Thessaly certainly wasn’t going to interrupt. When Lady Chrodechildis paused, she managed a somewhat feeble, “And of course you want the best for the family.”
“It is a pity that Bradamante could not convince someone to marry in. You see my sons, both of whom have failed at tasks set to them, in multiple ways. I still hold out some hope for Sigbert, but his mother spoils him. You might, in time, provide some backbone.” Then Lady Chrodechildis turned. “What would persuade you to make the agreements?”
Put on the spot like that, Thessaly swallowed. This was every bit as much a duel as the one a week ago. She was far less skilled here, against a woman who had won this sort of match over and over for decades. Finally, choosing her words precisely, she said, “Childeric told me nothing. If I am to be anything other than a broodmare for your plans, I expect something far more equal, allowing me to lend my skills to the family.”
Lady Chrodechildis met her eyes, then she nodded, just once. “Do go now, Thessaly, dear. I wish to stay and consider the portraits further. Maylis will be down in the withdrawing room.”
“Of course.” Thessaly refrained from making an instinctive bob. She did not know how she had done in that, but at least she had said a piece of what she’d been feeling for months.
30
JANUARY 26TH AT THE FOUR METALS ESTATE
“Sure we can’t lure you to supper, Vitus?” Thirza glanced up as she was sorting out what went where. They were wrapping up the experimental work they’d been doing, out at the estate. Vitus shook his head. Daedalus had gone off to pack up his various bits of equipment. Vitus, Merryn, Thirza, and Philemon were doing the rest of the tidying. Vitus had the broom and mop to properly remove the chalk marks from the floor.
Not that they’d been using chalk for the usual reason. They hadn’t been doing particularly arcane rituals. Instead, the chalk had been handy in labelling the direction of the flow of the electricity they’d been experimenting with, and then the magical flow. Vitus hesitated, looking down at the floor, flashing back to what he’d seen in the mill house.
It hadn’t caught him earlier, and that was a different puzzle and a different problem. He stared at it, before hearing Thirza ask again. “Vitus? Supper?”
“Oh, no. My brother’s home for the evening. I want to catch up with him.” It wasn’t just that, though he had a limited chance to see Lucas and more options for everyone here. “Wednesday, after the lecture?”
Thirza cleared her throat. “That is and isn’t an answer. You’ve been distracted all evening. And more so now. Besides all the rest of it.”
“Rest of it?” Vitus ran his hand through his hair, though he did turn to face Thirza. And Merryn, it turned out, Philemon and Daedalus had somehow slipped out. Merryn had something of a right to ask, especially if it might affect the Four Metals, and well, Thirza held her own sway.
“There’s gossip,” Merryn said. “Some about you.” She perched on the table they’d pushed to the side of the room. “I wasn’t going to say anything, but do you have any delicate work planned this week? You might want to rethink that.”
“Am I that badly off? Visibly?” Vitus tried to gather himself, but it was difficult to do in a large workroom. There was nothing to hide behind, no chairs, so he could rearrange how he was sitting. It felt raw and unprotected, uncomfortably like the previous week. There was, he admitted, less chance of a random attack, but there was also less Thessaly to help with a solution. He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked at the floor for lack of anything else to do.
“You’re not at your best, no.” Thirza’s voice was a bit gentler. “You were fine tonight. You didn’t let us down. But you weren’t as thoughtfully helpful as you usually are. We do notice that sort of thing. And we hope we’re friends.”
“Friends.” Vitus let out a puff of breath, then looked at them both. “It’s complicated. And it’s not all mine to tell. Some of it I can’t.”
“How about we tell you the gossip we’ve heard, and you can decide from there,” Merryn said, agreeably. “A little bird told me you’re doing some work with Florent Montague, for the Fortiers. Not what, though we can guess it’s talisman work. Why you? Or why’d you say yes to them? Given, well.”
“Given Thessaly, and Childeric, and whatever else?” Vitus shrugged. “Florent came to me, and I was flattered. The Fortiers wouldn’t usually ask me, but he insisted. He said he needed some of my knack. And some of what we’re talking about here.” He gestured at the floor. “In potential, circuits and connections and all that. Larger structures into which the talismans fit.”
Thirza considered, then her voice got lower. “You know it’s put you at risk.” She didn’t make it a question. She wasn’t being condescending about it.
Vitus looked up, swallowed, and nodded. “Thessaly’s sure something’s odd there. But not any way we could take to the Guard. Or the Council, before you suggest that. Even, really, what category of wrong it is.” People could legitimately build Faraday cages if they wanted to, even if how this one was built and the parallel ritual circles in the floor were incredibly odd.
“Anything you can share?” Merryn’s voice was steady, reassuringly so.
Vitus shook his head. “Not right now. But it is distracting.” He rubbed at his face. “What’s the other gossip?”
“Whether there’s something going on with the Fortiers. Or, possibly, Thessaly. After all, it’s her betrothal that was the start of— well.”
“Childeric Fortier was also involved in that betrothal. Why does everyone, I don’t know, let him slide out of any consequences for his choices?” Vitus turned away, suddenly angry. He wasn’t made for duelling, for fighting, for defending Thessaly’s honour. Even here and now, he felt like anything he might try would turn into crumbling leaves, no good for anything except maybe compost.
He heard Merryn and Thirza talking quietly, and he didn’t turn around. Instead, he took a few steps towards the far end of the room, then a few more. It wasn’t as if walking helped, but standing still definitely wouldn’t. He felt, all of a sudden, likeeverything wanted to burst out of his skin, all the frustration and worry and gnawing feeling that far more was wrong than he understood. Vitus wasn’t just worried for himself, but even more for Thessaly.
At the far end of the room, he leaned his hands on the windowsill, staring out the window toward the woods beyond the cleared ground near the outbuildings. There was silence for a good few minutes, then he heard steps behind him, a throat being cleared, then Merryn’s voice. “What can we do that might actually help?”
Vitus turned at that. “I’m not sure there’s anything.”
“You could ask Thessaly to come round to the club sometime. With you, as a guest.” Merryn offered it cautiously. “If she’d like. If you’d like. No one will gossip about it there.”
“Can’t be sure of that.” The Four Metals were not inclined to the Great Family sort of social gossip, the bloodsport version of it, but it only took one person saying the wrong thing.
