Theo winced. “Don’t sir me, Anselm,” he muttered.
A few moments later, Cedar strode out to the patio and directly to Theo. He put a hand on Theo’s shoulder.
Theo took a deep, shuddering breath, and murmured, “Thank you, Cedar.”
Several minutes later, Sir Theodore and Lady Overton joined them on the patio, followed by Juniper and Oliver, who had been introduced earlier that morning. Juniper was wearing his human glamour. By this time Theo was a little more alert.
“How are you feeling?” said Lady Overton gently.
“Brilliant, Mother.” Theo smiled radiantly up at her from his sprawled position. “I am full of glittering golden magic, and I feel fizzy and bright and slightly drunk, but hopefully not so much that I embarrass myself further.” He turned his gaze upon Lily and kissed her fingers one by one. “I adore you, Lily,” he murmured into her hand.
Cedar’s dark cheeks flushed. “Should I leave you?” he said quietly.
Theo’s smile widened. “Am I embarrassing you, Cedar?” He gave a low, delighted chuckle. “I have never seen you blush before.”
Juniper covered his smile with one hand.
Theo blinked, startled by a sudden thought, and shoved himself into a more upright position. “Lily, this is Juniper Morel, whom you saw in the garden. He has been in hiding here since His Majesty Silverthorn discovered his courageous support of the Rose’s efforts on behalf of the children.” He waited while the young fairy bowed courteously to Lily. “Juniper, this is my wife Lilybeth.” He reluctantly let go of Lily’s hand while she curtsied to his friend, then took it back again with a smile.
“I didn’t mean to frighten you in the garden,” said Lily gently. “I am sorry.”
“I didn’t mean to frighten you either,” said Juniper. “Shall I maintain my glamour? I don’t want to shock you.”
Lily shook her head. “I don’t mind your Fair appearance. I was only concerned for Theo, because the only fairy I knew was Lord Willowvale, and he was terrifying.”
Juniper let his glamour drop, watching her reaction cautiously. She smiled to reassure him.
Theo said, “Father, did you let Lord Selby know that our effort on behalf of the children has been brought to a successful close?”
“We can send him a message now, if you would like.” Sir Theodore nodded to Anselm, who strode off in search of a stable boy to carry the message.
The rest of the afternoon passed in quiet companionship. Lord Selby arrived an hour later and was told the entire story by Cedar and Oliver.
“How do you feel now?” Lord Selby looked toward Theo, who had been smiling sleepily at Lily.
“Triumph is a powerful analgesic, dear Fenton. If I had known how strong Cedar’s magic was, I might have tried this three months ago.” Theo’s eyes glittered golden in the light.
“You didn’t have enough binding magic for it to work three months ago,” said Cedar seriously. “It scarcely worked now, even with Juniper’s strength.”
Theo smiled, as if to himself, and said, “Then it is fortunate that I am cautious by nature.”
Juniper choked, and Cedar thumped him on the back. The young fairy blinked tears from his eyes and said, “His Majesty Silverthorn was right. You are mad, Theo.”
Theo turned toward Oliver. “Oliver, might I speak with you privately for a moment?” He shoved himself to his feet, then swayed alarmingly until Cedar and Anselm grabbed at his shoulders. “I’m all right!” he protested. “I feel splendid, actually, and the golden sparkles are not bothering me in the slightest.”
“You sit down,” said Anselm firmly. “The rest of us will step away until Mr. Hathaway comes to fetch us.” He put a gentle, steady pressure on Theo’s shoulders until the young man sank back down into the chair, looking vaguely affronted.
“You’re a tyrant,” Theo muttered.
Lady Overton caught Anselm’s eye and murmured her thanks. When she passed by Theo’s chair, she leaned down to kiss him on the cheek. “I am proud of you, Theo, but please do not ever put us through this again.”
He smiled up at her, his expression warm and sweet and remorseful. “I am sorry, Mother. I did not intend to cause you and Father to worry.”
“I know.” She cupped his cheek in her hand and held his gaze. Then she stepped away, leaving him alone with Oliver.
The two young men regarded each other in silence for a moment.
