Ours Is Just a Little Sorrow by Gwen Hayes Read Free Book Online

ancestry. Pearls threaded through the shiny
black hair she'd swept over one shoulder. Of all things, she wore a tightly fitted man's blue tailcoat. Her exposed petticoat and corset were more ornate
than many a lady's best gown.
    "Minerva," Gideon said as he kissed her hand. I looked at the floor quickly, not sure why. I didn't want to see his reaction to her, I suppose. At the
academy, I was the brazen one, a leader and an original. In this place, next to this girl, I was milquetoast. "How lovely to see you again," he murmured
against her gloveless hand.
    "Yes," she said, less than impressed. "It's been all of twelve hours. Don't be droll, who's the chit?"
    I wasn't sure if I was feeling more insulted or unworthy of her attention, so I settled for thrusting my hand out like a man and telling her my name.
    It seemed better than a curtsy, at least.
    Minerva started and then looked to Gideon as if she were wondering if I were serious. After a shrug, she shook my hand, both of us slightly awkward with
the masculine greeting. "Nice to meet you, Violet. I'm Minerva. We don't use last names here." She returned her gaze to Gideon. "Good luck with that one."
    And then she was off.
    "Are you warm enough?" Gideon asked.
    I knew he was teasing. When wasn't he teasing? The pink of my cheeks broadcast my temperature, and yes, it was plenty warm. However, his coat provided me
more than warmth, and I wasn't ready to shed my cocoon just yet. Nor was I ready to ascertain why wearing his coat made me feel safer.
    I rationalized that by wearing something of his, perhaps the rakes and cads in the room would understand that I was not alone, thus not fair game for their
shenanigans. But really, if I were going to be honest with myself, it smelled nice, like Gideon. And it felt as if he cared for me by providing it.
    Which made me gasp at my own foolishness, so I shucked it off immediately, baring my shoulders and low décolletage. Handing him the jacket, I
straightened my spine.
    "There's my girl." Gideon draped the jacket over a chair. "What do you want to do first?"
    "Do?" I asked.
    He put his arm around me and we wove through the crowd. The colors and sounds were so foreign. A man stopped in front of us with a glass vase of sorts. It
held a murky purple mixture in the bottom and a layer of smoke in the cylinder. "Toke?" he offered.
    Gideon waved him away with one hand.
    We squeezed through more people than should have been in such a small space until we came to the center. On the stage, three women mesmerized the crowd
with a choreographed dance number. They wore short ruffled pantaloons and their breasts near overflowed their laces. Their dance titillated the audience,
drawing cheers and hollers. I was witnessing my first burlesque and it made my heart pound extravagantly.
    And then I realized all three of the dancers were men.
    "Where have you brought me, Gideon?" My eyes must have been as big as saucers.
    He laughed and the sound of it jolted me back into reality. Gideon never laughed. Not really. He chuckled and he teased, but his humor was always tinged
with a dark shadow.
    The entertainment on stage was finishing up, so I reluctantly watched their finale, entranced by how seamless their performance was. The young man on the
end was far prettier than I ever hoped to be, and I felt a little like I'd been squandering my femininity.
    "You're frowning," Gideon said.
    "I feel out of place," was the simple answer. He didn't need to hear that I didn't feel pretty.
    Gideon led me further into the abyss. A man stopped me, separating my hand from Gideon's shirt sleeve. Gideon didn't notice and kept going, no longer in my
reach.
    "Drink on the house for the lovely lady," the man said.
    I blushed and stammered a thank you, but as I brought the glass to my lips, Gideon plucked it from my hand and sent a look of warning to the man that sent
him scurrying like a schoolboy. Gideon tipped the glass upside down, pouring the contents onto the floor.
    "Do us