Ice and Embers (Regency Redezvous Book 10)

by Melanie Karsak

  “The Thames may be hard as a woman’s nipples on a winter’s morning, but she’ll still soften to a man’s warm touch,” Rosie said, earning her a loud cheer and boisterous laughter.

  We clapped loudly.

  “Clever tart,” Hannah said, whooping for her.

  Lizzie stuck her fingers in her mouth and let out a whistle of approval.

  I looked at the baron. Even he was chuckling at that one.

  On down the row they went until it was my turn.

  “And you, Titania?” the marshall asked when he came to me once more.

  I looked up toward the melting dragon. “I say jealous winter froze the Thames so she could play faerie games upon its surface. Frosty but kind, she will stay until she’s soothed to peace by the loving sun.”

  A round of heavy applause rewarded my line. I felt pleased with myself, yet at the same time, a strange emptiness washed over me. It had been a nice line, and Kai had not been there to hear it. The hollowness I felt at his absence disquieted me. Shouldn’t I have thought of John?

  The marshall turned to Lizzie. “And you, Cinderella?”

  Lizzie grinned and in her stage voice, she pronounced, “Now is the winter of my discontent…my discontent that it’s still winter,” she said, playing with Shakespeare’s famous lines.

  Recognizing the turn of phrase, several people in the audience laughed and cheered for her. Amy and Hannah followed Lizzie.

  “Now, ladies and gentlemen, let’s bring forth the Frost Fair Prince to rule over the judging.”

  At that, the baron rose. His two attendants also came forward carrying the chests.

  He walked down the line, smiling at each girl in turn as she gave him a polite curtsey. When he reached me, he met my eyes. He smiled softly at me then moved past. Lizzie jabbed me in the ribs with her elbow. Then, in his role as Frost Fair Prince, the baron went back to the front of the crowd.

  “What is the best measure of beauty?” he asked the crowd.

  They flung a variety of answers at him, from nice legs to a round arse to a pretty face to a good cook.

  Smiling, he lifted his cane to silence them. “You are right, my friends, that a fair face is a thing to behold. And, true, that a nice round bottom is a pleasure on a warm night. Loyalty, honesty, and warmth of heart are, I say, worth far more than these. But that, my friends, is the most difficult to see.

  “I have three prizes to share today. The first prize goes to she is who is fair of face. I call Lizzie Montgomery, your Cinderella, to claim her prize. Was there ever a lady fairer than the princess of the glass slipper?”

  At that, the crowd cheered wildly.

  The baron motioned for one of his men to step forward while he also beckoned to Lizzie.

  We cheered our friend on as she went to collect her prize. I suppressed the sharp pang of jealousy that tripped at my breast. Lizzie really was pretty, and she had a lightness and sweetness of spirit that radiated from inside her. I reminded myself to be pleased for her.

  The baron opened one of the chests. From inside, he pulled out a small object. He lifted it for everyone to see. On a bright red ribbon hung a crystal snowflake pendant. It shimmered in the sunlight, casting blobs of rainbows around the crowd.

  The crowd cheered excitedly.

  Moving carefully, he slipped it over Lizzie’s neck then bowed to her in congratulations.

  One of the baron’s attending gentlemen took Lizzie by the arm and led her to stand with him near the thrones of ice.

  The baron turned back to the crowd. “Beauty also lies in the flesh. The warmth of a woman’s skin, the softness of her lips, and the lustiness of her eyes are all treasures to behold,” he said then smiled. “I do believe fair Rosie from The Frozen Mushroom must have this prize.”

  Whistles and applause sprang from the crowd.

  The baron motioned for a second chest to be opened. From inside, he pulled forth a hair comb made of silver and trimmed with flowers and sparkling gems. He gently slid the comb into the tart’s hair. A hush seemed to fall over Rosie’s spirit as she was awarded such a fine thing. It glimmered in her dark hair, a thing of pure goodness that seemed to cast its glow onto the wearer.

  The baron leaned forward, whispering something in her ear.

  To my surprise, Rosie blushed.

  She curtseyed to him, and then his attendant led her to join Lizzie.