“Theo, I can’t thank you enough for…”
“Please don’t.” Theo waved a hand dismissively. “I could not have lived with myself if I hadn’t come for you. I wanted to tell you that you ought to visit Lady Araminta immediately and let her know how you feel. This is your moment!” His smile was dazzlingly bright, full of delighted excitement for Oliver’s opportunity.
“What? I didn’t do anything.” Oliver swallowed. “Please don’t mock me, Theo.”
Theo blinked. “I’m not.” He straightened and looked at Oliver more soberly. “I wouldn’t do that, Oliver.”
Oliver looked down. “I’m sorry. I know. But after what you just did, my little attempt at heroism seems so futile and foolish.”
“That is your modesty speaking.” Theo leaned forward to meet Oliver’s gaze. “You braved a world utterly unfamiliar to you, and terrifying to any human, for the sake of the woman you loved. She is probably waiting right now for word of your return.”
“But you’re the one who saved us both.” Oliver stared at him.
“That’s utterly irrelevant!” Theo’s passion surprised his brother-in-law. “Your heart and actions were heroic, and if she doesn’t recognize that, she doesn’t deserve you.”
Oliver smiled shyly at the ground, no longer able to meet Theo’s golden eyes. “I didn’t know you were such a romantic,” he said quietly.
Theo snorted. “It’s not as if I’ve ever hidden that. Go on then, Oliver. Take Dandelion now and tell her you love her, if indeed you do. This is a perfect moment. Act with the courage of your conviction.”
Oliver’s ears turned pink. “What if she says she’s not interested?”
Theo laughed aloud, then winced. “What if she says yes, though? Wouldn’t it be better to love extravagantly, risking a little temporary embarrassment, than to hold back for fear of the unknown?”
Oliver smiled ruefully at him. “You would say that.” He held Theo’s gaze for another moment, then stood. “Thank you, Theo. It is a little silly, I suppose, that this feels more terrifying than going into the veil after her.”
“Not at all.” Theo stood, steadying himself against the table. “I await your happy news soon.”
Oliver bowed to him and strode away.
Lady Araminta had, indeed, been waiting all morning and afternoon for word of Oliver’s safe return, not to mention that of Lily and Theo. She had told her parents everything she knew, which, while far from the complete story, was enough to give Oliver’s passionate declaration of undying love the additional weight of proven courage. Her father gave his consent for Oliver to speak with Araminta.
She smiled most charmingly at him and said, to his eternal surprise, “I have been waiting years for you, Oliver. Of course the answer is yes.”
After Oliver departed for the Brickelwyte house in the city, Sir Theodore, Lady Overton, Fenton, Cedar, Juniper, and Lily enjoyed tea and orange pastries in the golden afternoon sunlight. Theo, eyes closed, grunted agreeably when asked if he wanted tea, but didn’t drink it. He slouched further into his seat, still holding Lily’s hand. Fenton departed not long after Oliver did, and Theo roused briefly to bid him farewell.
Fenton, unfortunately, had a much less peaceful evening than Theo or Oliver, being presented with the point of a fairy sword as he approached his own back door after leaving his horse in the care of a groom. But that is another story.
Finally, Anselm said, “You promised to take a nap, Theo. Let me take you upstairs.”
“I did, didn’t I?” Theo rubbed his free hand over his face; his other held Lily’s ha
nd. He spoke without opening his eyes. “Anselm, did I apologize to Cedar earlier? I meant to.”
“I don’t recall you doing so, but I wasn’t out here all afternoon. He’s right there, you know. You could ask him yourself.”
Theo blinked blearily at Cedar. “I’m sorry. I’ve been terribly rude.”
“I cannot think of anything you have to apologize for,” said Cedar quietly. “If there ever was anything, I’ve forgiven you already. Go to bed, Theo.”
Theo rubbed his hand over his face again, trying to look at least half conscious. “I also meant to thank you.”
“For the magic?” Cedar smiled affectionately, and his white teeth stood out against his dark skin. “I owe you all my magic and more. Don’t mention it.”
“For trusting me that much. You really trusted me far more than I had any right to expect.”
