The Queen's Librarian (29 page)

He had. Sort of. Well, not really. He’d
thought
he wanted to travel. There were the times when Alex had to travel for his father’s business and Lucas always wished he could tag along. But then he’d gone to Red Bridge and everything had gone pear-shaped.

“Is it dangerous?” Alex wanted to know.

“Of course not! I wouldn’t dream of sending my favorite nephew into any sort of danger, not ever.”

Alex thought about that for a moment then asked, “Can I go with him when he travels?”

“Well, of course!” said the Queen and gave Alex a bright, pleased smile.

Lucas gave him a look not nearly as pleasant. “Aunt, I really don’t think I can do—”

“I’m afraid you must have heard me wrong, Lucas dear,” said the Queen with a purse of her lips. “It wasn’t a request. Do this for me and I’ll approve Clara’s betrothal.”

Lucas’s jaw dropped. “But… but you can’t do that!”

“I’m the Queen. I think you’ll find I can do what I like.” She turned to the Prince Consort. “Can’t I, Muffin?”

“That’s what it said in the marriage contract,” was the dry response from behind the paper.

“But—” Lucas’s lip quivered. “But, Aunt, you can’t—”

“Queen.”

“Yes, I
know
, but—”

“Lucas. Darling.” The Queen leaned in with that same sly grin that always made shudders run down Lucas’s spine when Laurie did it. “Shall I make it a Royal Proclamation? There would be much pomp and trumpets.
Trumpets
, Lucas. A very large reception with lots and lots of relatives. Banners. Bunting. And did I mention trumpets?”

Lucas’s mouth was flapping.

“Lucas?” Alex leaned in with a twitch of his lip. “Are you afraid of trumpets?”

Lucas didn’t answer. Because… just
because
. “A… spy.” He sat back into the fat couch cushions and tried not to wheeze.

“A
proper
spy, that’s our Lucas,” the Prince Consort rumbled from behind the paper. “You can get us a proper war going, dear boy.”

“Please don’t,” the Queen sighed.

Alex leaned in close. “This whole spy thing?” he whispered. “It’s actually kind of sexy.”

God. There were
The Eyes
.

It didn’t really make anything better. It came close, though.

“L
EAVING
so soon, Lucas?” Laurie was still sprawled on the couch in the receiving room, still chipper and languid at the same time as only the very drunk or very… magically affected could be. Only this time, it wasn’t Slade with him but Vessa. Laurie’s head was in her lap, and she poked at Laurie’s nose every now and then to make him giggle. Which probably wasn’t very difficult just now.

“Yes,” Lucas said firmly with a sharp nod. “I am getting out of this…
here
, before something else jumps out of a portal. Or secret ‘liquor cabinet’. Or wherever.”

“Probably wise,” Vessa agreed as she poked Laurie on the forehead this time. He giggled anyway. “Something you should know first, though,” Vessa said and sighed when she turned her gaze up to Lucas. She looked… sympathetic.

Right. This can’t be good.

“He was lying,” Vessa said. “Mister Parry, I mean.” When Lucas frowned in confusion, she shrugged. “As adorable as you are, Lucas, he wasn’t after your love. He was after your land.”

“My….” Lucas looked at Alex but there was no help there. “Um,” he said to Vessa. “What?”

“He told Mother he’d been trying to get you to ask her for the rights to the Circle, right?”

“Well, yes.”

“And what reason did he give you?”

“I thought the same one he gave your mother—he wanted to help.” He paused when Vessa lifted her eyebrow. And thought about it a little harder. “No, wait. There was… at the Duck, he said….”
Oh
. Lucas’s eyes widened and he flushed, embarrassed that he hadn’t thought of it before. “That rat
bastard
!”

“Ooh, Lucas!” Laurie giggled. “So manly!”

“What?” Alex demanded. “What are you talking about?”

“At the Duck,” Lucas told him. “Parry was talking about getting the rights to the Circle so that I could sell Rolling Green as a complete parcel. ‘You probably won’t get the best price’ he’d said, and all the while…
oooh
, I could just—”

“He was going to buy it out from under you,” Alex cut in, “and get the rights and the Daimin’s gifts all to himself.” He set his jaw. “You know that thing you asked the Queen if you had to do for your new job and she said no?”

“If that’s what I think it is,” Vessa said, “I’d come up with something a little more creative and a lot less illegal.”

“Oh, don’t be absurd,” Lucas said and rubbed at his brow. “Alex wouldn’t really. He might make Parry wish he had, though.” He shook himself then set his shoulders. “Right. I’ve had enough. Thank you, Vessa. I should have known better in the first place, but thank you for pointing out how naïve I’ve been. You’ll relay as much to your mother?”

“If you’d like.”

“
I
certainly would,” muttered Alex grimly.

“I think it would be best,” Lucas said. “We don’t want to someday end up with another Booths Brinley on our hands.”

“Point,” said Vessa.

