“That might work,” Caleb agreed. He gave her a look of unmitigated respect. “They said you were a genius.”
Emily blushed. “I’m not that smart,” she said. “And I don’t know if it will work...”
“It’s better than my idea,” Caleb said. “But we’d still need to...”
He broke off. “We could make it work,” he said. “I know we could make it work.”
There was a tap on the door, which opened a moment later to reveal Frieda.
“Emily, there’s a party at the door,” she said. She gave Caleb a long glance before she looked again at Emily. “Lady Barb says you’ll want to meet the Duchess of Iron personally.”
Caleb blinked. “The Duchess of Iron?”
“A legal fiction,” Emily said. Alassa wouldn’t be fooling anyone...but traveling as the duchess would save her from tedious formalities. “Please ask Lady Barb to show the duchess and her party into...into my living room. I’ll be along in a moment.”
She rose. “I’ll see you for dinner?”
“Of course,” Caleb said. “By then, I might have rewritten the proposal.”
Chapter Thirteen
“I DON’T KNOW WHO YOU THINK you’re fooling,” Emily said, as she stepped into her living room. It was one of the few rooms she’d managed to have redecorated since she’d inherited the castle, lining the walls with bookcases and stuffing ugly, but comfortable furniture into the room. “Everyone knows who the current Duchess of Iron is.”
“Yes, but everyone also knows the Duchess of Iron doesn’t have to be greeted by everyone in the castle,” Alassa countered. She sat on an overstuffed sofa, next to Jade. Imaiqah sat opposite her, wearing a long dark dress. She’d accompanied Alassa from the city. “Or would you rather have everyone line up so they can bow in unison?”
“Not really,” Emily said. She touched the parchment in her pocket. “You could have warned me you were coming.”
Alassa looked embarrassed, although someone who didn’t know her would probably have missed the faint flush of her cheeks. “I forgot,” she confessed. “Besides, I didn’t know I would be coming until yesterday, when father finally agreed to let me go.”
Emily sighed and sat down next to Imaiqah. “How are things in Alexis?”
“Good enough,” Alassa said. “Father wanted me to hear a couple of complex court cases, but the lawyers have been very inventive in coming up with reasons why I shouldn’t.”
“They remembered you from before Whitehall,” Emily commented, dryly.
“Probably,” Alassa agreed, ruefully. “How much time did I waste when I was a child?”
She elbowed Jade. “The good news is that this...person is now my personal bodyguard,” she added. “Father wouldn’t let me come here without someone watching my back.”
“You mean you convinced him to let you go with a combat sorcerer, instead of a small army,” Imaiqah offered. “I thought he was going to ban you from leaving the castle before he finally changed his mind.”
Emily lifted her eyebrows. “Why did he change his mind?”
“I’m Confirmed,” Alassa said. “I imagine he thought I should be treated as more of an adult now.”
“Oh,” Emily said. She doubted that was the truth — or all of the truth. King Randor should never have let his only heir risk her life, not when there was no one else who could succeed him without triggering a civil war. She glanced at Jade. “He must have been very impressed by you.”
“All that arm-wrestling,” Alassa said, before Jade could say a word. “It was a dreadful male-bonding experience.”
Jade colored. “He actually asked me hundreds of questions about my training,” he said. He gave Emily a sharp look. “And about you.”
Emily frowned. “What did he ask about me?”
“Your life, basically,” Jade said. “I had to tell him that I’d only shared one class with you before I went to apprentice under Master Grey.”
“He’s here,” Emily said. “Did you know that?”
Jade shook his head. “Because of me?”
“I think Lady Barb called him,” Emily said. She quickly outlined the problems with the Faire. “I’m glad to see you here too.”
“Call Sergeant Miles,” Jade advised. “There aren’t many young combat sorcerers who weren’t taught by him, once upon a time. He’d command respect with ease.”
“I’ll suggest it to Lady Barb,” Emily said. But surely Lady Barb would have thought of asking her lover, if she’d thought he’d come. “Do you think I’ve made a mistake?”
