Liri didn’t even blanch. “I am sorry to hear that,” he said simply. “I imagine you wish to be returned home to your family in Pinemist as soon as possible.”
Aerith wrapped her arms around her middle. “Pinemist is where my child was conceived. I do not wish to go back and be reminded of that.”
Liri stared at Aerith. I’d never seen him look perplexed, which was exactly how I felt too.
“You’d rather stay here? In Ravensburg?” His eyebrows rose.
“Teryani has offered me comfort during my time of mourning.”
“Teryani?” Liri asked incredulously. “What of your real sister?”
Aerith pressed her lips together for several excruciating seconds before answering. “She is touring the mortal realm. I have no one to go home to.”
“Oh, but you do.” Liri clasped his hands behind his back and stalked over to Aerith. “You told me so yourself right after I had you moved to Hensley’s old room. You begged me to send you home to be reunited with your lover. You said you wished to claim him as your mate.”
Aerith glared at Liri. “That was when I was pregnant. Of course I wanted to marry the father of my child, but as you now know, things have changed.”
Liri smirked. How could he be so callous? A few seconds later, it became clear. Once he reached Aerith, he brought his arms back around and grabbed her by the chin. “We never had this conversation. Who are you really?”
My head jerked to take a closer look at Aerith. Was it truly another glamour? Such magic should be outlawed in Faerie, or Dahlquist at the very least. It was a damn nuisance.
Teryani sighed heavily. She lifted her arm, and Aerith transformed before our eyes. She still had blonde hair, done up just the same as when she’d entered, and the blue dress, but her face was rounder, and it certainly wasn’t Aerith’s.
“This is Ella, an elf just like Aerith,” Teryani announced.
“But not Aerith,” Liri cut in, pulling his hand away with a sneer.
“Have a seat, Ella,” Teryani said gently before addressing her brother. “I’m afraid you do not get to play the white knight, Liri, and neither did I. One more deserving already rescued our sweet sister-in-law.”
His jaw tightened. “When did she depart?”
“The night of my coronation.”
I felt as though I was floating an inch off the rug, such was my relief. I’d been beating myself up for months over Aerith when she’d been returned home all along.
I patted my belly and spread my arms out in question.
“I do believe dear Hensley is inquiring after the baby’s health,” Liri supplied.
I nodded and flashed him an appreciative smile.
“The baby is fine,” Teryani answered simply.
I pressed my palm to my heart, feeling relief wash over me.
Liri stepped forward. “How do you know? Have you visited her?”
“I dreamscape to check in every now and then—with permission, I might add.” Teryani took a seat on the settee beside Ella. When she held the blonde elf’s hand delicately in her own, my eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
Liri noticed too. He smirked. “Found yourself a new pet, have you?”
“As have you,” Teryani answered without preamble.
Liri instantly scowled. His hands fisted, and he took another step toward her. “I require Aerith’s presence at once.”
“Then it’s unfortunate you won’t find her. She’s in the mortal realm.”
Liri’s eyes expanded. “Whatever for?”
“To meet up with her sister. I have no idea where. It is understandable that Aerith did not want to be bothered while she’s on vacation. Plus, she wasn’t sure where she would be going.”
“In her condition?” Liri asked incredulously.
Teryani lifted her slender brows. “She is pregnant, not diseased, and that is all I have to share on the subject. I suggest you get back to your own kingdom before Albedo takes advantage of your absence.”
“He has already struck.” Liri turned to me. “Tell my sister what happened at the Fable Festival.”
Three sets of eyes turned toward me. I swallowed. Malon, I’d remembered seeing the dark-haired devil. He’d pulled me aside and boasted of his plan. What was it? I could no longer remember. But I had seen him. I remembered that. Could I tell Liri that part?
I opened my mouth . . . and out came lines from My Fair Lady. “The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain.” I stomped my foot in frustration.
“She started speaking this way after we were separated at the festival,” Liri said. “You see now why I need Aerith.”
