Love's Labor's Won (17 page)

But King Randor is cutting back on our ability to raise independent forces of our own,
she thought. It was hard to blame the king, but she’d heard rumors that some of the barons had returned to their plotting.
And what will that do to the kingdom, in the future
?

She pushed the thought aside and leaned forward. “Are you going to stay for the entire Faire?”

“Unless there is real trouble,” Jade said, firmly. He gave Alassa a sidelong look when she seemed inclined to protest. “I gave your father my oath that I would protect you, and I meant it.”

“She has a habit of leading us into danger,” Emily said. “Or at least into pointless duels with Melissa.” She shook her head. “Melissa is going to be coming, by the way. Please don’t pick a fight with her.”

“I won’t,” Alassa said. She gave Jade a wink. “I think he’s just waiting for a chance to lock me in a room, under the guise of protecting me.”

“It would keep you safe,” Jade said, deadpan.

“It would also be boring,” Alassa said.

Emily winced, inwardly. She knew that some noble families considered it better to have their women neither seen nor heard. The girls were kept in their castles and rarely even presented at court, at least until their marriages were already arranged. Would Alassa have been trapped in her room, if her father had managed to sire a son? Or would she have merely gone to Whitehall and never looked back?

“You should order her to stay in her room,” Jade said, to Emily. He winked, mischievously. “This is your castle.”

“I value my sanity,” Emily said.

“Quite right,” Alassa agreed. “And besides, I know a dozen good blasting spells. The walls wouldn’t survive more than one or two.”

“Please don’t wreck my castle,” Emily said. Inwardly, she recalled Mother Holly smashing through a castle’s walls as though they were made of paper. Cockatrice Castle looked strong, but she had no illusions about how long it would survive if a necromancer decided he wanted to destroy it. “I’m sure we can keep you safe here.”

“I’m not,” Jade said. “There are two families who happen to hate each other on their way. Most of them are powerful and well-trained magicians. Then there are quite a few other magicians who might want to settle grudges against their fellows here, once they see how few security people you have on staff. And then there’s the normal run of thieves, conmen and duelists who want to duke it out in public to see who has the bigger pair. It’s a recipe for disaster.”

Alassa gave him a brilliant, teasing smile. “What happened to the Jade who went into the Forest of Shadows to recover a missing girl?”

“He didn’t have to worry about the safety of a princess,” Jade pointed out. “I was on my own, free of all obligations to protect anyone else.”

Emily blinked. “What did you do?”

“We — Master Grey and I — walked around the edge of the forest,” Jade said. “There was a small town in mourning, because the headman’s daughter had been lured into the forest.”

“It’s a place infused with wild magic,” Alassa explained. “Someone who goes into the Forest of Shadows might not come out again.”

“I couldn’t leave her in the forest,” Jade said. “So I went, found her and brought her back home.”

“Why do I have the feeling,” Emily asked, “that there’s a great deal of the story you’re not telling me?”

“Because there are things in there I don’t want to remember,” Jade said. For a moment, his eyes looked haunted. “I found the girl, brought her back and left the forest behind. And yet, it still left a mark on my soul.”

Emily nodded in understanding, one hand playing with the snake-bracelet. She still had nightmares about the Cairngorms, although they tended to focus on what humans did to their fellow humans, rather than magical creatures and waves of wild magic. Human cruelty was so much worse, somehow, than anything else she’d seen.

“But enough of that,” Alassa said. “I understand that Caleb has arrived?”

Emily blinked. “How did you know?”

“Lady Barb told us,” Imaiqah said. “I don’t think I ever saw him in Dragon’s Den. What’s he like?”

Emily hesitated. “Studious,” she said, finally. “And smart. Very smart.”

“As smart as you?” Imaiqah asked. “Should we start planning the wedding now?”

“
No
,” Emily said. She felt her cheeks heat as her friends giggled. “We only met today!”

“At least you met him,” Alassa commented. “Some people get married without ever meeting their partner, at least until the day of their wedding. And some people get married without meeting their partner at all.”

Emily rubbed her flaming cheeks. “We’re going to do a project together,” she protested. “A project! And you have us practically married off!”

