“You always were...astonishinglygood at whatever pursuit you put your mind to.” My voice shivered on thewords.
“Good.” Wrexham sounded rather hoarse himself; he cleared his throat, his hands tightening briefly around my shoulders before he stepped back and let me go. “Don’t forget it this time, if you please,” he toldme.
As if I everhad.
Foolishman.
But I had revealed quite enough vulnerability for one day. So I only smiled serenely and turned to sail out of the knot garden with as much grace and confidence as if I weren’t still ripped half-open and reelinginwardly.
Perhaps it wasn’t a surprise that I tripped. But the timing—just as I stepped out through the archway of the protected knot garden—was enough to send a jolt of cold fear like an icicle stabbing through the bubble of warmth and joy that had protected me for the past halfhour.
I whirled around to peer up at the hillside beyond, where I’d glimpsed the elf-lord watching me thatmorning.
Nothing.It stood bleak and bare in the falling snow, and the flakes around me flew harmlessly away without ever landing on my skin. No spell had truly pierced my bubble this time. It had only been a stray branch on the ground that sent mestumbling.
Wrexham came up behind me, following my gaze. “What did yousee?”
“Nothing.” I forced my fisted fingers to unclench. “He isn’t there...thistime.”
“The elf-lord?” Wrexham’s voice hardened. “You mean you’ve seen him again since we spoke to himyesterday?”
“Apparently, he likes to keep an eye on his investments...and make certain they see him doing so.” My lips curled into a humorless smile. Lifting my chin, I deliberately turned my back on the hills and any watchers beyond, reaching out to take Wrexham’s arm and pitching my voice loud enough to be heard by anyone. “I’m sure it’s all part of the amusement of the game for him. Tame housecats always like to play with their prey before they go in for the kill, don’tthey?”
The muscles in Wrexham’s arm were rigid with tension as he gazed out toward the hills beyond with narrowed eyes, resisting my tug toward the house. His voice dropped to a dangerously low pitch, like the warning growl of a decidedly non-tame tiger. “Does Lady Cosgrave know yet that she has an elf-lord lurking about her property and menacing herguests?”
“He told her that he’s here on behalf of his king, making sure that all’s prepared for the solstice celebrations...which are scheduled for the same date as my own day of reckoning.” I shrugged. “Apparently, Lord Ilhmere has never been a fan of ourtreaty.”
“So he’s timed all of this with great precision.” Wrexham let out a hissing sigh through his teeth. Then his muscles finally relaxed, and he looked down at me with a rueful expression as he turned, following the tug of my hand. “You do keep life interesting, don’t you,Harwood?”
“Just wait until you hear what I have planned for the Great Library,” I told him as we started toward Cosgrave Manor and our next move in the game. “We only have to solve this one tiny problemfirst.”
But it wasn’t as easy to make progress on that matter as I hadhoped.
Young Luton was apparently as contemptuous of festive conviviality as he was of the Great Library itself. He was nowhere to be found in any of the public rooms in Cosgrave Manor when we returned. Nor did he join the rest of the company for luncheon, afternoon tea orsupper.
By the time the ladies withdrew from the supper table that evening, I wasseething.
“Is young Mr. Luton ill?” I demanded before the drawing room door had even closed behind us. Amy had already moved toward the tea urn, where many of the younger women were gathering, but I was far too irate to care for hot drinks now. “Has anyone heard of something amiss with his health, to keep him hiding in his room allday?”
“What, him?” Old Mrs. Seabury let out a bark of laughter as she settled herself on the wing chair closest to the crackling fire. “Healthy as a horse, that boy! The stubbornest, most boneheaded ones always are, hadn’t younoticed?”
A round of coughing broke out around the circle as the rest of the assembled ladies alternately averted their eyes or slid pointed looks at that oldest and crotchetiest member of the Boudiccate...who had, indeed, existed in perfect health for as long as I had knownher.
Clearing her throat and looking purposefully away from Mrs. Seabury, Lady Cosgrave said, “Delilah? Have you heard of anything amiss with yournephew?”
“What?” A vaguely familiar-looking middle-aged lady in the far corner gave a start, her teacup jostling in her hand and hot tea spilling across her lap. As she swiped frantically at the spill, I finally placed her as one of Lady Cosgrave’s many cousins; no great political figure, but close enough in blood to be included in any social occasions like this one. She winced now as she looked up from her tea-stained lap and found a dozen pairs of eyes watching her. “Oh, no, has Gregory offended someone else now?Doforgive me! His mother swore he’d finally learned to hold his tongue in company,but—”
“Shh.” Lady Cosgrave put out one placating hand. “We all know you aren’t to blame for his behavior, Delilah. It was kind of you to bring him with you this time to give his poor mother some respite from hismoods.”
“It wasmeantto be practice comporting himself in high company,” Delilah said dolefully. “My sister has great plans for him, you know, if only he could ever learn to smile and be quiet when people say things that he disagrees with. Heisa genius, I’m told, if only we could convince anyone to hire him! But that Sansom fellowwouldkeep talking of his own magical theories last night,and—”
“One can hardly blame your nephew for losing patience,” I said sincerely. “But do you happen to know where he is now? I haven’t seen him allday.”
“Why, Cassandra.” Lady Cosgrave raised her eyebrows knowingly at me. “I would have thought you would have far more important things to worry about today of all days. Hasn’t your new fiancé—or should I say, yourrenewedfiancé—been providing enough entertainment for you?” She smiled fondly as a ripple of interest ran around the circle, and the gathered ladies drew closer with a visible eagerness that grated against my taut nerves. “We’re allsopleased that the two of you finally sorted things out after all. I always knew you would, once you overcame your littledifficulties.”
“Now things can finally be just as they should have been all along!” said the lady next to her. “He’lltake care of all the magic in the family, and you can finally take your own place in politics, just as your mother always wanted. It’s almost too perfect to be believed, isn’tit?”
It was certainlysomething.But before I could even begin to express my full and sincere reaction to her statement, Amy hurried up behind me. Clearly, she’d sensed danger just intime.