“Yes,” Alassa said, flatly. “You are the baroness. You need to live up to the title.”
“Lady Barb said the same thing,” Emily said.
“She was right,” Alassa said.
Emily shook her head slowly. “Is it wrong of me to want to give up the title?”
“Alicia would give her...her maidenhead to get her title confirmed,” Alassa said, sarcastically. “And you just want to abandon it?”
“I’m not suited to this life,” Emily said.
“My father said the same thing,” Imaiqah said. “But he’s doing better, now that he’s organized himself.”
“Your father knew how to run a small business,” Emily countered. “I don’t know how to run my own life, let alone the lives of thousands of others.”
“Yes.” Alassa raised her eyebrows in emulation of Lady Barb. “I heard about your judgements. The broadsheets were full of them.”
“Some people agreed with you,” Imaiqah added. “But others thought you acted badly.”
“The marvels of a free press,” Emily muttered. Somehow, she doubted the other barons would be anything but amused at the outcome. “How did I act badly?”
“You chose to alter the terms of a contract, after the contract was signed,” Alassa said. “It didn’t exactly break the contract, but it did upset the signers. Then you chose to turn a law intended to prevent farmers from dividing their lands on its head, by choosing the person you wanted to inherit, rather than the person who should legally have inherited.”
“But he abandoned his claim,” Emily said. “Even his own father told him he’d abandoned the farm and everyone on it. All he wanted was land. How was I wrong?”
“I don’t think you were,” Imaiqah commented. “But messing with the inheritance principle could be dangerous.”
Emily scowled. “I did the right thing.”
“You still have to live with the consequences,” Alassa pointed out.
“You’ve had years to study the history of this country, the laws and judgements, the precedents and exemptions,” Emily snapped. “I haven’t had time.”
“Then make the time,” Alassa said. “Or allow my father to send someone to act in your name.”
Emily considered it, seriously. It was tempting...but who would King Randor send to govern her Barony? Would it be someone smart enough to keep up with the reforms she’d championed, or would it be someone bent on rolling them back? She wasn’t blind to some of the long-term implications of the changes she’d made...and, after the printing press had blossomed into life, nor were most of the aristocracy.
“I’ll think about it,” she said, slowly.
“I suggest you do,” Alassa said. “But if you gave up power, the title would be largely worthless.”
Emily nodded. There was no shortage of exaggerated titles in the Nameless World, now the emperor and his family were gone. A person could call himself Lord High Admiral and Noble Ruler of the Seven Seas, if he wished, and no one could deny him. But if the title came with no power, it would be effectively meaningless. She might be baroness in name, if she gave up the power, but she wouldn’t have any power to change the world. Or even to defend herself.
But King Randor is cutting back on our ability to raise independent forces of our own, she thought. It was hard to blame the king, but she’d heard rumors that some of the barons had returned to their plotting. And what will that do to the kingdom, in the future?
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She pushed the thought aside and leaned forward. “Are you going to stay for the entire Faire?”
“Unless there is real trouble,” Jade said, firmly. He gave Alassa a sidelong look when she seemed inclined to protest. “I gave your father my oath that I would protect you, and I meant it.”
“She has a habit of leading us into danger,” Emily said. “Or at least into pointless duels with Melissa.” She shook her head. “Melissa is going to be coming, by the way. Please don’t pick a fight with her.”
“I won’t,” Alassa said. She gave Jade a wink. “I think he’s just waiting for a chance to lock me in a room, under the guise of protecting me.”
“It would keep you safe,” Jade said, deadpan.
“It would also be boring,” Alassa said.
Emily winced, inwardly. She knew that some noble families considered it better to have their women neither seen nor heard. The girls were kept in their castles and rarely even presented at court, at least until their marriages were already arranged. Would Alassa have been trapped in her room, if her father had managed to sire a son? Or would she have merely gone to Whitehall and never looked back?