  “Ah, gentlemen, it is hard to find a woman who has pure beauty and a pure heart, isn’t it? Such rare queens are a true treasure. But there is one lady here who surpasses all the rest. She is the loveliest, warmest of heart, and the most elegant creature I have ever seen. Miss Elyse McKenna, come forward and be my queen.”

  The crowd broke into elated cheers and applause.

  While the wildness and excitement of the crowd impressed itself upon me, I couldn’t help but take a second to ruminate on his words. Given the nature of his quarrel with his wife, selecting me his queen was most certainly going to annoy Captain Behra even more. Add that to John taking Kai from her clutches, I strongly suspected the captain was going to be very unhappy with me.

  Regardless, I moved forward, joining the baron. “For the Frost Fair Queen.” From within his jacket, he pulled out a magnificent silver hand mirror. The piece, elaborately crafted, was a thing of beauty. The mirror was no larger around than my palm, but the back of the mirror and all the edges had been trimmed in silverwork like I’d never seen before. Images of nymphs and satyrs, vines, flowers, and birds trimmed the mirror.

  “In case the wind ever plays with your hair again, you’ll have this on hand,” he said in a low voice.

  I looked up at him. The prize was too perfect. How had he known I would come? Had he intended this for me all along?

  “Thank you,” I whispered.

  “There is more to this mirror than meets the eye, but first, do come,” he said, offering me his arm.

  As the crowd cheered, the baron led me to the thrones of ice.

  “Ladies and gentlemen of the Thames, may I introduce your King and Queen!” the London marshall called.

  At that, the crowd erupted into a cheer.

  From behind me, one of the attendants set a ring of Frost Fair roses on my head, and the baron and I sunk into our seats.

  A moment later, however, there was a sharp cracking sound.

  The crowd stilled.

  The wind blew harshly, and the sun was occluded as dark clouds moved in. Thunder rolled and lightning cracked.

  “What was that? Is the ice cracking?” someone asked, their voice lifting above the dead silence of the crowd.

  We were all frozen as we listened. A moment later, there was a terrible cracking sound, and the ice below our feet trembled. Everyone stood still, gripped by fear as a crack appeared in the ice under the crowd’s feet. Gasping, they backed away in horror as they watched the long crack travel the length of the Thames like a vase that has been nicked on its edge but not shattered.

  “Sunny morning,” the London marshall called out with a nervous laugh. “No doubt the Thames is getting ready to take the river back. My friends, one more round of applause for our king and queen then go on and enjoy and be merry. I fear the Frost Fair may be reaching its end.”

  I turned to look at the baron who had an odd expression on his face. He was looking in the direction of Captain Behra’s ship. After a moment, he turned and looked at me.

  “Miss McKenna, I am sorry, but I must leave you now. I have a matter I must attend to. I may have overplayed a hand and need to ensure no one gets hurt.”

  “Of course,” I said, rising.

  Already, the crowd at the fair began to disperse, worried conversations springing up amongst the revelers as to how long the ice was going to hold.

  “But wait…the mirror. You said—”

  The baron was motioning to his attendants to join him.

  “Ah, yes, the mirror. I did select it especially for you,” he said with a smile. “A special gift for a very special woman.”
>
  I was right. “I…” I began, but I didn’t know what to say.

  “Say nothing. It has been many years since I’ve met a woman as fair as you. You remind me of someone…in better days. As for the mirror, it will keep your hair in order but also do much more. Under the light of the moon, all your heart’s desires will be revealed,” he said then bowed to me. “I’m sorry, I must be going.”

  At that, he waved to the others and the three of them departed in the direction of Captain Behra’s ship.

  “Elyse! Congratulations! Oh, let me see,” Lizzie said, joining me.

  “A hand mirror,” I told her.

  “It’s beautiful. And look at this,” she added.

  I admired the snowflake necklace. It shimmered with a rainbow of light. It was so beautiful. As I stared at it, I found myself momentarily lost, thinking once more of the ballet academy I wished to create.