“You could always go on a double-date with me and...”

“And who?” Alassa asked sweetly. “What’s his name? What’s his name, Mark II? You know who? You know who else? You possibly don’t know who...?”

Imaiqah blushed prettily. “There’s nothing wrong with exploring the possibilities...”

Emily shook her head. Imaiqah had grown and blossomed at Whitehall, becoming friendly and outgoing...words that no one would ever apply to Emily herself. She’d had so many boyfriends that Emily had lost count, yet she didn’t seem to have fallen in love with any of them. Emily, on the other hand, couldn’t bear the thought of dating someone she didn’t know, personally, beforehand.

She carefully didn’t look at Jade. He’d kissed her once, and she’d let him. And he’d asked her to marry him. But she knew now it would have been a disaster. She was flattered that he’d asked, yet she knew she couldn’t have married him. It would definitely have been awkward.

And that
, she told herself,
is one hell of an understatement
.

“Just be careful,” Alassa advised. “My mother was
very
frank about the dangers.”

Imaiqah nodded. “I use potions,” she said. “And other precautions.”

She looked at Emily. “This is the first time I think you’ve worked with a young man of about the same age,” she said. “Be open, but be careful.”

“We’re working on a project,” Emily repeated. She’d liked what she’d seen of Caleb, but she had no idea if he was always like that. Her stepfather had been charming too, until he’d convinced Emily’s mother to marry him. And then he’d turned into a monster. “I don’t know if we will have any other relationship.”

“Take it as it comes,” Imaiqah advised. She glanced at Alassa. “Or will your father try to have a say?”

“I don’t think he could,” Alassa said. “Emily isn’t his daughter or one of his wards. And her...
father
might not be inclined to let
my
father try to marry her off.”

Emily frowned. “Do the other barons need the king’s approval to marry?”

“Depends who they want to marry,” Alassa said. “If they wanted to marry me or the wards...or my aunt, before I killed her...they’d need his permission. I think any marriages that might bind two estates together would also need the king’s permission. Emily would probably need his permission if she wanted to marry Baron Silver.”

“That is not a pleasant thought,” Emily said. Baron Silver was old enough to be her father, if he’d started early, and only escaped execution through proving he knew nothing of his father’s plot. Unfortunately, as a Confirmed heir, he couldn’t be kept from claiming the rank and title. “He’s far too old.”

“But you have huge tracts of land,” Alassa said, blandly. “And so does he.”

Emily cringed, mentally.

There was a tap at the door. “Begging your pardon, my ladies, my lord, but dinner is about to be served,” Janice said. “Please would you make your way to the small dining room?”

“Thank you,” Emily said. She rose, wondering briefly where Frieda had gone. Lady Barb might have found something for her to do, or she might just have found a book and started to read. “We’ll be down in a few minutes.”

Alassa caught Emily’s eye as Janice retreated. “You’re really not comfortable here, are you?”

Emily swore, inwardly. Alassa was more perceptive than most people realized. Even before Emily had told her the truth about Earth, she’d still realized that Emily knew very little of the Nameless World. Alassa had grown up with servants tending to her at all times, helping her to undress and wash herself before dressing again, but Emily...Emily was used to doing things by herself.

“No,” she admitted, finally. “I will never be used to having servants.”

Dinner was a surprisingly cheerful affair. Alassa and Imaiqah chatted happily to Frieda and made plans to spend tomorrow having fun, while Jade chatted to Caleb and Lady Barb watched them all, her blue eyes revealing nothing of her innermost thoughts. Emily forced herself to relax and eat as much as she could. The first guests were due to arrive tomorrow, and she would need to be ready to greet them. It wasn’t going to be easy.

“The last time we had a transfer student,” Alassa said, “she turned out to be a spy. What about you?”

It took Emily a moment to realize she was talking to Caleb, who took it in good part.

“I have better things to do with my time than spy on Whitehall,” he said. “Besides, I don’t think anyone at Stronghold really cares enough to send a spy.”

“That could be just what they want you to think,” Alassa countered. “Or they could have sent another student to spy on us — and you.”

