Howls and Hallows: A Steampunk Fairy Tale (Steampunk Red Riding Hood Book 5)

by Melanie Karsak

  But even as I reminded myself of my affection for Edwin, another emotion tugged on my heart.

  He’s gone.

  He left.

  Forget him.

  Remember what Quinn said. Werewolf hunters don’t fall in love with werewolves.

  “Ready?” Edwin asked as we neared the double doors.

  I nodded.

  With a flourish, the footmen bowed and opened the doors.

  “Welcome to the All Hallows Ball,” Edwin whispered.

  Chapter 25: The All Hallows Ball

  While I had seen the room in preparation, nothing prepared me for the cacophony of music, the kaleidoscope of light and colors, and the pure grandeur of the All Hallows Ball. If I hadn’t begun to secretly—okay, maybe not so secretly—detest Lady Charlotte, I would have been impressed. In one corner, the musician, dressed as skeletal players, played a waltz, filling the room with delightful music. Every corner of the room was decorated festively. Like the entryway, bales of hay, wheat shafts, gourds and pumpkins, scarecrows, broomsticks, and more decorated the place. Pointed black witches’ caps hung from the ceiling alongside shadowy crepe material posing as ghosts. The servants were in costume as well, angels and devils circling the ballroom carrying trays with flutes of champagne. One section of the ballroom had been cornered off for two women who were offering occultist services: tarot and palm reading. The entire scene was lavish but jarring.

  “I suspect Lord Byron would have approved,” Edwin said, referring to the late poet who’d been well-known for his wild parties and coursing ways.

  “Didn’t you tell me you attend every year?”

  Edwin grinned. “It’s fun to make light of the monstrous from time to time.”

  “Is it?” I wasn’t so sure. “Care to have your palm read?” I asked, motioning to the fortunetellers.

  Once more, that strange feeling nagged at me. I glanced around the room for any sign of…well, anything. There was something here. With everyone wearing masks, it was impossible to spot anything out of the ordinary in the crowd. The room was a sea of mermaids, jesters, peacocks, princesses, armored knights, goddesses, and more. Everyone was dressed in costume. Everyone looked monstrous. That was the point.

  “Tonight, of all nights, I feel my fate is in my own hands,” Edwin said, but then caught my distracted gaze. “Clemeny?”

  “Do you feel…” I said then scanned around again. Maybe it was as Edwin said, that I could sense the faerie blood. But I wasn’t sure. Whatever was in the room, I had felt a presence like this before. There was a true preternatural in our midst.

  Catching my meaning, Edwin also glanced around the room. “No, I don’t sense anything.”

  “Edwin,” a gravelly female voice called from behind us.

  I recognized it at once.

  Lady Chadwick.

  I took a deep breath then turned around.

  Lady Chadwick approached us, her cane tapping on the floor as she went. Part of me suspected she’d just assume beat me over the head with it as opposed to making small talk. She wore a glittering blue gown and a small, sparkling tiara.

  “Godmother,” he said, inclining his head to her.

  “Edwin, I barely knew you,” she scolded him.

  “That is the general idea, Godmother.”

  She rolled her eyes. “A plague doctor? Really, Edwin, how morbid.”

  Edwin chuckled. “Morbid? You have had a look around?”

  “Yes, yes,” she said with a wave of the hand. “Playing at monsters. Have you guessed my costume?”

  “I’m afraid not,” Edwin replied.

  Lady Chadwick turned to reveal a dainty set of wings on her back. “I’m the fairy godmother, of course.”

  Edwin chuckled lightly. “Does that make me a cinder lad?” Edwin asked then turned to me. “What do you say to that, Miss Louvel?”

  “Well, I—”

  “Have you seen Lady Charlotte tonight? How lovely she looks,” Lady Chadwick interrupted.

  I swallowed my impulse to stab her.

  Edwin stiffened. “No, I hadn’t noticed her.”

  “There, you see,” Lady Chadwick said, pointing to Lady Charlotte who was dressed like some kind of princess.

