He blinked, stopping a foot away. “Unless you’d rather the bedroom?” She arched one eyebrow, hoping for something more provocative than ridiculous.
“You’re distracting me. Deliberately.” Vitus didn’t move, though, just peered at her.
“Illusionist,” Thessaly pointed out. “Not distracting, not exactly, this time. But I’d like to understand, and if you’d find it easier to talk about whatever— whatever that was?” She gestured a little incoherently at the other end of the sofa. “Or whatever else we should discuss. We could then have something to look forward to after we finished the discussion.”
“For someone who was assiduously careful with her person less than a month ago, you have taken to the idea of bed play rather thoroughly.” Vitus smiled, though, the slow smile that was him unbending a bit.
“I had something I’d like to try, if you’re inclined.” She did, too. She’d bookmarked three possibilities in one of Aunt Metaia’s books, though she suspected it might be the second. That would let her take on more of the physical effort. Besides, they hadn’t tried it yet. “Bedroom?”
He let out a little sigh, amused, and held out his free hand. It took a couple of minutes for her to change into a nightgown and wrapper. Vitus put on a dressing gown and loose pyjamas rather than the suit he’d been wearing. It made Thessaly pleased, in a satisfied way she didn’t have words for, that he left things in the wardrobe now. There was a spare shirt, a different set of cufflinks, a tie, handkerchiefs. She hoped soon, he’d leave a little more, the things she could look at on the long nights when he wasn’t there.
Now, he moved to sit on the bed, one foot pulled up under his other knee. She settled with her back against the pillows at the head, upright, but comfortably relaxed. “What do you have in mind, Thessaly?”
“That depends. I need more information to have a plan.” Thessaly gathered her wits. “Can you tell me the overview of the warding, what you have access to?”
“They added me to the warding on the building yesterday, but I have not yet been inside. Nor has Florent— the family obligations, today. I said I might go have a look in the next few days.”
“And you think you can get into the building.” Thessaly said, probing for that.
“Yes. Whether I can do anything inside the building beyond observe and take measurements, I don’t know. I don’t know if there are charms against interfering with what’s in there.” Vitus swallowed abruptly. “The oaths mean I can’t pass along what they told me. On the other hand, that was precious little that’s specific. I assume there’s more of that coming later.”
“And if I already know it, you’re not the one telling me, are you?” Thessaly pointed out.
It made him look at least a little amused. “You needn’t apply all your rhetoric to me. The oaths were thorough enough, but they didn’t go so far as that. The Scali disapproved. Not withoutadditional financial considerations to compensate for the additional bindings.”
“Ah, so the Fortiers have some other motivations. They thought it safe enough, without spending— what, rather a lot?”
Vitus nodded. “The same over again, was what was suggested.”
She let out an indistinct sound, because that was indeed rather pointed. “All right. So you can open the door. I can possibly get in. Are there talismans that might help? Illusions? How do we do this sensibly?”
“They usually have a footman at the portal, don’t they? Or at least, they have all the times I’ve been there.”
“If there’s any expectation of strangers arriving, yes. It’s outside the warding. Someone has to let guests into the estate wards.” Thessaly shrugged. “But I can get to the estate on my own, and you can now, too. Though I don’t know if they’d know. Better to go around.”
“In that case, I can make the excuse of coming out to investigate when I can take my time. Can you— can you hide yourself well enough? We’d come through the portal together, so it would only open once.”
Thessaly considered. “I can’t manage anything like invisibility. It’s an interesting technical challenge, but not a solved one.” She considered. “But there’s no snow on the ground. It’s hard enough not to show footprints unless there’s frost or something of the kind overnight. Do you have a nice billowing cloak? You look like the sort of person who should, if you don’t.”
That broke the tension in the room nicely. Vitus shifted to kiss her - first on the lips, then on the tip of her nose - before he leaned back to answer. “I do. You think just blending in with the cloak, then, and then keeping to the other side of me?”
“That should do, yes.” Thessaly knew it was a risk; Emeline would be upset, but Emeline couldn’t come. For one thing, it was outside the terms of the contract, even if this were arguably Council business. Second, Thessaly could likely hide herself, but not two people. And third, well, it was something she wanted to do with Vitus, and just with Vitus.
It was and wasn’t the same as being in bed. A plot was, perhaps, another and similar kind of intimacy. Vitus took a breath. “And when we get there?”
“You have tools for investigating, yes? Lingering magic, effects that don’t just start and stop?”
Cautiously, he nodded.
“Bring what you need for that. I’ll look for illusions. And not just the ordinary sort, but there’s a number of charms that might make something easier to use, like a light shining on it. And we’ll see what else we figure out.”
“And we’re not going anywhere near the manor or the other buildings.” Vitus’s chin came up. “That’s a much bigger risk. I can probably talk myself out of trouble, if you can hide, but not anywhere else.”
“I won’t risk that. Besides, just being pragmatic, if they have things in the manor, it’s almost certainly well hidden, the kind of hidden that would take hours and hours to search. They’ve a wine cellar, an extensive materia storage, the library— two libraries, I’ve never even been in the family one, dozens of rooms.”
Vitus let out a sigh. “And you’re sure this is a good idea.”
“I’m certain someone needs to do it, we have the correct position for it, and I think we can do it.” Thessaly could feel the threads of it, like preparing to begin a duel. “It’s possible. I can’t swear we’ll be successful, but it feels, it feels right to try.” She glanced up to one side, to where Aunt Metaia’s portrait stoodon the shelves right outside the bedroom. “And I need to know what, what to worry about. With Sigbert.”
