A Lady And Her Magic (24 page)

Ashley cringed as the leader of the Trusted Few banged his gavel and called for order. The duke leaned closer to Lord Ramsdale and asked, “Fae court?”

“I have no idea,” Ramsdale said with a shrug.

Ashley would have felt more in his element if he were wearing his own clothes. Or shoes. Or stockings. Or a waistcoat. He was sorely underdressed for the occasion. But he supposed it couldn’t be helped.

Ashley looked over at Sophia’s grandfather, who wore a look of resignation and warning. “Welcome to the land of the fae, gentlemen,” he said with reverence.

Ashley dropped into a low bow. As did Lord Ramsdale. “We are happy to be here.”

One of them harrumphed. “I’m certain you are. Thousands of years, and a human has never entered our land. I think they should be tossed in the gaol and left there to rot!”

Sophia’s grandfather rolled his eyes and banged his gavel. “They’re here on my invitation, gentlemen,” he said. He coughed into his hand.

The Trusted Few looked shocked. “They can be sent back immediately and their memories taken from them.”

Ramsdale shot to his feet. “No one will take a single memory!” he bit out. “Not a single one. My wife went through years of torment because of your need for secrecy. I will not allow it. Not for a single moment longer.”

One of the Trusted Few had the nerve to chuckle. Ramsdale rounded upon him. “Do not test me, old man,” he warned. Ashley clasped Ramsdale on the shoulder and urged him to calm.

Ashley faced Sophia’s grandfather. “You had a reason behind your summons, did you not, sir?” he asked.

“Summons,” the Trusted Few sputtered.

Sophia’s grandfather coughed into his handkerchief and waited a moment to catch his breath. Then he continued. “I am dying, I’m afraid.”

Ramsdale made a noise in his throat but didn’t say anything.

“But I had some wrongs I needed to right before I did. I got you here, gentlemen. Or at least I put it all in motion.”

He sat up straighter in the chair.

“Pray continue,” Ashley encouraged.

“My wife is a mission faerie, as was my daughter. When my daughter fell in love with Ramsdale, I gave no thought at all to the way things were done. I cut her from my life and let her move into yours, simply because those are the rules of the fae. It’s the way we live. But it shall be the way we live no longer.”

The Trusted Few complained amongst themselves.

“I allowed my own prejudices against the humans to take my daughter from me. I let her choose. And she chose love. Looking back on it, I wouldn’t have respected her had she chosen anything less.” He chuckled lightly to himself. “When my granddaughter was presented with the same path, she chose to give up love for family.”

He speared Ashley with a glance. “You love my granddaughter, almost as much as he loves my daughter. You fell in love with one of the fae, more’s the pity. But that is not your fault.” He stopped for a moment to catch his breath.

“It is my belief that with strict regulations, the fae and human worlds can mix. It’s against the law of nature to take children from their parents. By doing so, I got to raise my grandchildren, but that’s a travesty in itself.”

Ramsdale looked enraptured.

“I raised three of them, but he didn’t get the honor,” Sophia’s grandfather continued. “And he has three that I haven’t even met and never will.” Emotion choked his voice. “I will die without knowing my grandchildren or their fates.” He slammed his fist down on the tabletop, hitting it so hard that Ashley couldn’t help but wince for him. “But the travesty is that he could have died without knowing his three children. Sophia, Marcus, and Claire could have been lost to him forever. And that, my good sirs, is a crime.”

Ramsdale leaned toward him. “Who is Claire?”

Sophia’s grandfather took a box from his pocket. “She is your third fae child.”

Ramsdale’s mouth fell open. “I have three children?”

His father-in-law slid the box toward him. Then he opened his fist and blew some dust into the air. The Trusted Few looked at it incredulously, as though he’d be shackled in Bedlam within moments. But then he said, “May you share your pain with them all, so they can understand. Open the box.”

