The Courtship of Julian St. Albans

by Crook, Amy

  Alex let his head fall back against the headrest and closed his eyes. “This will be worse than my creamy mounds, won’t it?”

  “Oh, yeah,” said Lapointe gleefully. “You’re doomed.”

  He really hated that she had a point.

  ~ ~ ~

  Dr. Chesterfield declared Alex was definitely still suffering magical exhaustion and prescribed him a new series of medicinal potions and a vitamin supplement as well. He’d already pulled everything from the pharmacy ahead of time, and he made Alex take the first dose right there, giving him leave to skip today’s physical therapy so long as he did some stretches when he got home.

  The Guardians were nervous the whole time they were in the busy hospital, and everyone relaxed once they were back in the amulet-protected car and on their way to Alex’s flat.

  “Are you staying for lunch, Murielle?” asked Alex. She’d taken custody of the little box of potion bottles, the emptied slot filled with vitamins, and held them protectively in her lap.

  “Probably through dinner, if it’s not imposing,” she said. “We haven’t really had time to get your statement, for one thing.”

  “It’s no problem,” said Jacques. “Victor delivered enough food to feed a family of seven, and we need to eat or cook it before it goes off.”

  “Was it my imagination, or was there a whole chicken in the big cooler?” asked Alex.

  “There was, but it went into yesterday’s stew,” said Jacques. “Which we’ll have for lunch, along with more bread, this time toasted with the cheese on top, I think.”

  “I approve of this plan,” said Alex, sighing happily at the thought of it.

  “And then afterward you’ll do your stretches with me,” said James.

  Alex chuckled. “I knew you two wouldn’t let me slack off on that, but let me give Lapointe my statement while I digest first.”

  “Deal,” said James, grinning.

  “Ugh,” said Alex. “After stretching, I want a nap.”

  “If you take your flute in with you, that’s fine,” said James. “Your bedroom has better wards, though not as good as the work room ones.”

  “Well, once this is all over, I’ll be adding to everything as best I can. Some of what I did today will be permanent, too,” said Alex. That turned the discussion more theoretical, and they talked about warding magic all the way home, while Lapointe mostly shook her head and looked baffled.

  Forensics was still picking through ant carcasses when they got home, but nothing came out of the woodwork this time, and the elevator had been checked and declared free of damage or vermin, so they rode up together with Smedley, filling each other in.

  “So, anyway, they’ve agreed to release one ant to you since there’s so many,” said Smedley, pulling a little box out of his pocket. “Be careful with this thing, okay?”

  “I will,” said Alex, taking the deceptively heavy box. “I’ve got a special safe for dangerous magics, I got it back during the Sheffield case, remember that?”

  “Oh yeah, with all those weird enchanted daggers,” said Lapointe.

  “Yep. I kept them in there for a week and never once got the urge to sleepwalk and kill my neighbours,” said Alex cheerfully.

  Smedley chuckled. “Well, good,” he said. “I gotta tell you, everyone in forensics is starting to get really nervous about this case and all the evidence we’ve got in for it, and they’ll be very happy when we can start destroying some of it.”

  “I think we all will,” agreed Alex.

  The elevator let them out onto the seventh floor, hallway cleared of constructs though the flat next door was abuzz with activity. Alex let everyone into his flat, and then stashed the ant and checked his wards magically while Jacques and James cleared things their own way. Nothing had bothered them all day, which was both a relief and a bit of a worry; if their villain wasn’t trying for Alex, then what other mischief might he be getting into?

  Of course, Alex thought as he hid for a few more moments in the quiet of his work room, he could be out getting fitted for a ridiculous costume as well.

  “All right, I’m putting on pyjamas,” said Alex, emerging to see the four of them chatting away. “A day like today needs pyjamas.”

  They encouraged him to do whatever he needed, and the group drifted apart to get their overdue lunch ready while Alex changed.