“You should order her to stay in her room,” Jade said, to Emily. He winked, mischievously. “This is your castle.”
“I value my sanity,” Emily said.
“Quite right,” Alassa agreed. “And besides, I know a dozen good blasting spells. The walls wouldn’t survive more than one or two.”
“Please don’t wreck my castle,” Emily said. Inwardly, she recalled Mother Holly smashing through a castle’s walls as though they were made of paper. Cockatrice Castle looked strong, but she had no illusions about how long it would survive if a necromancer decided he wanted to destroy it. “I’m sure we can keep you safe here.”
“I’m not,” Jade said. “There are two families who happen to hate each other on their way. Most of them are powerful and well-trained magicians. Then there are quite a few other magicians who might want to settle grudges against their fellows here, once they see how few security people you have on staff. And then there’s the normal run of thieves, conmen and duelists who want to duke it out in public to see who has the bigger pair. It’s a recipe for disaster.”
Alassa gave him a brilliant, teasing smile. “What happened to the Jade who went into the Forest of Shadows to recover a missing girl?”
“He didn’t have to worry about the safety of a princess,” Jade pointed out. “I was on my own, free of all obligations to protect anyone else.”
Emily blinked. “What did you do?”
“We — Master Grey and I — walked around the edge of the forest,” Jade said. “There was a small town in mourning, because the headman’s daughter had been lured into the forest.”
“It’s a place infused with wild magic,” Alassa explained. “Someone who goes into the Forest of Shadows might not come out again.”
“I couldn’t leave her in the forest,” Jade said. “So I went, found her and brought her back home.”
“Why do I have the feeling,” Emily asked, “that there’s a great deal of the story you’re not telling me?”
“Because there are things in there I don’t want to remember,” Jade said. For a moment, his eyes looked haunted. “I found the girl, brought her back and left the forest behind. And yet, it still left a mark on my soul.”
Emily nodded in understanding, one hand playing with the snake-bracelet. She still had nightmares about the Cairngorms, although they tended to focus on what humans did to their fellow humans, rather than magical creatures and waves of wild magic. Human cruelty was so much worse, somehow, than anything else she’d seen.
“But enough of that,” Alassa said. “I understand that Caleb has arrived?”
Emily blinked. “How did you know?”
“Lady Barb told us,” Imaiqah said. “I don’t think I ever saw him in Dragon’s Den. What’s he like?”
Emily hesitated. “Studious,” she said, finally. “And smart. Very smart.”
“As smart as you?” Imaiqah asked. “Should we start planning the wedding now?”
“No,” Emily said. She felt her cheeks heat as her friends giggled. “We only met today!”
“At least you met him,” Alassa commented. “Some people get married without ever meeting their partner, at least until the day of their wedding. And some people get married without meeting their partner at all.”
Emily rubbed her flaming cheeks. “We’re going to do a project together,” she protested. “A project! And you have us practically married off!”
“You could always go on a double-date with me and...”
“And who?” Alassa asked sweetly. “What’s his name? What’s his name, Mark II? You know who? You know who else? You possibly don’t know who...?”
Imaiqah blushed prettily. “There’s nothing wrong with exploring the possibilities...”
Emily shook her head. Imaiqah had grown and blossomed at Whitehall, becoming friendly and outgoing...words that no one would ever apply to Emily herself. She’d had so many boyfriends that Emily had lost count, yet she didn’t seem to have fallen in love with any of them. Emily, on the other hand, couldn’t bear the thought of dating someone she didn’t know, personally, beforehand.
She carefully didn’t look at Jade. He’d kissed her once, and she’d let him. And he’d asked her to marry him. But she knew now it would have been a disaster. She was flattered that he’d asked, yet she knew she couldn’t have married him. It would definitely have been awkward.
And that, she told herself, is one hell of an understatement.
“Just be careful,” Alassa advised. “My mother was very frank about the dangers.”