  “You know,” Lizzie said, interrupting my thoughts, “this lovely thing has given me some ideas of how we should change tonight’s performance. I was thinking, I’ve been throwing Hermia’s lines all wrong. I suspect I never fully appreciated Master Shakespeare’s character, but it just struck me that Hermia is actually to be pitied,” she began, her voice trailing off as she talked over her new interpretation of the Bard’s work.

  I turned from her for just a moment, my eyes following the baron as he receded through the crowd.

  “Lizzie. Elyse. I’m very disappointed,” Agnes called as she approached.

  “Agnes?”

  “What? No tripe?”

  At that, Amy and Hannah, who had also joined us, laughed.

  “No, but we’d better get the Frost Fair Queen over to the City of Moscow for a pint with the boys before they give up on us,” Hannah said.

  “May we see?” Amy asked, looking at the mirror.

  I handed it to her.

  “Oh, it’s magnificent,” Agnes breathed.

  I turned my attention from them to find that Rosie, the tart, had taken off her hair comb and was sitting on the ice throne, turning the piece around in her hand.

  “Excuse me for a moment,” I said then went to her. “Rosie, I just wanted to offer my congratulations.”

  She looked up at me. Her dark eyes were brimming with unshed tears. “It’s so lovely, isn’t it?” she said then turned her eyes to the comb once more. Her expression unguarded, I could see how truly pretty she was under all the makeup and pretense of a whore.

  “It is. Truly pretty.”

  She frowned then looked up at me. “Elyse, right?”

  I nodded.

  “I need some money.”

  I cocked my head and looked at her.

  A single tear rolled down her cheek. “I want to go home.”

  I reached into my small purse to give her some of the coins I carried but then thought better of it. I handed my purse to her. “Then go home,” I told her.

  “Thank you,” she said. She took my purse, slipped it inside her coat, reaffixed the comb in her hair, and then turned and headed away from the Frost Fair toward the city.

  “Elyse? Are you ready?” Amy called.

  I turned back to my friends, pausing for just a moment to watch Rosie walk away, her hair comb glimmering brightly under the scant rays of sunlight that fought their way through the dark clouds.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  The tavern on the ice, dubbed the City of Moscow, was completely packed. It seemed like all the patrons had come for a pint and a bit of bread and cheese.

  There was barely space to sit when we finally found Robert, Hobbs, Marve, James, and Skippy.

  “What, no case of tripe?” Robert called as we approached.

  Skippy immediately ran off to procure more chairs, and the other gentlemen moved to make space for us.

  “Lizzie and Elyse both won prizes,” Agnes said.

  “And Elyse is the Frost Fair Queen,” Lizzie said very loudly, causing the other patrons to turn and look.

  Upon seeing the crown of Frost Fair roses I wore and ruminating on Lizzie’s words, the crowd put the two together and let out a cheer.

  I smiled and waved then sat down. What an odd, odd day. I was beginning to wonder what else could possibly happen. At this rate, I’d be having tea with the real queen by late afternoon.

  The gentlemen congratulated me, and soon I found myself holding a mug of mulled wine. I took a sip, letting the hot, spicy wine warm my body, then set the mug down.

  “Did you hear that crack in the ice?” Amy asked the gentlemen.

  “I’m going to have the wagon brought around and load up the first of our belongings tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll perform on a bare stage,” Marve said.

  “If there is a stage by morning,” Hobbs added.

  “It’s still cold,” Agnes said. “The ice will refreeze overnight.”

  “True, it is cold, but not as chilled as it has been,” Robert replied.

  “Such a pity,” Lizzie lamented. “The fair has been a treat. I hate to see it end.”

  “No doubt the marshalls will have us off the ice if it begins to weaken along the edges,” Marve said. “But just in case, we’ll be cautious. With the crowd we gather, all that weight, we must be wary.”

  The others nodded then fell further into the discussion.

  I leaned back in my seat and surveyed the space, looking for a young man in a green coat. My eyes had played tricks on me the day Lizzie and I had come for the Frost Fair handbill. As I looked around the room, I noticed several young men of John’s build in green coats. I was a very silly girl. How could I think so badly of him?