Ashley had been there when Sophia opened her box of memories and remembered feeling like he was hit by a team of runaway horses when he’d felt her pain. He steeled himself as Ramsdale opened the box, but it wasn’t enough. The memories swirled around the room like living beasts. They prowled and jumped and danced and fought with all the occupants of the room, and Ashley wanted to do nothing more than leave the chamber and run from the feeling. But he forced himself to experience the heartbreak that came with losing a child. A parent’s desperation in knowing there’s nothing he can do to prevent it. The aching sorrow of remembrance.

The Trusted Few felt it, too. One swiped at his eyes, as another clutched at his throat, choked by the feelings closing in upon them all. Finally, when Ashley worried he could take no more, the feelings dissipated. They settled like dirt after a broom throws it into the air, heavy and dirty.

“We should all be ashamed,” one of the Trusted Few murmured.

The others were a little more reticent. But they slowly agreed. “How can we make it work? Our kind performs a service within the human world. If the fae strive to be part of that world, there can be recriminations.”

“Ambassadors,” Ashley muttered to Ramsdale.

The man appeared to have hope for the first time since they’d sat down. The ruddiness had left his cheeks, and he appeared to understand what was required of him. “Ambassadors.”

Ashley shot to his feet. “We shall be ambassadors between your world and ours. We will come and go at will. But we will be the only ones who can, unless the Trusted Few approve of any additions to your world. We will ensure that no one of our world is apprised of your secrets, and by working together, we can preserve your anonymity and freedom.” He took a deep breath and smiled. “We can work together.”

Sophia’s grandfather reached for the duke’s hand. Ashley shook it in a firm grip. Then Sophia’s grandfather got up and clasped Ramsdale in his arms. “I will leave it to the rest of you to work out the details.” He called for some servants to take him back home. By the looks of him, he wasn’t to be long of this world.

“Thank you, sir,” Ashley said. Ramsdale bowed low before him. “Please know that I will care for your family as my own.”

Sophia’s grandfather beckoned the servants to stop. “I have watched you for years. You are a brilliant example of love, faith, and devotion. Teach that to my grandchildren and ensure that future fae do not suffer the same fate as my daughter. With this task, I entrust you. And my name is Lucius Gramerly. Be certain they remember me and this day.”

“I promise. Good day, sir,” Ramsdale said with a nod.

The servants carried the old man from the room, but he left with a light heart and a smile on his face.

“Let’s decide how this will work, shall we, gentlemen?” Ramsdale said, as he pulled up a chair and began to scratch a list on a piece of parchment.

***

Sophia clutched her grandfather’s hand in her own and willed him to grow stronger. If she could accomplish that by sheer will alone, she would. But it was not to be.

Her mother paced across the room, nibbling her fingernail as she muttered, “What on earth is taking them so long?”

Her grandfather didn’t wake. Sophia feared he wouldn’t. He was much too weak.

Suddenly, the door opened and Lord Ramsdale entered. Her mother looked anxiously at her father and waited for him to smile. “It looks as though we’ll be staying in the land of the fae for a time.”

Her jaw fell open. “How can that be?”

He nodded to the man in the bed. “Your father had a change of heart. He put all this in motion. He needed to lighten his heart and bring you back into the fold. And I get to come with you.”

“What about the children?” she asked.

“They will come, too, if I can talk Marcus into taking over our affairs for a time. I need to talk to him and see if he’s all right with it. He is my heir, after all.”

“Your oldest son will be all right with that?” Sophia asked.

“Marcus is my oldest son. Allen will have to live with it.” Ramsdale looked a bit worried about the prospects. But Sophia supposed it couldn’t be avoided. “The other five will live with us here in the land of the fae, at least long enough to learn about the world you come from.” He tugged at his wife’s elbow. “Let’s take a walk. I have much to tell you.” She looked over at the bed, where her father lay so still.

“Go,” Sophia encouraged. “I’ll call you if he worsens.”

Sophia’s mother followed her husband into the corridor and closed the door behind them.

Sophia fell into Ashley’s arms. He wrapped her tightly and stroked her hair.

