“His mother mourns him. I suspect his father does. I’m not as sure about Sigbert as I thought I’d be.” She gestured. “If people aren’t thinking I should marry Sigbert, I suspect they’re thinking I should set my cap for you, Cyrus.” She hurriedly added, “Not that I’m going to. If you wanted to discuss a marriage of convenience, suitable to us both, I’d consider it with you. But you don’t want that, of course.”
Cyrus’s face went through half a dozen expressions. “I’d trust you to set up agreements you were comfortable with. But no. Andie will partner me for the Council dances. We’re working on that. If you had no other interest, I don’t know. I might have worked around to the idea. But you do, and I won’t step in the way of that.”
“See, that is why I could make the offer with you.” Thessaly was relieved it was tidy. “But if it would be a help to say you and I have discussed the matter, and we are leaving considerations open for the moment?”
It made Cyrus laugh, a warm chuckle. “Giving us both enough space to do what we actually want. Yes, that would bea help right now. And of course I’d not pressure you while you were in mourning. And of course being able to say, legitimately, that you and I had discussed it, that would be a help with Sigbert. Or rather, his parents.”
“And my parents.” Thessaly winced. “They can’t force me to it, but there’s a great deal you can do that’s uncomfortable that is not force.” She leaned back. “Was there other gossip?”
“Nothing I could pin down— and of course, people get cautious around me right now,” Cyrus said.
Andie cut in. “They don’t have the least idea what to do with Cyrus. I hear that part from near enough every quarter. That he’s out, being social. That he’s not marrying, that he’s holding his own counsel. All of it. If it weren’t so tedious, it’d be hilarious, actually.”
Cyrus waved his hand. “No one’s sure what to make of the Fortiers right now. And that extends to you. Or they’re not sure what to make of you, and that extends to the Fortiers. Everyone’s unsettled by Childeric’s death. I don’t know if you, or the family, realise just how much.”
Thessaly looked down at her hands again. “How concerned is the Council about it, can you say?”
“Informally, the ones who talk to me? They’re very glad it’s me and not Childeric. Overall, that the situation was unusual. Not unique. There are deaths from time to time, but this was not like most of the others. It seemed more pointed. You— did you see him after?”
“His clothes soaking wet, and marks on his body like lightning? Yes.” Thessaly said. “And Cousin Owain mentioned there was gossip about the favour.” Then she said, carefully. “Have you noticed that there are an awful lot of people having more difficulties around our age? Is that anything that you’ve heard discussed?”
Cyrus grimaced, rubbing his nose once. “A little. Not directly with me, but Hereswith and Oscar both mentioned it had come up. Another reason they’re glad it was me. No one apparently has particular concerns about my magic. Dozens of things I ought to learn immediately, but not an inherent frailty. I think that was the term that stuck most. I sat down with the lists last week, and it’s hard to tell. I don’t know enough beyond the common gossip about people much older or younger, the ones in Schola now.”
“It makes it hard to tell if there’s a pattern,” Thessaly agreed. “Vitus was looking at some of that, with his apprentice mistress. They think the numbers are telling. He actually went through and looked at the apprentice notices, who began and who dropped out.”
That made Cyrus’s eyes widen. “Is that something he might share with the Council? With credit or without, whichever he prefers. But the actual data would save some time.”
“I’ll ask,” Thessaly agreed. “It explains why some of the marriage-related gossip is especially odd right now. We’re getting to the age where matches would happen as people finish apprenticeships. But if they don’t finish, or if there’s some visible problem. Ugh.” She definitely did not know how to sort out what the problem actually was, let alone what to do about it.
“It’s a problem that is at least partly the Council’s remit. Or at least, people on the Council know who else to talk to,” Cyrus said, quietly. “Whatever you can share. And the rest of it…”
“On the rest of it, I suppose there’s not much any of us can do about the specific gossip and what it means for us. But if you hear anything more specific, and you’re willing to pass it along, I’d appreciate that.” That part, Thessaly found simple enough. More information would let her make better choices.
“Good. In exchange, perhaps I might invite you out here to duel at some point? I know I’m not up to your standard, but Icould stand to brush up a bit more.” Then he heard the clock chime and peered at it. “If you’d like tea with Gemma, it’s about time for that. You needn’t be polite about it, though, if you’d rather not.”
“I think, on the whole, I’d like to see you with your daughter,” Thessaly said. “Children, still very much a hypothetical idea, but I suspect any daughter of yours and Tanith’s is interesting.” Thessaly added a moment later, “I miss her too, though I didn’t know her near as well as I wanted.”
“Ah. That’s a kindness. Perhaps you’ll indulge my telling a few stories, then.”
“Of course.” That said, Andie rearranged things to allow for a small child to be added to the arrangement, tugging a table in easier reach of Thessaly and Cyrus. Five minutes later, Nanny had been summoned, Gemma had been claimed, and Thessaly had been brought into a comfortable chat about the household.
12
NOVEMBER 13TH IN TRELLECH
Vitus was in the Stream, in one of the conversation rooms, but he was trying to ignore all the chatter around him. The lecture that evening had been more scantily attended. Vitus hadn’t quite wanted to go home. He hadn’t wanted to go find others of the Four Metals. He hadn’t quite wanted anything.
It wasn’t as if he didn’t have things to do. He’d seen Thessaly on Sunday, for several hours in the afternoon. They’d enjoyed each other’s company, but it had been more about talking through the past week - and a bit of kissing - than anything more intimate. She hadn’t offered any further, and he certainly hadn’t pressed. Not that he didn’t want more when she was ready. He’d woken from rather demanding dreams on that point twice this week. But it was her choice.
Thessaly had told him about her conversation with Cyrus and Andie Smythe-Clive. Besides the rest of it, she’d been taken by how they were as siblings, how they helped each other. It seemed to have made her decidedly wistful, because she wanted that with Hermia, and their parents had put themselves firmly in the way.
It had made Vitus even more glad to see Lucas, in a way that hadn’t come out in language. He and his brother had taken awalk before supper, chatting about Lucas’s horses, the cavalry, the other officers. And Lucas, bless him, had understood that Vitus felt a whole host of things he wasn’t sure how to talk about. He wished Thessaly could have a bit more of that, but she’d admitted her sister was enough younger it was different. The ages fell in a way that probably wouldn’t matter much in a decade, but did now.
Though it was about the same gap as between Thessaly’s mother and her aunt. Vitus wondered how much she was thinking about that, and how different the two had been. It was certainly something Vitus thought about, with Lucas wanting a life full of horses and the non-magical cavalry, while Vitus was increasingly embedded in the magical community.
Tonight, he’d been sitting for half an hour, nursing a drink, trying to decide whether to go home. Or whether he’d be better off to go and sleep in his workshop. That was certainly an option, especially if he wanted to be alone and also not have Mama worry over him. It meant he had missed some of the conversation— or perhaps, no, they’d been moving, coming further into the room.
One of the group, it was three people. Vitus blinked a couple of times to get his eyes to focus, then identified Olivia and Oscar Hemmings, along with Aline Holder. He’d last talked to them what, three weeks ago, and they’d shared some info with Thirza and the others.