Cedar said with a little more heat, “Theo, for the last time, please stop. You had every right to expect it; you’ve always, without fail, been unsparing in your generosity and nobility.” His voice shook ever so slightly, and he swallowed hard. “The only thing that angers me is that I did not know you needed my magic before you met Willowvale.”
Theo smiled sleepily at him. “It would be foolish indeed to hold that against yourself, my friend. I could not be more pleased with the outcome, and the fact that this adventure was undertaken with my dearest friends made it all the sweeter.”
Cedar blew out a breath and said, “Shall I give you a little more magic before we haul you upstairs to your bed?”
“I’m not in pain at the moment.” Theo shoved to his feet and nearly toppled over, whereupon Cedar caught him by the shoulders.
“Hold still,” the Fair lord murmured. “You’re healing remarkably well, and more quickly than I’d expected.”
Theo sagged against him, his knees beginning to buckle, and Cedar slipped more magic into him. The Fair lord added, addressing Sir Theodore, who had grabbed Theo’s other shoulder, “That’s why he’s so wobbly. He’s soaking up the magic like a sponge; he’s healing so quickly the magic isn’t lasting as long.”
“Why?” Sir Theodore’s voice had an edge of concern in it.
“I don’t know. My estimate of his healing was based on what I knew of our Fair healing; I didn’t really know how different human healing would be. I don’t see any reason to be worried, though. It’s probably because he has so little magic of his own. He’s more open to it than a fairy would be, and it’s both taking effect and wearing off more quickly.”
Theo said, “I can hear you, you know.” He smiled beatifically at them both. “There’s nothing to worry about, Father. Cedar, I am thoroughly impressed with your magic, and I wish to express again my utter and complete appreciation for your skill and strength.”
Cedar smiled reluctantly. “Go to bed, Theo.”
“I think I will,” Theo agreed with dignity. He still had not let go of Lily’s hand, and now he looked down at her with a sparkling smile. “My love, would you mind walking with me? It is a beautiful afternoon and I feel guilty asking you to be shut up inside, but I would very much like for you to kiss me to sleep.”
Lily’s cheeks flushed pink. Cedar coughed delicately, pretending he had not heard, and Juniper covered his shocked smile with one hand.
“Yes, I will,” she said softly.
He gave her a luminous, euphoric smile, then turned his brilliance upon the others. “Father, Mother, Juniper, and Cedar, I pray you have a wonderful afternoon.”
Leaning on Anselm and holding Lily’s hand, he made it all the way to his room without falling down. Anselm helped him undress again, and when Lily slipped back into his bedroom, he was already half-asleep beneath the covers.
“Ring the bell if you need anything,” Anselm told them both.
They thanked him.
Once they were alone, Theo mumbled sleepily, “You don’t have to stay, Lily. I’m boring now.”
“I don’t mind.” Feeling rather bold, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, and he blinked up at her, startled.
“Have I mentioned that I love you, Lily?” he said, his voice filled with sincerity. “I feel I have not yet made it entirely clear how much I adore you.”
“You have.”
“Not enough.” He kissed her hand, then rested his cheek against it. His eyes fluttered closed.
“I love you too, Theo,” she said softly.
He caught his breath on a dry, quiet sob, and he pressed her hand tighter to his cheek.
“What’s wrong?” Lily knelt beside the bed so she could see him face to face.
His hazel eyes didn’t sparkle with gold; they were warm and sweet and apprehensive. He swallowed and said, “I was afraid you wouldn’t.”
Lily felt as though all the breath in her lungs had vanished, and the world spun around her. “I’m sorry, Theo. I do love you so very much. I haven’t said it enough, but I do.”
He sighed deeply, as if letting out long-held tension, and fell asleep.
Lily eventually called for Anselm and asked him to bring her a book from the library. He brought her a stack, noting that Theo, when young, had particularly enjoyed At the Point of the Sword. After an hour reading uncomfortably hunched at the edge of the bed, her back ached and her neck cramped. She carefully extracted her hand from Theo’s, murmuring reassurances all the while, and rearranged the chair so she could hold his hand more easily.