  “Is she holding a kitten?” I asked, startled to see that Lady Charlotte’s costume had been accessorized with a tiny black kitten who looked like it would rather be anywhere other than in her arms. “Poor creature.”

  Lady Chadwick scoffed. “I thought it was delightful,” she said then turned her attention to me, looking down her nose as best she could. She eyed me up and down. “Miss Louvel. I see you’re feeling better. And what are you dressed as?”

  “A rose maiden.”

  “A rose in autumn. Well, that’s…different. I see the mask fits though.”

  Lady, I could easily murder you in five seconds. I’m wearing two pistols, a knife, silver knuckledusters, and have a dagger between my breasts.

  “A rose by any other name,” Edwin said, lifting my gloved hand and laying a kiss thereon.

  In an instant, my murderous intentions vanished.

  Lady Chadwick frowned.

  A moment later, the musicians switched the melody and called for the next song.

  “Oh, Edwin, be sure to dance with Lady Charlotte as you always do. We wouldn’t want to break with tradition.”

  Edwin stiffened. “Of course. But my first dance is with Miss Louvel, if she will have me,” he said then extended his arm.

  I smiled at him, giving Lady Chadwick a go jump of a bridge look, then joined Edwin on the dance floor.

  “It’s a group dance,” Edwin said as we joined the others. “Are you familiar?”

  Are you, Clemeny Louvel, lowbred and all, familiar with finer forms? “Of course. Felice Louvel would be appalled if I weren’t.”

  “Sorry. Naturally. I just wanted to make sure you were comfortable,” Edwin said, an apologetic look in his eye.

  Wonderful.

  I took my spot across from Edwin. I scanned up and down the line at all the fine lords and ladies. Lord Edison and Lady Charlotte, who was without her kitten accessory—luckily for the kitten—were also in the line.

  Now, Grand-mère, let’s see if we’ve got this right. God forbid I take a wrong step.

  The musicians struck a cord, and the music began to play. Edwin and I stepped toward one another, setting our hands on each other’s, and turned in a circle.

  “I hope you know I’m so sorry about Lady Chadwick,” Edwin whispered.

  We twirled, Edwin and I leaving one another momentarily as we twisted around another set of partners. I found myself face to face with a young man wearing a rabbit mask.

  “Good evening,” the gentleman said politely, his bright blue eyes flashing from behind the rabbit mask.

  “And to you,” I said, suddenly feeling ill at ease with the masked ball. Maybe I’d seen one too many dark things to think it was a good idea. Scanning down the line, I saw King Arthur, a horse, an owl, a fairy tale prince, lots of princesses, and a frog. Everyone delighted in hiding himself or herself, pretending to be different, pretending to be something more.

  Wasn’t that what I was doing too, pretending to be something I wasn’t?

  What was I doing here with all these posh people? I belonged on the rooftops of London hunting bad people doing bad things. I wasn’t meant for society life. If anything, I would be more comfortable chatting up the fortunetellers or having a drink with the servants.

  But still.

  There was Edwin.

  We switched partners once more. Edwin and I were partnered again.

  “Don’t worry about Lady Chadwick,” I told him.

  “I just want to make sure you’re at ease. I don’t live in this world very often, but it is part of me.”

  I swallowed hard. “Of course.”

  “I just want you to be happy. I want to make sure you’re comfortable with all of it.”

  I wasn’t. But more than that, the look on Edwin’s f
ace, even half hidden by his mask, told me he was anxious.

  I wasn’t sure how to reply.

  “Clemeny?” Edwin whispered.

  The song shifted, calling for the partners to switch once more.

  “We’ll talk more later,” Edwin said then turned to face his new partner, taking the arm of a woman who was dressed like Cleopatra.

  I turned to find myself on the arm of a man dressed as a monk. The man nodded to me, then we wove down the line, switching partners again and again. In an effort to make Grand-mère proud, I kept my footing and moved with the flow of the dance. But at the same time, my skin began to prickle. The palms of my hands and bottoms of my feet felt like they were on fire. There was something here. Trying to keep pace with the song, I could barely get a good look around the room. Something was going on. But what?