Emily sighed inwardly. Alassa knew the meaning of the word
tact
, but she rarely used it.

“As far as I know, I’m the only transfer student from Stronghold,” Caleb said. “And I don’t think they would have let me go if they’d valued my mind.”

“I heard that Sergeant Harkin graduated from Stronghold,” Jade said, entering the conversation. “Is that actually true?”

Caleb smiled. “Would you know the name of every halfway famous student who left Whitehall?”

“Maybe not,” Emily said. She knew of some who could be considered famous — or infamous, in Shadye’s case — but she had to admit she didn’t know everyone who had graduated. The only reason she knew a handful of Jade’s contemporaries was through Martial Magic. “But Sergeant Harkin was special.”

“I don’t know if Stronghold considered him special,” Caleb said, softly. “We are only told to honor those who served in our regiments. I don’t recall any
Harkin
being mentioned on the rolls, during Memorial Day.”

Their loss
, Emily thought. She still mourned Sergeant Harkin, who’d given his life to save hers.
They should remember him
.

The conversation lasted long into the night, only ending when Lady Barb dryly reminded everyone that they would have to be up the following morning. Emily rose, called the maids to show the others to their bedrooms, and walked slowly back to her own rooms. It was funny, but the castle felt livelier now that her friends had arrived.

She stopped at her door and touched the cold stone. It was an honor, she knew, to be a baroness...but it was also a prison. If she chose to remain at a distance, she would have to run the risk of Bryon making mistakes...and if she chose to stay in Cockatrice, she would never be able to leave. And she really
wasn’t
suited for this life.

“I can’t stay here,” she muttered. “But where can I go?”

There were options. Whitehall felt like home...and there were other places she could live, if she wished. But what did she want to do with her life?

Magic
, she thought.
But I need to do more than just magic
.

Shaking her head, she opened the door and walked inside. Her room felt warm and welcoming, yet it didn’t quite feel like
hers
. Emily sat down on the bed, undressed quickly, then climbed under the covers. Lady Barb had been right, she knew. She would need her rest.

Tomorrow, everything was going to become more than a little hectic.

Chapter Fourteen

“T
HE ROOMS ARE ALL READY
,” Bryon assured her after breakfast. “They’ve been cleaned as you ordered, and the maids have been given their orders.”

“Good,” Emily said. The castle could hold nearly a hundred guests, which was fortunate; Bryon had assigned every last one of the guestrooms. He’d even hired extra maids and manservants to assist with the guests. She couldn’t help thinking that he would make a much better ruler of the barony than her. “Remind them of the rules when dealing with magical visitors.”

“It has been done,” Bryon told her. “All is in readiness.”

Emily nodded, tiredly. She hadn’t slept well.

“Emily,” Lady Barb said, walking up to them. “We need to discuss the other arrangements for the guests.”

“I know,” Emily said. “I’m coming.”

She’d hoped to spend an hour or two with Caleb, or even work on her own projects, but it was not to be. Lady Barb talked her through everything from basic security to what to do if there was an emergency, then Bryon wanted her to approve the dinner menu and authorize additional expenses for some of the guests. Emily couldn’t help wondering if the barony was going to be in debt after the Faire was over, even if they didn’t spend any more money than they’d spent already. It seemed unlikely that the money they made through hosting the Faire could meet their expenditures.

But when she asked, Bryon disagreed. “It shouldn’t be a problem,” he assured her. “We get a small commission on everything sold at the Faire, as well as the flat fee for allowing the merchants to set up their stalls in our territory.”

Emily sighed. “I hope so,” she said, as she sensed the wards flicker. The first set of guests had started to arrive, on schedule. “We’re out of time.”

She allowed Bryon to lead her back to the Great Hall, where she sat on her throne-like chair and watched as the first set of guests were ushered into the hall. It was custom, Lady Barb had told her, for the host to greet the most important sets of guests personally, which very definitely included both the Ashworth and Ashfall Families. Thankfully, she’d gone on to say, most of the remaining guests would understand why Emily had granted the two families precedence; they wouldn’t expect her to greet them, although they
would
expect her to say a few words to them during social gatherings.