  His bedroom, too, held the lure of silence and solitude. No one would come in here uninvited; there was a water closet next to the little laundry room, and it wasn’t like anyone needed a shower. He changed into warm flannel pyjamas this time, in a deep midnight blue softened by multiple washings, and put on his favourite awful wool dressing gown, the paisley one his mother had given him for Christmas a few years back that was, he was certain, woefully out of style by now. Warm slippers for his feet, and a rumble in his tummy completed Alex’s readiness to face his friends.

  “Are we eating in the kitchen?” asked Alex. He only had four chairs in there, and out in the living room his conversation group was just the two chairs and sofa as well.

  “We’ll bring two chairs out here,” said James, gesturing at the little conversation group. “You never use the fireplace, anyway.”

  Alex shrugged. “It’s bothersome,” he said. In truth, he had no idea if the thing even worked, and he hadn’t felt like expending energy and effort figuring it out.

  “It’s convenient for us,” said Smedley, grabbing two chairs and carrying them easily out to the living room. “Sit down, we’ll bring you stuff.”

  “I must look really pathetic, if even you’re coddling me,” said Alex, but he did as he was told. He wrapped back up in his blankets and found himself yawning, the day catching up to him, not to mention the potions. “Will the tea have caffeine?”

  “Yes, you addict,” said Lapointe, coming out with a heavy tray full of teapot, cups, milk and sugar. “I think your fairy wants to talk to you.”

  “Oh, can you bring it in here?” asked Alex, making pathetic puppy eyes.

  James followed with the cage. “I think the plant needs something, here.” He set it down next to Alex on the sofa.

  “Water?” he asked, and the little butterfly fairy bobbed up and down.

  “I’ll get some. Anything else?” asked James.

  It looked forlornly at its empty saucer, and Alex laughed. “Honey and milk, and whatever extra treat Jacques wants to scrounge, please,” he said. He opened the door to get the saucer out, and the fairy came to settle on his hand for a moment, laying against his skin as if tasting his magic before fluttering back to the plant.

  James returned with water in a measuring cup, and a dish with honey, milk, a bit of spiced pear and a generous pool of the syrup from the same. “I think Jacques likes it,” he said with a chuckle.

  “It’s very nice, for a stowaway,” agreed Alex, his tone teasing. He got the fairy to tell him when to stop watering, then he put the dish back in and closed the door, setting the whole cage in the middle of the coffee table next to the tea service. “I don’t want you to get out and get hurt, I was attacked at the front door this morning by nasty magical constructs,” he told it, when it sulked at the closed door.

  It looked mollified, fluttering down to start on dinner, and Alex relaxed.

  “Where did that come from, anyway?” asked Lapointe, looking a bit nervous.

  “It’s just a butterfly fairy,” said Alex, “It snuck into the boxes of produce from the Benedict lands, I think it wanted a change of scenery. Mother thinks fairy flowers are common, so they never plant enough around the grounds, I think.”

  “It doesn’t look like the ones I’ve seen,” said Lapointe dubiously.

  “Alex’s wards keep it from putting up its glamour,” said James, snagging the dirty saucer and measuring cup. “Pour the tea, lazybones.”

  Alex laughed. “Yes, oh wise Guardian,” he said, but he poured for the five of them, making up cups for Jacques and James from memory, and asking politely before making Smedley and Lapointe�
��s cups the way they always preferred, too.

  The first sip was wonderful, and Alex sighed and leaned back. “I take it Victor also sent tea?” said Alex, fully aware that this wasn’t his usual brand.

  “It’s really good,” said Lapointe, surprised.

  Alex laughed. “Yes, fine, I’ll start buying better tea,” he said, admitting defeat and taking another sip. It really was very good.

  He just hated admitting his family was right about anything.

  Lunch was wonderful, Jacques reheating the stew and toasting the bread and cheese in the oven until it was bubbly and golden on top, and they ended up finding a shot glass to give the fairy a bit of tea so it could join in their meal completely. Once it was done, Alex laid out on the couch in a shamelessly dramatic manner to answer Lapointe’s questions, and then reluctantly allowed himself to be dragged to the bedroom for stretches. James even massaged the sore, tight muscles around Alex’s hip and thigh afterward, which would have been very strange if it hadn’t felt so nice to get some relief from the tension caused by the lingering pain and scarring.