“He’s a wily old codger,” Ashley finally said with a chuckle. “You have no idea how much it took for the man to pull this off. He planned for years, weighing his options, deciding the best way to proceed.”

“What happened?” Sophia asked.

“Your father has replaced him as one of the Trusted Few,” Ashley said. He shook his head in disbelief.

Ashley reached out to push her mouth closed. “I know,” he crooned. “I didn’t think it would work either. But we made them an offer they couldn’t refuse.”

She stepped back to look into his face. “What sort of offer?”

“They want to know more about our world. So they can protect their interests. So, I have promised to build a library and fill it with literature of the past, present, and future. I am also to be their liaison between the worlds. Kind of like a voice outside the fae. I’ll represent them in Parliament, without anyone knowing it’s in their interest, of course.”

“Can you do that?”

“I can,” he said with a shrug. “I won’t compromise my principles for them. But I’ll represent what is good and right if they need it. I can’t see it happening often.”

She laid her head upon his chest and took a deep breath, feeling lighter than she had in a very long time. She took a deep breath. “I never expected it to all work out.”

A sound arose from the bed. “It has to work out,” her grandfather groaned. He fell into a fit of coughing, his body wracked so hard by it that Sophia feared he would expire on the spot. She rushed to his side.

“My lovely girl,” he said, reaching a hand toward her.

She pressed her face into his palm and a hot tear trailed down her cheek. She held his hand by her cheek until he slept, and then she tucked his hand beneath the counterpane.

“I fear it won’t be long,” Ashley warned.

“I know,” she whispered back, as he gripped her shoulder in a strong grasp.

Sophia stepped from the tub and wrapped a length of linen around her body. She glanced quickly at the clock on the mantel. Ashley would be expecting her at noon. She wrung the water from her hair. She would barely have time for her hair to dry, much less to have it piled atop her head in any kind of artful creation.

The door to her dressing room opened, and Margaret slipped quietly into the room. Sophia’s mother walked in behind her. “We’re here to help you get dressed,” her mother said, her eyes shimmery with tears. She could have sworn Margaret blinked back a tear or two as well, but the maid turned away, cleared her throat, and reached for the wardrobe doorknob. She looked inside and turned back with a grimace. “Your green dress is the only thing fancy enough for the occasion,” she said.

“Oh, wait.” Her mother looked around the room and went to the door. She giggled lightly. “It was supposed to be delivered by now.” She opened the door and stuck her head out. “I knew you wouldn’t be able to stay away,” she laughed as Sophia’s grandmother walked into the room. She had a dress hung over her arm and a sly grin on her face. She looked at Lady Ramsdale and said, “You don’t mind if she wears it, do you?”

A lone tear slipped down Sophia’s mother’s cheek, but she swiped it away and hopped onto the bed like an adolescent might. She stuck a pillow in her lap and rested her elbows upon it. “I can’t wait to see it on you.”

“What is it?” Sophia asked. She reached out to touch the material. It was as soft as the down of a newly hatched bird and as shiny as her magic dust. It sparkled and shone, rays of light bouncing off it like it was lined with prisms.

“It’s my wedding dress,” her grandmother said. “I thought you might like to wear it.”

Sophia took the dress and held it up in front of her, and as she regarded herself in the looking glass, she could already imagine herself in it and the look on Ashley’s face when he saw it.

“You can marry beneath the arbor in the churchyard. Where the sun can play upon it. It’s well known that sunbeams bring good luck.”

“That’s an old wives’ tale, Mother,” Lady Ramsdale scolded.
Her
mother
scolded. Would she ever get used to that? Perhaps with time. Her mother covered one side of her mouth with her hand, as though she had a secret to impart. But she spoke loudly. “It’s also said that moonbeams are just as lucky.”

“It’s lucky just to be of the fae,” Grandmother said a she cupped the side of Sophia’s face. “I know you never felt that way before.”

