chapter 1
“Dearest! Will you please get up? Miss Davies will be here any minute now! Please?!” Florence’s
voice screams urgency and really, Adelaide would kill for her girlfriend, but it's eight in the morning
on a weekend and they're running on three hours of sleep. She has no idea how Florence can be so
energetic after everything she did the night before.
“Ow... baby, can't you just let me be? Miss Davies doesn't even like me that much"
Florence looks at her with disapproval and her arms crossed on her chest. “It's not that she doesn't
like you and you know that. It's just that you're so energetic and not exactly a traditional lady, and
she's not Briar nor me. Not everyone has the mindset to keep up with your stormy nature, but she
doesn't hate you. You two even pull pranks on me sometimes!”
Suddenly, Adelaide jumps off the bed and reaches the redhead, their noses touching.
“You like me though.” She whispers, her voice still raspy with sleep.
“For some weird reason, i do, yeah.” Florence’s answer sounds confident, but in reality her brain is
short-circuiting. They're too close, their lips only one breath away. The two lovebirds have yet to
share their first kiss, they've never felt the need until now – or so she thinks – the small girl doesn't
even think about it often, really. She's content just by being next to the brunette, reading and
playing cards with her, running away from the umpteenth ballroom hand in hand and so on. But with
Adelaide invading her personal space, she just knows she's going to think about it all day.
On the contrary, Adelaide is dying to kiss the small redhead. The brunette has never been afraid of
showing affection and taking the first step, but she knows Florence is shy and insecure, and she'd
never force her into something she doesn't want to do. This doesn't stop her eyes from falling on the
other’s thin lips though.
The brunette's head finds a comfortable pillow on Florence's shoulder and whines.
“We shouldn't have stayed up all night playing Whist”. Florence chuckles and wraps her arms around
the taller girl's waist.
“But i want to beat the Ace of Hearts!! You have seen her, love. That woman is a monster, i just
know she must be cheating somehow” her words are muffled and tickling the other's neck.
“I'm sure Ms Taylor is just extremely skilled.” She pats the brunette's head.
Their impromptu cuddling season is interrupted by the ring of the bell. Florence quickly releases the
brunette and runs to the door, not without sending a glare to the other.
Before opening the door, she suddenly remembers that Miss Davies is not Briar, and that means
she's supposed to give in to social norms and bow once she sees the other young lady. A sigh
escapes her lips.
Miss Davies greets her with a delicate bow and a courteous smile. “Miss Clark.”
“Miss Davies!” The redhead mirrors her actions and invites her in. “it's been a while. How are you
doing?”
Florence and Sylvia Davies have been friends for years, long before the redhead met Adelaide. Miss
Davies looks contemplative and silent from the outside, but Florence knows about her hidden
chaotic nature.
I must be a magnet for crazy people
It's not rare for her and Adelaide to join forces and pull small pranks on her: they're never too much,
but for some reason Florence falls for it every single time.
(Florence can clearly see the two young women whispering to each other behind the sofa, but doesn't
pry. She doesn't really want to know what's going on, and after all, she knows they're plotting
something against her and she can't do anything other than accepting it. She just hopes her clothes
won’t get wet this time around.
She’s pulled out of her thoughts by Adelaide's voice calling her.
“Florence! Do you want a glass of water? You gotta stay hydrated!”
Florence feels her doom getting nearer and nearer but Adelaide won’t let go until she takes the bait.
“Sure!” she smiles reassuringly and sees Miss Davies snickering behind her lover.
“Here you go!” The late-teen exclaims triumphantly and places the glass on the table. Both her and
Sylvia stare at her expectantly and Florence understands: there must be something in the water. She
inspects the liquid, but both the colour and the odour are exactly what they are supposed to b , even
though her sense of smell isn't exactly the best, so maybe she shouldn't have relied on it. The only
way to find out is tasting it.
Reluctantly, she draws the glass closer to her lips and as soon as the liquid makes contact with her
tongue, she spits it out.
“WHAT THE-" her screams are outplayed by the laughs coming from behind the sofa. Adelaide and
Miss Davies both get up: Adelaide doesn't even try to cover her loud and juvenile laugh, she has tears
in her eyes and points to the redhead; Miss Davies is also laughing, but it's softer and she's covering
her mouth, even though her convulsive shoulders speak volumes about how much fun she's having.
“You were so cute with your eyes squeezed shut and your tongue poking out. You looked like a
kitten!” the brunette manages to exclaim in between her maniacal laughs.
Florence sighs but then she starts laughing with them. This is not that bad, she thinks.)