  “You fought for us today,” said James, as he got Alex settled into bed for the promised nap. “We won’t ever forget that.”

  “With you,” said Alex, “even if you did put me in my work room for part of it.”

  “With us, then.” James accepted the correction with a smile. “I just wanted you to know that we are your friends, and we appreciated what you did.”

  “Thanks,” said Alex, giving his hand a squeeze. “I couldn’t do this without you two, you know.”

  James grinned. “I know,” he said, standing up. “We’ll wake you for dinner, and your next dose of potion.”

  “Blech,” said Alex, making a face. He curled up under the covers while James got the lights and left, but he spent a while lost in thought before he could sleep.

  It felt a bit weird to realise that, so far, he was the one benefitting the most from the murders. He’d gained friends, social standing and possibly love, all because poor Cecil Mandeville had been part of someone else’s plot.

  Alex fell asleep wondering when the person doing the plotting would find a way past his defences to take it all away.

  CHAPTER 26

  In Which We Get Some Rest, Run Some Errands, and Dress for a Ball

  Enforced rest meant that Alex got to stay in all day Thursday and lounge about, though James forced him to endure more stretching with the reward of another massage, and a nice long bath. No one tried to visit, though Julian sent Horace back and asked about stopping in on Friday, and there was an endless stream of text messages and phone calls.

  Alex made his fitting appointment with the couturier and then wrote back to Julian to arrange for him to visit afterward, with a warning to make sure he had his best protections with him. Otherwise, he gossiped with Flora but refused lunch, sympathised with Fauna but refused her company at his fitting, assured Victor that the food was doing wonderfully, and arranged to get his custom sweets from Saveur on Saturday so they’d be fresh and he wouldn’t be tempted to give them away a day early.

  Still, after three more potions, some vitamins, and no actual leaving the house despite all the phone calls, Alex had to admit he did feel better on Friday when he had to get up for his PT. He didn’t bother to dress in any of his new finery, choosing one of his own shirts with proper buttons and sticking his watch fob in a pocket rather than bothering with a waistcoat.

  “You’re looking better,” said James as they all sat down for pancakes and bacon, courtesy of Jacques, along with fruit salad from the dwindling bounty.

  “I feel better,” admitted Alex. He downed his potion and washed away the taste with tea, then sighed. “Have you ever been injured like this? Is it always so frustrating to heal?”

  “Yes,” said Jacques and James in heartfelt unison.

  They laughed, and spent the rest of breakfast and the journey to the hospital telling Alex stories of their own and other Guardians’ recoveries from various injuries, all of them peppered with boredom and backsliding due to impatience.

  The physical therapist took things slower today, and she, too, treated Alex to a massage at the end. He didn’t get to take his usual potion at the end of it, but instead was reminded to have his second dose of the new one with lunch. His fitting was next, which was another bit of torture, though even the designer was sympathetic to his need for frequent sitting, and to use his cane as much as possible.

  The design had been reworked in Alex’s absence, and Alex thought it was actually an improvement. The simple disc-shaped halo had been turned into an elaborate dandelion fluff made of charmed glowing rays, the base of which would be completely hidden by Alex’s own curls so the rays would seem to actually be emanating from his head. The diamond chips in his costume were arranged to look like sparks raining down from above, and the mask had been switched out for a leather one that formed to his face, the third eye made of onyx, blue topaz, and pearls. It wasn’t complete, but what was done was beautiful and fit Alex’s face surprisingly well.

  “You’ve outdone yourself,” said Alex, taking in the full effect while the designer poked at this and that, and the tailor tried to get Gerard to get out of the way long enough to check Alex’s trouser cuffs.

  “It’s not done yet,” said Gerard, standing back and regarding him thoughtfully. “I just can’t figure out what’s missing.”

  “I’ve got a cravat pin and cufflinks that glow,” offered Alex, but that suggestion was met with a wrinkled nose and look of disdain.

  “Please, so pedestrian,” replied Gerard. “No, though perhaps more topaz… Well, I’ll work it out and it will be perfect on Sunday.”

  “Am I your only Courtship candidate?” asked Alex curiously.