“Actually….” Lucas thought his smirk might be a little bit wicked. “Tell Dorset.”

“Ha!” barked Alex and grinned at Vessa. “Oh, please do.”

“Vessa….” Lucas didn’t know quite how to put this, but, “How did you—?”

“Let’s just say I know men.” Vessa’s smile was serene, but Laurie’s rash of chortles and hoots was anything but.

Lucas’s eyebrows went up. “But how—?”

“You probably shouldn’t ask questions to which you don’t want answers.”

That was… probably really excellent advice, now that Lucas thought about it.

“Oh my god.” Laurie’s sniggering had died down. Now he looked a little green. “My sister’s a hoister.” He whimpered. “I really can’t know that about you.”

“I shouldn’t worry,” Vessa said airily. “I doubt you’ll remember much once the magical hangover kicks in.”

Lucas opened his mouth, but immediately shut it again. “You should probably tell your mother,” he told Vessa. “You know, about….” He waved his hand around and tried not to blush too hard. “Um. Parry. And. Right.”

“As you wish,” Vessa agreed with a knowing lift of her eyebrows and waved them off. “Go. You look exhausted. And Annalee is working on the gallery floor today. You should go before she sees you.” She could pack so much evil into a tiny little smile. “You know how she gets. She’s never quite forgiven you for that time you accidentally flashed her.”

Alex perked right up at that. “I
love
coming here!” he enthused with a bright grin he was
so
going to pay for later. “I learn so many new things!”

“I think,” Lucas said slowly, “I think I might take up drinking. Regularly and quite a lot.” He grabbed Alex by the collar. “Let’s go. Come on, Bramble.”

“Bye!” Vessa called as Lucas led Alex and Bramble into the corridor and then down to the servants’ entrance in the west wing. Laurie only sniggered.

“You know, Lucas,” Alex said when they were finally clear of the castle gardens and on the road toward Rolling Green, “the thing with Parry—”

“Is not worth talking about,” Lucas cut in. “Honestly, I don’t think I actually believed his supposed motives in the first place, I simply hadn’t had time yet to think it all through. And in truth, it was a lot less flattering than it probably should have been, so it isn’t like I’m… I don’t know, disappointed, or anything. Really, who would want Parry in love with them?” He shuddered a little. “I mean—
Parry
!”

“Mm,” Alex agreed.

Lucas had been expecting more, honestly, but Alex clammed up and watched his feet on the path without saying anything else. Lucas wasn’t fooled, though. He’d have to keep a very close eye on Alex if he didn’t want him getting himself into trouble by exacting some kind of imagined vengeance. Although, Lucas wasn’t above admitting that he was sort of wondering if the Queen’s not-really-offer of letting Dorset at Parry might still be open.

Actually, when it came to that, Lucas wouldn’t mind having a go himself. It wasn’t like Parry didn’t deserve it, and what better way to prove he wasn’t a delicate flower than to inflict a few black eyes?

“You know,” Alex said after a while, “the Queen truly does dote on you, I could see it quite clearly. If you genuinely don’t want to do the spy thing, she won’t make you.”

Lucas thought about it. He’d been thinking about it all through lunch, actually.

He had to admit that the past few days of adventure, while very scary at times, had also been very exciting. He’d stepped momentarily away from the poor scholarly squire who was in debt past his eyeballs and constantly trying to please his unpleaseable mother, and into a life where he mingled with royal magical beings from another world, stopped magical battles with only the force of his will and his sticky-out hair, became suddenly wealthy, and delivered a groom safely to his sister.

He had no idea what kind of spy he might make, but….

“The Queen’s Librarian turned Queen’s Spy,” he mused aloud. He turned to see Alex giving him a soft smirk, and he smiled back. “My mother would never believe it.”

“True,” said Alex and slung his arm around Lucas’s shoulders. “But if she ever found out, you’d get to kill her.”

Lucas gave him a scandalized scowl. “That’s not funny!”

“It is a little.”

It was. Not that Lucas would ever admit it out loud.

“And you really think it’s sexy?”

“
Oh
.” Alex tightened his arm and turned his head to look at Lucas. “You have
no
idea. And if you do it, I sort of get to do it too. It might be…
exciting
. You know?”

Lucas didn’t, not really. But he’d do just about anything for
The Eyes
.

“Come on, then,” he said to Alex as he stooped down to snatch up a stick to throw for Bramble. “Let’s go home and see what it feels like to shag a spy.”

Alex’s grin was downright dirty as he reached out and slid the ribbon from Lucas’s hair. “Oh my god, I love you so much,” he said and pulled Lucas into a run.

About the Author

C
AROLE
C
UMMINGS
lives with her husband and family in Pennsylvania, USA, where she spends her time trying to find time to write. The recipient of various amateur writing awards, several of her short stories have been translated into Spanish, German, Chinese and Polish. Free shorts, sneak peeks at WIPs, and other miscellany can be found at www.carolecummings.com.

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AROLE
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