“I'm doing good, thank you. My fiancé has brought back some jewelley with him from his last
journey and i'm delighted to wear it. Do you fancy my new necklace?” miss Davies blushes and
smiles, showing said necklace to the redhead.
“It looks fantastic on you, miss Davies.” She smiles too.
Florence has never met Sylvia’s fiancé before, but she knows a lot about him. The blond-haired girl
loves talking about him and all the gifts she always receives. She thinks about the gifts Adelaide gives
her and smiles at the thought.
(Dearest, what are you doing with a lizard in your hands?”
“Look! It's so tiny! If i wrap it around your finger, it could be a ring! Do you want a lizard ring?” the
brunette is ecstatic about it. Florence wonders whether Adelaide is eighteen or eight sometimes.
“Love, i'm so thankful, but... don't you think the lizard has places to be? A life? Would you like to be
caged around someone's finger? I don't think so. Leave it be, if you want a ring, we can always buy
some materials and forge them ourselves.” Her voice is sweet and persuasive.
The brunette deflates but she seems to understand where Florence is coming from and reluctantly
frees the lizard.
“Okay...” her voice is slightly disappointed “no lizard rings.”
Florence just chuckles)
The redhead and miss Davies sit in the parlour, sipping their breakfast tea and munching on some
freshly-baked crumpets..
“Your baking skills never fail to amaze me, miss Clark!”
“Why, thank you. I’m glad you find them tasty.”
Sylvia suddenly starts looking around with a questioning gaze, she has a question on the tip of her
tongue but doesn't know how to put it in words without sounding weird.
“Uhm...” she stars, unsure “is miss Wood not here? I mean, you two get on like a house on fire.”
Florence flushes: she can't believe people automatically associate her with Adelaide, and that it
looks out of place when they're not together. She's a bit taken aback by the question but answers
anyway.
“She must be sleeping, but she's here.”
Sylvia nods and sips on her tea.
“You're coming to the ball tonight, yes?”
“of course, miss Davies.”
“I can’t attend the ball tonight.” Immediately after miss Davies' departure, Florence checks her
closet in search of a dress for the night, only to find out she doesn't own an exclusive gown to show.
She can't wear something other people have already seen.
“What do you mean you can't attend the ball?” Adelaide is incredulous.
“I don't have a dress! And no, don't look at me like that. I could never wear one of your gowns,
they're too big, you beanpole. Go without me?” the redhead pleads and pouts.
No, Adelaide, don't fall for it!
“Huh? What am i gonna do without you? We stayed up all night to practice so that we could win
against Taylor tonight! You know i can’t win alone!” the brunette's voice gets more high-pitched as
she whines.
Florence decides to change her tactics, she knows it's blatant manipulation, but she needs the
gossip.
“Who said you can't win alone? You practiced a lot! I'm sure you can beat her at least once with a bit
of attention and luck. Also, what if Briar is there and they don't see you? They'll think you're a
coward who doesn't want to play against them!”
Adelaide puts a hand to her chin and ponders. Florence knows she won this round.
The brunette's expression is serious and determined all of a sudden. “You’re right. I'm not a coward!
And i'm especially not scared of Briar, tch. Okay, i'm going! I'll beat everyone and i'll even earn some
piece of juicy gossip for you!” she points at herself like she's the heroine in an epic poem.
Instinctively, Florence grips the other by her shoulders and kisses her on the cheek. They both stare
at each other, eyes widened and faces on fire.
“O-okay, i'll go get ready and- head there" the brunette quickly averts her eyes and takes her leave.
Florence’s face has gotten even redder if it's possible. She cups her face with her hands and screams
internally.
Adelaide doesn't want to be here, but everything is worth it if it's for Florence, as she always says to
herself. As soon as she gets to the ballroom she quickly informs miss Davies of Florence's absence
and then proceeds to look for Rayne Taylor. It's not hard to notice her presence: where there's a
crowd of men and women cursing and gasping, the sounds of cards violently hitting the table and a
theatrical laughter, you'll know she's there. Not much is known about her, some say she's from the
slums and fakes her noble origins, some say she's actually a noble but she was kicked out, other
rumours say she escaped from an asylum. All in all, the only piece of info about her is that she's a
master of cards, no one has ever won against her, and it's thanks to her skills that she gained the
legendary nickname the Ace of Hearts.
Adelaide is confident tonight, she can win at least once and she can't disappoint her lover.
After wandering the room for quite some time, she finally sees the crowd. She takes a deep breath
and points to their direction. “TAYLOR!”
The bystanders turn their heads and the summoned woman emerges from the commotion.
Rayne Taylor greets her with her childish but at the same sinister smile and offers a mocking bow.