  “Yes, of course, there’s no time for any one designer to do more than one of you,” said Gerard. “We’ll each be putting in our best possible creation and hoping to make the best dressed lists.”

  “He’s done,” said the tailor, standing. “It’s a good design, practical but showy.”

  “A bit like me,” said Alex dryly, which made Jacques chuckle. The assistants came and got the headdress untangled from his hair, which made Alex wonder how he’d get it off at the end of the night, then removed the mask and started in on the suit itself. Alex was immune to embarrassment at this point, having gone through the reverse process already, so he just waited patiently to be allowed to re-dress himself and sit.

  “You approve the changes?” asked Gerard, peering at Alex as if suspicious he might reject the improvements.

  “Yes, it’s much better, more interesting now,” said Alex. “I’m sure you’ll figure out what’s missing and it’ll be perfect on Sunday.”

  “I agree,” said Gerard. “Now go, I must think.”

  Alex chuckled and stood. “Gladly,” he said, letting his Guardians lead him back out to the car and toward lunch.

  “It’s a little less ridiculous now,” said Jacques, “but I’m glad no one will expect us to dress up.”

  “Not that anyone ever believes the candidates are truly anonymous at these things, but it will be very obvious who I am with you two along,” teased Alex.

  “They’ll live as long as you do,” said James darkly.

  Alex sighed. “What’s for lunch?” he asked, instead of pursuing the subject.

  “I thought we might get curry again,” said Jacques hopefully.

  “That sounds wonderful, though we’ll have to check it all for contamination,” said Alex, finding the very idea tedious. “I will be so glad when that’s over with, even if I will miss your pancakes.”

  “We’ll miss you, too,” said Jacques with a grin. “Though not your snoring.”

  “Which you wouldn’t even hear if you didn’t tiptoe through my bedroom at some godawful hour to bathe,” retorted Alex. He’d slept through their morning routines for as long as they’d stayed with him, for which he was profoundly grateful. The last thing he needed was something else disr
upting his rest.

  Alex let himself lay back and doze a little as they drove to the Indian restaurant, and Jacques went in to get the food while James stayed with Alex and the car. “Do you ever get tired of all this?” asked Alex, without even opening his eyes.

  “Of course,” said James. “That’s why we always take time off between assignments, unless there’s an emergency. It’s hard to be on alert all the time.”

  “You guys totally trade watches and stuff while I’m asleep, don’t you?” asked Alex, though the very idea made him even more tired.

  James chuckled. “We do, and we set a watch-spell, too,” he said. “Plus, your bedroom’s got the better wards.”

  “Someday when I’m not on an actual prescription for magical exhaustion, I’ll do proper, predesigned wards for the whole flat, and add more to the work room. And possibly a couch, somewhere in there,” said Alex. He chuckled and opened his eyes. “It’ll be like my little magic panic room, I can put in a couch and keep some actual food in the mini-fridge with the magical ingredients.”

  “And then poison yourself accidentally,” said James with a chuckle.

  Alex sighed. “Too true.” He let his eyes fall shut again and listened to the hum of the engine. “You take good care of this car, don’t you, Jones?”

  “Of course,” Jones replied. “It’s my job.”

  “I’m glad you didn’t ask Victor to get me another driver,” said Alex. “Are you going to now?”

  “No, don’t be a prat,” said Jones.

  Alex laughed, surprised. “All right, then,” he agreed. He was glad he’d told Jones to hang onto the amulet, too, even if it left him without for now. He made a mental note to create a proper traveler’s safety charm for Jones later, and maybe something for the car itself, too. “I’m going to be very busy making charms when this is done,” said Alex with a chuckle, half to himself.

  “We’ll make sure you have the time,” said James, serious as a vow.

  Alex reached out and squeezed his hand. “I know you will.”

  Their moment of sincerity was broken when Jacques opened the car door and shoved in a bag of food on a draught of cold air, followed by three more and then the Guardian himself. “They were really nice about me checking it all over,” said Jacques, settling in. “Apparently those guys we had arrested have made trouble before, and haven’t been back since.”