Imaiqah nodded. “I use potions,” she said. “And other precautions.”
She looked at Emily. “This is the first time I think you’ve worked with a young man of about the same age,” she said. “Be open, but be careful.”
“We’re working on a project,” Emily repeated. She’d liked what she’d seen of Caleb, but she had no idea if he was always like that. Her stepfather had been charming too, until he’d convinced Emily’s mother to marry him. And then he’d turned into a monster. “I don’t know if we will have any other relationship.”
“Take it as it comes,” Imaiqah advised. She glanced at Alassa. “Or will your father try to have a say?”
“I don’t think he could,” Alassa said. “Emily isn’t his daughter or one of his wards. And her...father might not be inclined to let my father try to marry her off.”
Emily frowned. “Do the other barons need the king’s approval to marry?”
“Depends who they want to marry,” Alassa said. “If they wanted to marry me or the wards...or my aunt, before I killed her...they’d need his permission. I think any marriages that might bind two estates together would also need the king’s permission. Emily would probably need his permission if she wanted to marry Baron Silver.”
“That is not a pleasant thought,” Emily said. Baron Silver was old enough to be her father, if he’d started early, and only escaped execution through proving he knew nothing of his father’s plot. Unfortunately, as a Confirmed heir, he couldn’t be kept from claiming the rank and title. “He’s far too old.”
“But you have huge tracts of land,” Alassa said, blandly. “And so does he.”
Emily cringed, mentally.
There was a tap at the door. “Begging your pardon, my ladies, my lord, but dinner is about to be served,” Janice said. “Please would you make your way to the small dining room?”
“Thank you,” Emily said. She rose, wondering briefly where Frieda had gone. Lady Barb might have found something for her to do, or she might just have found a book and started to read. “We’ll be down in a few minutes.”
Alassa caught Emily’s eye as Janice retreated. “You’re really not comfortable here, are you?”
Emily swore, inwardly. Alassa was more perceptive than most people realized. Even before Emily had tol
d her the truth about Earth, she’d still realized that Emily knew very little of the Nameless World. Alassa had grown up with servants tending to her at all times, helping her to undress and wash herself before dressing again, but Emily...Emily was used to doing things by herself.
“No,” she admitted, finally. “I will never be used to having servants.”
Dinner was a surprisingly cheerful affair. Alassa and Imaiqah chatted happily to Frieda and made plans to spend tomorrow having fun, while Jade chatted to Caleb and Lady Barb watched them all, her blue eyes revealing nothing of her innermost thoughts. Emily forced herself to relax and eat as much as she could. The first guests were due to arrive tomorrow, and she would need to be ready to greet them. It wasn’t going to be easy.
“The last time we had a transfer student,” Alassa said, “she turned out to be a spy. What about you?”
It took Emily a moment to realize she was talking to Caleb, who took it in good part.
“I have better things to do with my time than spy on Whitehall,” he said. “Besides, I don’t think anyone at Stronghold really cares enough to send a spy.”
“That could be just what they want you to think,” Alassa countered. “Or they could have sent another student to spy on us — and you.”
Emily sighed inwardly. Alassa knew the meaning of the word tact, but she rarely used it.
“As far as I know, I’m the only transfer student from Stronghold,” Caleb said. “And I don’t think they would have let me go if they’d valued my mind.”
“I heard that Sergeant Harkin graduated from Stronghold,” Jade said, entering the conversation. “Is that actually true?”
Caleb smiled. “Would you know the name of every halfway famous student who left Whitehall?”
“Maybe not,” Emily said. She knew of some who could be considered famous — or infamous, in Shadye’s case — but she had to admit she didn’t know everyone who had graduated. The only reason she knew a handful of Jade’s contemporaries was through Martial Magic. “But Sergeant Harkin was special.”
“I don’t know if Stronghold considered him special,” Caleb said, softly. “We are only told to honor those who served in our regiments. I don’t recall any Harkin being mentioned on the rolls, during Memorial Day.”
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