No, I hadn’t known what month it was. Or what season. I’d lost track in the seemingly endless string of days spent inside Hades’s prison.
But as soon as he named the ball, I knew what day it was without a doubt.
It was March. March 20th, the first day of spring. I knew this because Arboretum de Tessier was officially founded on the first day of spring back in 1802. When the French still owned Louisiana and the rumors of this land becoming part of the American Union had neither been confirmed nor denied by President Jefferson.
It had been an auspicious beginning for an institution that had since managed to survive several wars and recessions. And this being Louisiana, no one was quite sure if the ball always being held on the first day of spring was a matter of tradition or superstition.
Either way, everybody who was anybody in Louisiana society attended it. My father would be there, along with anyone else who considered themselves a member of Louisiana’s elite—Black, white, and every color in between.
Horror thrummed through me at the thought of wearing this tacky dress to that grand ball.
And that’s when I knew. Going to this ball wasn’t my reward for helping Hades sleep these past couple of weeks.
This was the latest step in his plan to break me.
CHAPTER 14
STEPHANIE
One thing and one thing only made me get into that dress. Made me walk up the stairs of the Benton Grand New Orleans with my head held…well, if not high, at least straight forward. Because no matter what, this was an opportunity.
Since Hades had imprisoned me, I hadn’t been allowed to step foot outside the house or talk with people who weren’t part of his underworld since he’d imprisoned me. This was the one and only chance I’d gotten—the only chance I might ever get to slip away from him and ask for help.
So, I withstood the frying pan of embarrassment. I ignored all the heads that turned as we walked past. And I pretended not to hear the shocked gasps when people saw my back. I also didn’t react when the woman with the guest list did a double-take as soon as she saw my horrible dress.
She gaped at me. But she recovered quickly when she noticed Hades, looking more handsome than ever in his evening attire.
“Name?”
Luckily, she couldn’t see my back. Women wearing gaudy, inappropriate dresses was something New Orleans had excelled at before Las Vegas was even a speck in Bugsy Siegel’s eye. But even the Big Easy had its limits. And if she’d seen my tattoo, she might have signaled for security.
Maybe that was why Hades looped an arm around the back of my shoulder as he answered, “Galen Fairgood and Stephanie Perreault.”
The lady’s face became less wary when she found his name on the list. “Oh yes, Mr. Fairgood. Thank you for your incredibly generous donation!”
She gave us both a glowing smile and even waved someone forward to tie gold ribbons around our wrists—a sign I dimly remembered for the people who’d made six-figure donations on top of buying a table for the ball. After that, Hades dropped his arm. He must have realized, as I did, that rich men could get away with pretty much anything when it came to their dates.
Wow.
I started scanning the crowd as soon as we walked into the grand ballroom, looking for someone I might know.
And my heart soared when I spotted Councilman West’s wife and a few ladies who had sat on the Lakefront Historical Preservation Society’s Board with my mom. These ladies had kept us in food for weeks after her death, and Mrs. West practically begged me to get in contact if I ever needed help.
Her face lit up when she saw me, and she started to wave. But then another one of the ladies jerked her arm down and whispered in her ear.
It didn’t matter, I was sure. Mrs. West was one of my mother’s best friends. Of course, she’d do whatever she could to help.
Except, no…she wouldn’t. A stricken look came over her face as her friend whispered in her ear.
Then Mrs. West not only didn’t approach me, she pursed her lips and turned her back on me—along with all the other ladies—as if we’d never met before.
“Those friends of yours?” Hades’s voice was a cruel challenge in my ear. “Want me to take you over there to say, comment ca va?”
I gritted my teeth. “No, I’m fine.”
Even though I wasn’t. I really wasn’t.
I tried to catch the eyes of a few other people, including high school friends who’d gushed over me at my birthday party just a few months ago.