She never had. She’d concentrated on the loss, and not on the fortunate parts of her life. She’d concentrated on her missions and on the tasks set before her by the fae. But she’d never taken the time to actually enjoy her life. She planned to enjoy every moment with Ashley and Anne. Every single one.

“Help me to dress, Margaret?” Sophia asked, watching the woman closely.

“Yes, miss,” the house faerie said quickly as Sophia took the dress from her grandmother and slipped behind the screen in the room. She turned back to her grandmother and her mother. “Would you mind leaving me alone with Margaret for a moment?” She made a nod toward the door.

Her mother looked wounded, but only for a second. “May I return when you’re dressed?”

“Of course.”

Sophia waited until they were gone and the door had closed softly behind them. Then she approached Margaret, waited until she turned to look at her, and then took her maid’s hands in her own. Margaret looked everywhere but at her as Sophia tried to catch her gaze.

“Look at me,” she finally said. Margaret looked at her fully. “You have been a friend to me my whole life.” Margaret tried to pull back. But Sophia tightened her grip upon her maid’s hands. “And even more than that, you have been a
mother
to me.” A tear trickled down Margaret’s cheek.

“You have a mother,” Margaret said. She refused to look at Sophia as she sniffled.

“I do, and I am lucky to have her in my life now. But you stood in her stead for such a long time. So, please allow me to say thank you for all you’ve done for me.”

“I don’t like passing you off to the hands of a human. I didn’t like doing it with your mother. And I don’t like it with you.” She finally looked Sophia in the eye. “Where will you live? Here or there? Will you have children? Will you raise them to be fae or to be human? Will I ever see you again after you leave this world?” She was squeezing Sophia’s hands even harder than Sophia squeezed hers.

“When I have children, I will want you to be with me. I cannot raise my children without you. Wherever I am, I hope you will be. With what Robinsworth has done here, we will be able to come and go at will, rather than at the whim of a few old men.” Sophia laughed softly. “Times, they are changing.”

“What if I don’t like change?” The maid gave a watery chuckle.

“I don’t think we have much choice at this point. Will you help me dress?”

***

Ashley waited beneath the arbor, so intent upon seeing her that he could not draw his eyes from the church courtyard entryway. “Hmm… Perhaps she changed her mind,” one of the Trusted Few said.

“She had better not,” Lord Ramsdale grunted. He stood beside Ashley beneath the arbor. A grub worm poked its head from the earth and chattered at them. “What the hell was that?” the viscount asked.

“No idea,” Ashley muttered.

“He’s offended by your frantic pacing,” Ronald said. “He actually threatened bodily harm if you don’t stop it.”

“Bodily harm from a grub worm?” Ashley shot an incredulous look at the gnome.

Suddenly, the earth shook beneath his feet. Ashley held out his arms to the side to steady himself. “Don’t tell me,” the viscount muttered.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” The gnome whistled innocently.

No matter how long he stayed in the land of the fae, Ashley would never grow used to the magic, he feared. His daughter, on the other hand, was quiet enchanted by it all. “Are you certain Anne is all right with your wife?” She didn’t know Lady Ramsdale, after all.

“My wife is enjoying every moment. And I’m certain Anne’s fine. You can stop your worrying about it.”

Just then, a sparkle from the entry to the church courtyard caught Ashley’s eye. It was gone in a flash. Then it reappeared. Well, Sophia appeared. It was as though she appeared in bits and pieces, as shimmery as her magic. When the whole of her took shape, he looked at her and he couldn’t believe his eyes. She was dressed in white and sparkled like a diamond, and holding hands with her was his daughter, Anne.

“Hi, Papa,” Anne cried with a small wave. She was dressed in something the likes of which he’d never seen. It was tightly fitting, and the skirt hung only to her knees where it drifted in wavy, detached pieces of fabric. “They let me have a fae dress,” she exclaimed. “Do I look beautiful?”

It was almost too hard for him to answer. To do so, he’d have to draw his gaze from Sophia. But he forced himself to look at his daughter and praise her appropriately. “Do you have a bit of fae in you, Anne?” he said as he crouched down on one knee.