Teryani’s frown deepened. “What are their intentions? Do they wish to prevent your union, or do they desire your future queen to sound mad? It could be something altogether different. We have no way of knowing, and you only have two options: go through with the wedding or cast her aside.”
“I am marrying Hensley,” Liri said firmly.
“I hope it is the right choice.”
In addition to normal speech, I was losing my memories, but something told me we should not wed. I had to try and warn Liri one more time.
I rushed to Liri’s side and grabbed his arm. “I could have danced all night. I could have danced all night. And still have begged for more.”
As I said the lyrics, I could have sworn I heard music playing from far away, calling to me. Beckoning. Promising a fulfilling life beyond Faerie.
Chapter Six
Aerith
U
pon our return to Pinemist, Jhaeros got a great, roaring fire started in the hearth of the sitting room. The house was still a work in progress, but I’d added extra rugs, beaded pillows, and blankets to the front parlors.
I unzipped the large duffel bag filled with souvenirs as soon as Jhaeros’s blind butler, Fhaornik, and deaf cook, Mrs. Calarel, joined us. We invited them to have a seat on the sofa while we revealed the treats we’d brought back from Hawaii.
“But my lady, you already gave us winter solstice gifts before departing,” Fhaornik protested as I handed out cans of macadamia nuts.
“Try them,” I said, making sure to face Mrs. Calarel so she could read my lips.
Fhaornik, being the old-fashioned soul that he was, opened the can then tried to offer the nuts to Jhaeros and me.
I looked at Jhaeros and shared a smile before speaking to Fhaornik. “Those are all yours. We already had plenty.”
Next, I presented Mrs. Calarel with a beautiful plumeria necklace. “It’s Hawaii’s flower of welcome,” I said as I held up the necklace with its three flowers, each in a different tone: gold, rose gold, and silver.
Mrs. Calarel’s eyes lit up when she saw it. She stood and hugged me before I had a chance to put it around her neck.
“I think she likes it,” Jhaeros said with a chuckle.
Mrs. Calarel leaned back and nodded enthusiastically. Once she held still, I looped the chain around her neck and fastened it in back. Tears welled in the cook’s eyes as she pressed the flowers against her chest.
It was a beautiful design. When I’d admired it in the shop, Jhaeros had offered to buy me one as well, but my favorite was still the blue filigreed pendant from my mother. I’d stashed it safely away in my jewelry box upstairs. Losing the pendant in Pinemist was one thing, misplacing it in the mortal realm hadn’t been worth the risk.
“And for Fhaornik, we have a kimono.” I pulled the folded robe from the suitcase and placed it in the butler’s hands. As he stroked the silky fabric, I described what it looked like. “It’s black with a red dragon on the back and pink plumerias.”
“Pink?” Fhaornik asked.
“It’s what the men wear in the islands.”
“In the privacy of their chambers one would hope,” Jhaeros said under his breath.
“It’s fun and stylish. Trust me.”
“Of course I do, my lady. I will put it on at once.”
“Er.” Jhaeros took a step forward.
I shot him a warning glare. “I’ll help you.” I jumped in front of Jhaeros and took the kimono from Fhaornik as he removed his top coat. Once the antiquated jacket was off, I handed him the dragon kimono.
“Oh my. This feels quite nice,” Fhaornik stated as he sported the kimono over his white dress shirt.
I leaned back on my heels to take him in. “Wow, Fhaornik. I must say you look like one cool dude, as they say in America.”
Fhaornik sniffed and waved my comment off, but he was beaming. Mrs. Calarel grinned as well, and nodded eagerly as she looked over Fhaornik in his new duds. Jhaeros told me she could speak but that she preferred not to, and on the rare occasions she did, it was only around those she’d known a long time and trusted. I hoped one day she would feel comfortable enough with me that she felt she could speak. But only if she wanted to.
“Now, on to the next gifts.” I gave a little clap.
Mrs. Calarel’s eyes widened in alarm.
“My lady, this is already too much,” Fhaornik said.
