Even if Nora had a biological son—Ambrose looked too much like her not to be—she might like to fuck both males and females. And fated ones always aligned with preferences, including monogamous or polyamorous tendencies.
Nora tensed a fraction. "No. And I'll never have a lord, so it doesn't matter." Yesenia opened her mouth to ask why not but Nora beat her to it. "Leo only stated you had to stay with me, but not necessarily in this room. An oversight I plan to take advantage of, if you like. If we don masks, I can show you most of the building and hopefully distract you for a while. Given your apparent shock, a little diversion might improve your spirits."
Getting the layout of the building down wouldn't hurt, for sure. "Why do we need masks? I'd imagine everyone can tell who we are."
"After tonight, I'm afraid they'll probably recognize you, even with a mask. However, I find covering part of my face gives me a bit more courage. Not to mention no one can say for certain it's us." She smiled. "Although it may help if we change, to blend in with the patrons downstairs, who are dressed a bit fancier. Come. My gowns might be too big on you, but a few clever darts and ruches should fix that."
Yesenia plucked at her skirt, one borrowed from a maid, and tried not to think of how many layers she currently wore, not to mention the corset digging into her ribs. What she wouldn't give for jeans and a T-shirt right now. "Will it be less hot and confining than this outfit?"
"I'm afraid not. But if you're to blend in downstairs, you need to get used to wearing a bustle, as the blasted things are coming back into fashion. They take some maneuvering; it's not easy having extra inches protruding from your derriere. And whilst some deserve a quick smack, most don't. And I'd rather not have to drag you away from an irate male who's had too much to drink."
Given Nora's description of the bustle, Yesenia was pretty sure she knew it was like a hoop skirt for your backside. She drawled, "I'm pretty sure my ass is big enough without adding to it."
Nora laughed. "It must be nice where you come from, where females can curse so freely." She guided Yesenia toward the door. "However, a bustle is a must for this type of dress. And think of it this way—you can 'accidentally' hit someone with it, if they bother you. And if I ever deemed to step outside this building, I might hide some things under it as well. Although I hope the fashion changes again soon." She sighed. "I miss my youth, when dresses were so much simpler—empire waist, some puff sleeves, and fabric merely draped downward. Massive sleeves or skirts merely get in the way, almost as if males want further ways to control us."
Venom tainted Nora's last sentence, almost as if she'd had to deal with a controlling male before. "Your brother dictates what you wear and do?"
"Oh, no, of course not. He and Laurie, my other brother, both spoil me, although neither will ever admit it to another soul."
Yesenia turned her head to study Nora as they walked down the hallway, but she sensed the vampire female wouldn't say more on this topic. For the time being, at any rate. Even if Yesenia's goal was to leave this place as quickly as possible, a part of her wanted to befriend Nora and get to know her. It'd been so long since she'd had any true friends; all of them had abandoned her when she'd been told she didn't have any magic.
Fae witches and their alliances were everything, sadly. And a powerless one was merely considered dead weight.
Not wanting to dwell on her issues or Nora's right now, she focused on the lighter side of what she'd learned about ladies’ fashions here. "Well, I'm curious about this attack by bustle. If you promise to show me how to do that, I'll endure the silly thing."
Nora grinned, making her somewhat ordinary features extraordinary. "I promise to do that, and vampires can't lie, so you know I'm speaking the truth. Now, come on. It's going to take some time to get ready—another downfall to current fashion."
As Yesenia let Nora guide her inside another room, some of her anxiety fled. With how much she'd had to work with her two waitressing jobs to make ends meet, Yesenia could do with some fun for a change. Especially since there was nothing she could do about getting home right this second.
Her brain also worked best at finding solutions when she distracted herself a little with something else.
And even if it was only for a short while, she planned to at least enjoy Nora's company. There was a loneliness and sadness about the female that Yesenia didn't fully understand. But maybe she could help and repay the vampire's kindness that way.
Pushing aside her guilt at her plans to build rapport to ask for favors, Yesenia reminded herself that she had to do whatever it took to get home and make sure Derek couldn't hurt her siblings. Nothing else could matter.