“Oh?” her voice indicates fake surprise “what do we have here? Miss Wood! I see you're alone
tonight. Do you wish to play anyway?” her ways are theatrical, her arms wave around like she's
hosting a circus performance.
She hears someone snickering, knowing straightaway who it is.
“oi ratbag! What are you laughing at?! Shut your mouth. Don’t think i can't see you from here.” she's
irritated and feels humiliated. She shouldn’t have come alone but her pride is stronger than that.
“Hi to you too, foozler.” Briar simply answers with their annoying smirk. Adelaide’s hands feel itchy,
she wants to punch both them and Taylor, but she won't. They're not insulting Florence, there's no
use in getting violent at the moment.
“I'll play.” She says finally, and Taylor almost looks impressed.
“Come, then. And good luck. You'll need it.”
“Damn my blood! Confess Taylor, you're cheating, there's no way you're not cheating.” Adelaide is
losing her mind. They've been at it for two hours now, and Rayne has already won twice. She can
hear Briar's mocking laughter from her side. She'd decided to play one-on-one against Taylor; she
didn't feel confident enough to play against her and her archrival as a team and playing alongside
with a stranger.
“Why is it so hard to admit you're not made for this, Wood? It's okay, you're a foozler! No need to be
embarrassed about it.” The tow-headed doctor won’t stop mocking her, and she's slowly losing her
patience but can still resist for a bit, or so she thought.
“you could say her and that gibface compensate each other. At least that midget has some brains.”
Adelaide doesn't know who pronounced these words, but she needs to know and now. She frees her
hands from the cards and hits the table with her fists. Everyone winces and Taylor flinches, losing
her balance and letting her cards fall on the table. She can see a little smirk on her face though while
she mutters a “uh-oh”.
The brunette stands up and studies the room. Her voice is low and dark “who said that.” It’s not
even a question, but a statement. She repeats her words, but no answer whatsoever. She then
decides to take the matter in her hands: she starts darting around the room in search of the owner
of that voice. Everyone moves away, not wanting to be crushed by the lady's irate state.
But only one woman remains at the centre of the room, she's trembling and Adelaide puts two and
two together. She gets ready to throw a punch straight to her face but her actions are come to a halt
with by a jab to her left hip. She falls on the ground with a thud and hisses. She looks up and sees an
unfamiliar man, he's not too sturdy, she can take him out.
“And who are you, huh?! Her husband?” she provokes him as she's standing up and reciprocates the
jab with a kick in the shin. The man kneels with a groan and while he's focusing on the pain, the
brunette kicks him again, this time in the neck, knocking him to the ground. If she can't touch the
woman, her husband will have to make do, but she doesn't hesitate to look at her, who’s still
trembling and whimpering now. The man on the ground takes advantage of this and attempts to
regain his balance, but the brunette senses his movements and puts him in his place by putting
pressure on his neck with her heel.
“You.” She points at the woman “apologise.”
There's no Florence stopping her, and she's aware of it being a negative thing. The small redhead is
there to ground her when she loses her control.
The woman doesn't open her mouth. Adelaide pretends to push even more on the man's neck and
his wife screams. Everyone is looking at the scene with wide eyes, no one knows what to do to put
an end to it.
She's so focused on the woman that she forgets about the man on the ground. Her leg gets bitten
and she yelps, losing her balance. She doesn't have the time to get back on her feet because a fist
meets her face In the process.
She’s confused about the aftermath: she can taste her own blood in her mouth and her head is
spinning. Her face is sticky, she probably has a nosebleed.
The brunette hears someone cursing and running towards her. She’s being carried on someone's
shoulder like a bag of potatoes but she can't really see anything, her vision is blurry.
“-i! Oi! Foozler! Can you hear me, you damn beast!”
The voice is familiar, as well as the nickname.
Briar?
“Briar!” She slurs.
“Yeah, it's me, you bloody moron! Do you have a death wish?!” Their voice is tight, it almost sounds
worried.
She tries to joke about it imitating their voice. “what, are you worried about me, ratbag?”
Briar doesn't find it funny at all.
“you could've gotten seriously injured, do you understand that? What are you, miss Clark’s knight in
shining armour? Why are you so fierce when it comes to her?”
Adelaide doesn't answer, she can't answer to that.
Briar takes the silence as a cue to continue.
“She'll be devastated once she sees you like this, you know that right?” they sigh “just lay down for a
bit and then go, i'm not taking you home. I did enough”
Adelaide chortles. “you did.” But her smile quickly fades thinking about Florence's disapproving face.
She groans and covers her eyes with her right arm.
By God, my head hurts too much to get scolded right now...