  The music shifted once more, and again I found myself across from a new dance partner.

  For a split second, I felt like my heart stopped beating.

  The tall, well-built man standing across from me wearing a silver mask shaped like a wolf. And his eyes glimmered red.

  I would have known him anywhere, but it was the tell-tale lock of blond hair hanging on his forehead and the smirk on his lips that gave him away.

  Lionheart.

  My whole body trembled, and to my surprise, tears welled in my eyes.

  The musicians struck a cord, and we stepped toward one another. My knees shaking, I suddenly wondered if I needed to sit down.

  “Now, Agent Louvel, don’t get emotional,” Lionheart whispered as he set his hand on mine. Rather than letting our hands lightly touch, he wrapped his fingers around mine.

  “I… What are you—”

  “I told you I wanted to see you in this dress. I must say, I haven’t seen a lovelier sight in all my years.”

  “All of them? Well, that is impressive,” I replied with a grin, gathering my wits about me once more.

  We separated then, switching partners, but I kept my eyes on that old werewolf every moment. And he never looked away from me either. I could barely hear the music over the sound of my heartbeat. I waited impatiently for partners to switch so I could return to Lionheart once more.

  “How did you know I was here?” I asked when we paired again once more.

  “I inquired as to your whereabouts.”

  “Then decided to crash the party?”

  “Crash is such an indelicate term. I wanted to see you. And I didn’t want to wait.”

  “When did you get back?”

  “Not long after you came here.”

  “You won’t be leaving again. You’ll be staying in London, right?”

  Please say yes. Please say yes.

  “I won’t be leaving again,” he said, his eyes lingering on my face. “I like your mask.”

  “Do you?”

  Lionheart stepped close to me. He set his hand on my waist and pulled me close. In that single moment, the noise in the room seemed to fade, and there was only him and me.

  “The mask. The dress. The hair. That rosy smell. I adore everything about you, Clemeny Louvel,” he whispered.

  “Now who’s getting emotional?” I asked shakily.

  “I thought it was time to say it.”

  “And you needed to go to the Holy Land to sort that out, did you?”

  “Yes.”

  “And are you sorted out?”

  “Very. Which is why I’m back. But as you said, I was not invited here. I won’t be staying, but you know where to find me.”

  “And just like that, you’re gone again?”

  “I said what I came to say. Saw what I wanted to see.”

  “And?”

  “And I was right. Red is your color.”

  The music chimed once more, indicating the line would move, and I would lose Lionheart in the shuffle.

  “Richard,” I whispered.

  “I’ll see you back in London,” he said then gently touched my cheek. Stepping back, he slipped into the crowd then disappeared.

  My knees shaking, I moved back in line with the other dancers, twisting and turning until I found myself across from Edwin once more.

  He grinned at me, a nervous expression, on his face.

  We twirled around one another once more. But I was preoccupied. I searched for Lionheart but didn’t see him anywhere. More than that, the strange sense of the preternatural I’d been feeling all night was gone. It had been Lionheart I was sensing.

  A moment later, the song concluded.

  “Clemeny?” Edwin said, gently taking my arm. I could tell by the tone in his voice that it wasn’t the first time he’d said my name.

  “Sorry. I was preoccupied.”

  “It’s okay. It’s loud in here,” he said then motioned for me to come with him. As we passed a servant, Edwin listed two flutes of champagne and motioned for me to join him as we headed to the veranda outside.

  I cast a glance over my shoulder. I looked for Lionheart, my mooneye working hard to pick up his shape, but I didn’t see him anywhere.

  Edwin handed me a flute of champagne then sipped from his glass. “Well, the setting is cooperating. It fits the ball,” Edwin said, motioning to the mist-filled gardens and its silent statues. “It’s supposed to rain tomorrow night though.”

  Was he talking about the weather?

  “Lord Cabell installed clockwork gargoyles to keep watch on the grounds. I hope he remembered to deactivate them,” I said, doing everything I could to get my mind off Lionheart. I drank my champagne, polishing off half the glass in one go.