I glanced at the duffel bag, which I hadn’t even made a dent in, then at Jhaeros, who was fighting back a laugh. He lifted his brows. I could read the “I told you so” all over his face. He’d warned me his staff would be embarrassed by the gifts. I’d gotten a little carried away with shopping.
“Okay, one more then,” I said. To Jhaeros, I mouthed, “For now.”
Fhaornik missed it, but Mrs. Calarel didn’t. She gave a soft chuckle that filled my heart with joy and made me want to do a hula dance right there in front of the fire.
I knew I should have gotten myself a grass skirt and coconut bikini to bring home!
For Mrs. Calarel, I presented a hand-carved tiki statue that was smooth to the touch. Fhaornik, being the one with hearing, got the ukulele. The cords sang as he ran his fingers over them.
“How peculiar,” he mused.
“I hope you like it,” I said.
“Oh, I do, my lady. I most certainly do.”
“Perhaps a concert,” I suggested.
Jhaeros cleared his throat. “Maybe after Fhaornik’s had a chance to practice.”
Before I could suggest he practice in front of us right now, a pounding came at the door. I whipped my head around.
“Who could that be?”
“Perhaps it is your father, my lady.”
“My what?” I might have screeched the words.
Fhaornik got up, still carrying the ukulele, and headed to the foyer. “He’s called several times since your departure.”
Mrs. Calarel scurried off in the direction of the kitchen. Smart woman. Too bad I couldn’t run off with her and hide among the pots and pans.
But Fhaornik had already opened the front door and called out, “Hello?”
It’s not as though I’d issued a ban on visits from my father. I simply hadn’t expected him to call in the first place.
“I am here to see my daughter,” came Elred’s unmistakable voice.
If I wasn’t so annoyed, I might have sniggered to think of Fhaornik answering the door in his dragon kimono and ukulele in hand.
“Of course, sir. Please follow me to the parlor.”
Queasiness that had nothing to do with my pregnancy churned inside my stomach. I grimaced. Jhaeros rushed to my side and folded his arms, glaring at the parlor door right before my father walked in.
Jhaeros had an intense scowl, one I was happy he reserved for others—in particular, my father.
My dad stomped in, his gaze snapping over me, my bulging belly in particular. Father frowned. Unfortunately, he was too focused on me to notice the way Jhaeros glowered at him.
“So, it’s true. You’re with child and living with a male out of wedlock.”
I snorted.
Father’s eyes narrowed. He turned his attention to Jhaeros, meeting his glare with a nasty one of his own. “I used to like you, Jhaeros. I thought you would at least have the courtesy to marry my daughter before knocking her up.”
Jhaeros ground his teeth, taking a moment before answering, “Aerith wants to wait to be married. I am respecting her wishes.”
“Respect!” Father bellowed. “Balderdash.” He turned to me. “What kind of example are you setting for your sister? I hear she’s taken up with a miscreant from the south end.”
“Not everyone has my good taste in males,” I answered.
A vein bulged in Father’s neck.
“Why aren’t you in Sweetbell with Shalendra?” I asked before he could burst a blood vessel.
“I had to sell the estate, which should come as no surprise to you,” Father snapped.
I straightened my spine. I’d lost all respect for my father long ago, and now I was losing all patience. I kept my voice even, bored, showing how little his displeasure meant to me. “Downsizing is all the rage in the mortal realm. People are even living in these things called camper vans in a space smaller than this living room. It reminds me of a tortoise who is able to go places and carry his home with him.”
Jhaeros smiled at me. “Much quicker than a tortoise, though.”
“Yes. I wouldn’t mind traveling around in one. They look very—cozy.” When I moistened my lips, Jhaeros’s gaze turned hooded.
Father gritted his teeth. “Don’t you care to know what’s become of your sister?”
I folded my arms. “I did ask, didn’t I? Have the two of you secured new lodgings?”
Please don’t say Pinemist. Oh, please, please, please with a sweetberry on top.
