Sir Myla, Delilah's guard, was also attending. Almost. Elaine's face had paled before she rushed off to speak with Jonna. The twins were ecstatic to say the least. They spoke nonstop about all the things they were going to do.
When the day arrived, Vivian woke Avaline at dawn. She carried with her soaps and creams. Avaline felt like a doll as Vivian helped her bathe and dress. Avaline didn't remember anything during those hours, only that she was allowed a few mouthfuls of porridge.
"It feels like I'm getting married," Avaline said.
Vivian pulled a brush against Avaline's scalp. Avaline's room was brightly lit. Light spilled through the windows. It was past noon, and though Lord Nightingale wasn't to arrive until later, Vivian had much to do.
"This is just as important." Vivian twisted her hair and pinned it down. "You need to make an impression."
Avaline almost laughed. "We're both consenting to this relationship. I already made an impression."
Vivian let out a sigh. "You need to put in some effort. Our family might not have much, but we can't let anyone look down on us."
Avaline wisely kept her mouth shut. She knew better than to argue with Vivian. Even when she found out about the dinner, Vivian hadn't commented. Now that Avaline wasn't working, Vivian had taken extra shifts at the bank.
Watching Vivian work so hard for her sake and the family's, Avaline could only remain seated in front of her vanity and let Vivian finish her duty as the older sister.
Avaline cleared her throat. "If there's another position at the bank," she began.
Vivian snorted. "There is none. The branch manager is greedy. He doesn't want to open his pockets for more help." She clicked her tongue. "You're being courted. How is working at the bank going to help?" Another curled handful of hair was pinned down.
Avaline sighed. "Courtship between blood-born and humans is different. All our dates are probably going to be in the evening. I have time to work during the day."
Vivian shook her head. "I commend you, sister. I never thought you'd be so enamored with a blood-born." She smoothed down the hair on either side of Avaline's hair with hair paste.
"What's the supposed to mean?" Avaline crossed her arms.
"It suits you," Vivian said. "All done. Take a look."
Avaline turned her head. After making a large bun, Vivian had wrapped hair around it to resemble petals. To anyone's eye, it looked like Avaline had a giant flower blossoming from her head. Peals on top of pins adorned the piece and held the hair in place. Avaline turned wide-eyed to her sister.
"Where did you come up with this idea?"
Vivian's face turned pink. "I heard it from a client. They're hoping to have a salon with unconventional hairstyles."
Avaline gaped at her. "What does that even mean?"
Vivian grabbed Avaline's shoulders and pushed her down on the seat. "It means your sister got her hands on their style book." She adjusted the hair petals. "Though I might get compensation for trying out the new styles and telling them my thoughts."
Avaline marveled at her hair. It would pair well with the floral pink gown Elaine had prepared for her. Though it was another of the gowns she owned, Elaine was adamant that it was a waste not to wear it, and she couldn't wear it herself because it wasn't her style. Whatever that meant. Avaline had yet to see the gown herself.
"And the pearls?" she asked.
Vivian's eyes misted over. "Mother's keepsake."
With a gasp, Avaline stood. "These are yours."
Vivian grabbed both of Avaline's hands. "It's a shame to keep them hidden. Use them for tonight and return them."
Avaline's chin trembled. To wear something so sentimental, it was an honor. The sisters smiled at each other and tears prickled in their eyes. Sniffing, Vivian motioned for Avaline to sit again.
"Let me look at it once more," she said. "It must be perfect."
Dabbing her eyes, Avaline squared her shoulders. Vivian and the others had helped so much to make this night perfect. The least she could do was play her part.