Before she picked the book up again, she traced his auburn eyebrows with one finger. The shadows beneath his eyes were gone, but he was still so pale that his freckles stood out on his cheeks and nose. She traced the line of his jaw with her finger, the touch as light and gentle as a summer breeze. His skin was soft and smooth, but there was the faint rasp of a beard when she moved her finger backward. Perhaps Anselm had shaved him that morning; she could not imagine Theo could have done it, as unsteady as he’d been. She tried to imagine him with a red beard and could not picture that either. It had not been fashionable for young noblemen to have facial hair for twenty years.
She ate at his bedside again that evening. She told him quietly that she would return in a moment, changed in her own room, and then returned to slip into bed with him. He slept through it all.
Lily discovered early the next morning that she had forgotten to draw the curtains the previous night; the early sunlight streamed in and brightened the room with shades of gold. She opened her eyes to the brilliance and was startled to see Theo gazing at her with his warm hazel eyes. No glittering gold lit his expression, but his expression was, if anything, more dazzlingly bright than ever.
“You stayed,” he breathed. “May I kiss you, Lily?”
“Please do.”
So he did, with passion and dedication.
Theo and Lily spent that day almost entirely outside. After breakfast, he had a brief conversation with his father, which Lily did not hear, and dispatched a note to Lord Fenton Selby, apparently about the same matter. Then Theo took her on a delightful tour of the garden, showing her all the nooks she had not yet seen and kissing her in each one. They ate a delicious lunch in a white gazebo near a little stream Lily had not known existed.
Lily had realized that morning that Theo had eaten nearly nothing since… well, she couldn’t remember the last time he’d had anything other than a sip or two of tea. Exhausted from kissing her so thoroughly, he’d slept through breakfast, although he was entirely unrepentant about the kissing. She guessed his last meal might have been that lunch on the patio before Lord Hastings’ ball, when he’d looked so sad and dejected, and she’d been too lonely and frightened to go to him.
So she was relieved to see him eating well now. He enjoyed roast chicken, cucumber sandwiches, roasted squash and asparagus, melon balls and strawberries, and an enormous slice of blackberry pie covered in whipped cream.
After lunch they walked hand in hand through yet another part of the garden. He kissed her in a nook surrounded by gardenias which filled the air with their swe
et scent, then led her to another sheltered enclave between viburnum and beautyberry bushes, where he kissed her again.
Then onward, where he kissed her beneath a jasmine-covered trellis. She laughed and pressed her head close to his chest, breathing in his masculine soap scent along with the sweet jasmine.
She did not dare to wrap her arms around him, for fear of hurting him, but he had no such qualms, and pressed his face into her hair, then leaned down to kiss her again on the sensitive skin just beside her ear, then her cheek, then her lips.
Then he said suddenly, “My love, I am apparently more tired than I realized. Might we sit down a moment?”
He stumbled to the white wicker sofa a few feet away and fell into it, suddenly pale and breathless. He put his elbows on his knees and leaned forward to let his head hang down.
“Is it hurting?” Lily said, trying not to panic.
“No,” he murmured. “I’m just fatigued.”
“Shall I go get you a drink?” She knelt in front of him.
“I’d rather you stay,” he whispered shakily.
She sat beside him and slipped her hand into his.
A few minutes later, he had brightened a little, but his hand shook when he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. “I’m sorry, my love. I was only a little dizzy. I’m all right now.”
She studied his face, and he gave her a sunny smile.
“Are you?” Lily bit her lip.
“I am. May I kiss you to prove it?” His warm hazel eyes danced when she nodded, and he leaned over to press a kiss to her lips.
After he had kissed her nearly senseless, she sighed happily and put her head against his shoulder. “Theo, there is one thing I don’t understand.”
“Then you’re doing much better than I am. There are a great many things I don’t understand.” He closed his eyes and rested his cheek against the top of her head.
She took a tremulous breath and said carefully, “What upset you so much that first night?”
So he told her what Lord Selby had heard, and how Lord Willowvale’s words had deepened and strengthened his fear and horror, and the terrible repercussions of her innocent blunder.
The Wraith and the Rose Page 32