  Edwin nodded. “That sounds eccentric enough for him.” Noticing my glass was empty, he took it from me then finished his own. Gesturing for me to wait a moment, he stepped back inside.

  I turned and looked out at the garden, gripping the stone rail on the terrace. My heart was slamming in my chest. I breathed in deeply, trying to steady myself.

  He was back.

  He’d come back.

  Thank God, he’d come back.

  And he’d come to see me.

  He’d come to…to say those things to me.

  “I think the dance made us parched,” Edwin said, returning once more with full glasses.

  I took a deep breath, turned, then smiled at him.

  Edwin raised an eyebrow at me. “Clemeny? You seem…distracted.”

  “It’s nothing.”

  “I hope Lady Chadwick didn’t upset you.”

  She had, but that wasn’t what I was worried about. “It’s all right. I understand.”

  “She will get used to you over time. She’s actually a very kind woman. She just likes things to be done the way they have always been done. It escapes her notice that the world is changing…”

  He was back.

  He was sorted out.

  “…In fact, I am glad she was able to meet you. It’s important that what little family I have gets to know you. With my father abroad…”

  He’s come to see me right away.

  What had he said, ‘I adore everything about you, Clemeny Louvel.’

  “…and with Willowbrook Park in use by the Pellinores, my home and work is in London…”

  But what did he mean he was sorted out? Had he had gone to the Holy Land to sort out his feeling for me? Was that what he said? He was settled on his feelings for me.

  Did Lionheart actually love me?

  Did I love him?

  I did.

  I loved him.

  “…which is why I want to ask,” Edwin said, then took my hand, startling me from my thoughts. He set our drinks aside, and to my immense surprise, bent on one knee. Edwin pulled off his mask and looked up at me, an earnest expression on his face.

  “Edwin?”

  Edwin cleared his throat then beamed a nervous smile at me. “Clemeny, you know how I feel about you. I love you. I was wondering… I was wondering if you would do me the honor of being my wife?”

  Chapter 26: Rattled

  I parked the steambi
ke just outside the gate of Vesta’s Grotto. Unlatching my cases, I grabbed my bags then turned and headed inside. The wrought iron gate squeaked when I entered. As I crossed the space, a soft autumn wind blew. Red and orange leaves danced across the path in front of me. Grand-mère’s garden had faded with the coming of autumn, but her bright purple and gold chrysanthemums provided bright spots. I was surprised to see even a few late roses were still in bloom.

  As I approached the house, I could hear Grand-mère talking to someone inside.

  My emotions in a tumble, I was feeling entirely upside down. Even the energy at the Grotto set me on edge. Everywhere I went, I felt spirits. But All Hallows was always like this. Everything was awake.

  I unlocked the door and entered the foyer, setting my cases down when I entered. The moment I did so, however, I was stricken with a strong sense of the preternatural.

  Unless.

  Grand-mère laughed lightly. “More tea?” she asked with a sweet chirp—a sound she reserved for visitors or attractive men.

  “No, thank you,” a husky male voice replied.

  I suppressed a gasp then dashed into the parlor to find Grand-mère sitting across from Lionheart.

  Hell’s bells.

  They both rose.

  “Clemeny, oranges and lemons, I didn’t even hear you come in,” Grand-mère said.

  “Well, we don’t all have big ears,” I said, raising a questioning eyebrow at Lionheart.

  Grand-mère narrowed her eyes and looked at the bundle strapped to my chest. “What is that?”

  Grinning, I fished out the little passenger and gently set the fluffy black bundle in Grand-mère’s arms.

  “A kitten?” Grand-mère practically squealed. “You brought me a kitten! Look at you, black as midnight,” she told the sleepy kitten, scratching its head. She turned back to me. “Wherever did you find it?”

  “I liberated it, so to speak.”

  “Oh my,” Grand-mère said then turned to Lionheart. “Clemeny, Professor Spencer stopped in to see you. He thought you might be back in London today. I told him I wasn’t sure, but here you are.”

  “I caught an airship early this morning,” I said, turning to Lionheart.

  “You see,” Grand-mère told him. “Well, let me leave you,” she said, moving to go.