  “Marve,” I said, touching his arm. “I had meant to tell you that I will not be able to perform in Midwinter tomorrow night.”

  “No?” he said, raising an eyebrow. “Is something wrong?”

  In that moment, I realized I had not come up with a suitable excuse. “I…my friends, the Hawkings, are having some problems and need help. I told them I would see if I would be missed.”

  “Of course you will be missed,” he said with a smile. “But Hannah can take your role for the night.

  Lizzie was listening with interest. “Is everything all right?”

  I nodded, choking the telling expression that wanted to creep up on my face.

  Lizzie raised an eyebrow at me.

  I looked away from her, realizing she knew me far too well.

  “Miss McKenna?” someone asked from behind me.

  I turned to find one of the Frost Fair pamphlet makers standing behind me. I recognized him from the booth, as if his ink-stained smock was not telling enough.

  “Yes?”

  “I’m sorry to bother you, Miss. Someone told me you were here. Would I be able to steal a few minutes of your time? We would very much like to have your autograph on the Frostiana announcements. It is too much to ask, I know, but your signature would add value to the papers. Now that the event is over, and the ice is beginning to soften, it’s our last chance to sell,” the man said as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.

  I smiled softly at him. “Certainly. I’ll be back in ten minutes,” I told the others.

  “Farewell, your Majesty,” Lizzie called with a laugh.

  I followed the man outside.

  “Thank you, Miss,” he said, leading me to his tent. “I was afraid we’d lose our investment on those flyers, but the autograph of the Frost Fair Queen will sell.”

  “A queen can do no less than aid her subjects,” I said with a laugh.

  He grinned. “No wonder people say such nice things about you, Miss McKenna, you and Doctor Murray. Everyone knows how you both worked to save that man from the ice. How is he, anyway?”

  “Recovering very well.”

  The other two men inside the tent rose when I entered.

  “Told you she would come,” the man at my side said. “I’m Tom, by the way. And that’s Nick and Peter,” he said, pointing to the men.

  “Well, hand me a stack, gentlemen,” I said, pulling o
ff my gloves.

  Taking a seat by their brazier, I settled in and began signing, Elyse McKenna, Frostiana, Frost Fair Queen, 1814 on the flyers. The men joked merrily as they worked on their prints. After I finished the first handful, Tom went out front and began barking down the lane:

  “Frost Fair handbills! Get your Frost Fair handbills signed by Frostiana, our Frost Fair Queen, the talented Elyse McKenna.”

  To my surprise, a crowd gathered to purchase the papers.

  I worked busily, signing paper after paper. On occasion, I would smile and wave to the crowd. It was funny how I had achieved instant celebrity status. I had been there at least half an hour when I looked up once more, fully expecting to see Lizzie and Marve, but then I spotted yet another young man in a green jacket. He was purchasing hot chocolate for a pretty, and very giggly, young woman in a red bonnet. The crowd milled between us, obscuring my view, but the cut of the young man looked so much like John that it fully took up my attention. When the crowd moved on, I leaned in my seat to look once more. The young man’s back was toward me. He pulled off the lady’s glove and kissed her hand before handing her a mug of hot chocolate. She blushed and giggled once more. When he returned her glove, he leaned in and put a kiss on her cheek. He then turned to put on his top hat. And in that moment, I got a good look at him.

  John? I stood. “John?” I called. My stomach felt like it had fallen to my feet.

  The man turned toward the sound of my voice. When he met my eyes, the expression on his face fell flat, and he quickly turned away. The crowd moved in between us.

  “There she is. Elyse,” I heard Lizzie call from the crowd. “We need to go, love.”

  I rose, trying to get a better look at the man…at John. This time, I was certain it was him.

  “Miss?” Peter asked.

  “Gentlemen, I am very sorry. I need to go,” I said. I bit my lip. My hands were shaking. Was it him? Had it really been him? Who was that girl?

  “Thank you for your time, Miss McKenna. We’re very grateful,” Peter told me. “Tom, Miss McKenna needs to leave,” he called to his friend.

  “One moment, people, one moment,” Tom called to the crowd.

  I was already moving toward the chocolate vendor when Tom intercepted me.