“No wings,” she whispered back.

“I don’t have any either,” he whispered.

“But I saw some. They’re real.”

“I know they’re real,” he affirmed. “I have seen them myself.”

“Can I have some one day?” She cocked her pretty little head to the side.

He shrugged. “I believe anything may be possible in this land.”

Just then, the birds began a song, a most melodious song, and Ashley wondered at the way they had lined up along the top of the fence posts. But then, a row of turtles joined them, each holding curved drumsticks, and they began a basic rhythm on their backs. They were joined by spiders that made four silken strings, each several feet in length. Upon these strings sat a handy little bug, which Ashley didn’t even recognize. The bug began to pick at the strings, until he found a rhythm to match the rest of the symphony.

Sophia clapped loudly. Then she leaned close to him and whispered. “They haven’t done this in years. This must mean that the balance is being restored. They’re happy.”

Ashley tucked a lock of hair behind her pointy ear. Would he ever get used to their differences? He supposed not. But life would never be boring. “Are you happy?” he asked softly.

“I’d be happier if I could marry you as myself,” she said quietly. “But this will have to do.”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“I wish I could show my wings,” she whispered for his ears alone.

“Why can’t you?” he whispered back.

“Because they’re the wrong color,” she murmured, flushing as she remembered why the color change had taken place.

“I love you no matter their color. And I think you should be proud of them, because it was only by our actions that I arrived here. We’re together. And we’re making it legal.”

Sophia appeared to mull it over. She drew her bottom lip between her teeth and worried it. If she did that much more, he would have to kiss it. She closed her eyes, and within seconds, her wings appeared. Her grandmother’s antique dress was laden with fae magic, so her wings didn’t disturb the beauty of the dress. They were the color of her skin. They flushed as much as she did. They weren’t pink. Or red. Or any other telling hue. “I don’t understand,” she murmured, shaking her head.

Her mother stepped up beside her. “You love him.” That was all she said. As though the answer could be found in those three little words.

“Was that fact ever in question?” Ashley asked, arching one playful brow at Sophia.

She nudged his shoulder with hers. “Never,” she confirmed with a smile. She turned to her mother. “But I don’t understand. What does love have to do with it?”

Her mother rolled her eyes. “The fae are an odd lot. They honor valor and deeds much more than ceremonies. For them, this ceremony isn’t even necessary. They’re only doing it because your father insisted upon it.”

“I still don’t understand.”

“You did what lovers do. You committed yourselves to one another in the most basic way possible. You did it with forethought, and you did it despite the risk. It sealed the two of you together. Your wings are a reflection of what’s in your heart.” She looked longingly over her shoulder. “I wish I still had mine.”

Ashley looked at Lord Ramsdale, who looked up at them with a grin. “You haven’t given them to her yet,” he said to Sophia’s father.

Lord Ramsdale’s face flushed. “I was waiting for the right time,” he said. Then he reached into his pocket and held out a box. “Your father took these from you. And he wanted to be the one to return them to you. But with the way events transpired…” He let his voice trail off. It had been a fortnight since the old man’s passing, and his death and the respect they owed him was the only reason Sophia and Ashley’s wedding hadn’t taken place sooner.

A tear trickled down Sophia’s cheek. “You should open it,” she whispered to her mother.

Sophia had come so close to losing her own wings. She was the only one who could even begin to sympathize. But Lady Ramsdale put the box in her pocket and patted it reverently. “I’ll save them for later.”

“Open it,” Sophia protested.

“This is your day,” Lady Ramsdale said. “And I’m afraid they’ll feel foreign to me. I’d like to open them in private.”

Sophia nodded as though she understood.

Ashley looked down into Sophia’s smiling face. “You plan to make an honest man of me today, don’t you?” He shot a sly glance toward her father. “If you say no, I’m afraid he’ll resort to fisticuffs.”

“Let’s get married, shall we?”