I wondered if there was any way to get a camper van from the mortal realm to the elven one. I’d happily gift it to Father and Shalendra so I could tell them to hit the road. Pinemist was too small a town for the three of us.
“I was staying at Dixie’s Inn,” Father informed me.
My heart sank. Yep, Pinemist. But if he was at the inn, it meant he hadn’t purchased something more permanent. Yet.
That camper van was beginning to sound better and better. I needed two. One for Father and Shalendra, and one for Jhaeros and me. When the van’s a rocking, don’t come knocking. Wait a minute. Why had he said “was”?
I narrowed my eyes. “Where are you now?”
That question brought the first smile to Father’s lips. I wasn’t going to like his answer, I already knew it. He lifted his chin.
“The lovely Lady Dashwood from across the street noticed I kept calling, so one day she came out to find out who I was and if she could help. She was extremely forthcoming when I told her I was your father. She eased my worries by telling me the two of you were traveling but were expected to return within a couple months, give or take. She even offered me one of her guest rooms so I would be nearby as soon as you got back.”
“How kind.” I seethed, unable to mask the venom from my voice.
“Indeed, she is,” Father said, flashing me a narrow-eyed, stern look. “There are very few ladies like that in the world today. Hospitable and helpful. You are lucky to have such a fine female for a neighbor.”
I attempted to suppress my anger, but it was like trying to force a hammer into a keyhole.
Not only was my father back in Pinemist, but he was residing directly across the street and I bet the thought of him rushing over to pester me pleased the vindictive Lady Dashwood to no end.
“Is it not improper for an unmarried male, such as yourself, to be living under the same roof as an unmarried female?” I asked in a clipped voice.
The hypocrisy made me want to smash a plate—over my father’s head.
Father scowled. “Lady Dashwood is a respectable widow, as am I.”
“I am a widow as well,” I reminded him. “It seems we can do as we please.”
“I said respectable.”
Jhaeros growled. “That is enough, Elred. You will not speak to Aerith that way in her own home. I would ask you not to speak to her at all unless it is to apologize.”
I snorted. “That will be the day.”
I wanted to throw my arms around Jhaeros an
d smother him in a hug. The anger raging across his face on my behalf made me love him more than I thought possible. My heart hummed with elation.
Father gave a dismissive sniff. “I would remind you that I am still Aerith’s father. I will take my leave for now, but before I go, I want my daughter to know that her sister eloped with the eldest son of a high elf.”
And yet I was the scandalous one. Hypocrisy strikes again. Maybe I should have inquired after the name of my new brother-in-law, but frankly, I didn’t give a fig.
“After the male’s father learned of the elopement, he disinherited his son,” Father continued, his hands shaking with agitation. “How a father could do such a thing is beyond me.”
I didn’t respond. Sometimes there were just no words. But my thoughts were busy with several choice sayings. “What goes around comes around.” Maybe there was justice in the world after all. Shalendra could get a taste of what it really meant to scrape by.
“This never would have happened if you’d protected your husband or used your title to secure a high elf or a male of royal blood.”
Jhaeros stepped forward, his fingers balled into fists.
“No,” I said.
Jhaeros paused, probably thinking I wanted to stop him from forcibly removing my father from the house.
I walked up to my father and looked him in the eyes.
“You do not get to blame me anymore. You don’t get to spend the rest of your miserable little life telling stories in which I am at fault for circumstances beyond my control. You will not speak of it. Not to me or anyone else. If you have to blame someone, blame yourself. You failed your family. You failed me. You are a disappointment of a father, and I never want to see you again.”
I stormed out of the parlor before he could rage over my outburst. My heart raced, sweat gathering under my arms. I wanted him gone. I wanted to be gone from him. I had to get away. I couldn’t stand the sight of his cold, condescending face or the sound of his mean voice. If I had to hear one more word out of his mouth, I would lose it. Scream.
Fhaornik stood hunched in the foyer, just beyond the door. He’d heard everything. “I am so sorry, my lady,” he said as I rushed out. “I had no idea you and your father were at odds.”
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