Mystified

by Renee Bernard

  Brighid stopped mid-sentence as an unexpected throat cleared behind Elethea. She turned in surprise to realize that not all the fine ladies had left the shop, but one had lingered with her maid behind a stand of shelves. Elethea recognized her from their brief meeting just a few days before and prayed that their conversation had not inspired the young woman to make a scene.

  Elethea set the soap down and attempted her most genteel curtsey. “Lady Claire Deering, is it not? Brighid, may I introduce you to Lady Claire? I’m sorry—we didn’t know—”

  “Please, I don’t mean any harm,” Claire said quickly. “I’m not one to judge and…not when half of Society already thinks me as mad as my mother and my aunt.”

  “The DeLisle sisters were your aunt and your mother? Oh! I’m so sorry. If you only knew how we’d tried to help them…”

  Elethea gave Brighid a warning look. It was dangerously thin ground to speak of the missteps of the past to outsiders and if Claire agreed with her family and blamed the Circle for their misfortunes—an apology might be misinterpreted as an admission of guilt.

  “So she said.”

  Elethea froze in place, her mind latching onto those words as she sensed a shift. “Who said?”

  “My Aunt Evelyn. Last night.”

  Brighid nodded. “Her ghost appeared to you? It is the time of year for it.”

  “No.”

  And then it was a blur of new information as Claire swore them to secrecy and then shared a tale so astonishing it was hard not to gasp as it unfolded. Lady Evelyn whom they had long thought dead was in fact, locked in a tower in Castle Keyvnor for her own safety. Her hold on reason had not been broken with grief—but from the malicious curse of a horrible woman. With every word that Claire recounted, an icy weight in Elethea’s stomach grew. Every question that Gran had posed, the great mystery of how the Circle had been blamed and how they had fallen from grace now had an answer within reach.

  “Lady Claire, you should come with me,” Elethea said, gesturing for the refined lady and her maid to follow her from the shop. “You need to meet my grandmother.”

  She led them out from the village and then through a path into the woods. Her mind was racing but after they’d covered a good deal of ground, she realized she hadn’t really thought to ask about the ladies’ shoes or their propensity for brisk hikes. She glanced back and discovered with some relief that Lady Claire was wearing sturdy walking boots and was not scowling or red-faced. Her maid was winded but keeping up with the pace that Elethea had unconsciously set. She smiled in encouragement and continued to guide the pair to her grandmother’s cottage though at a more leisurely pace to give the women a chance to catch their breath.

  At last, they reached the clearing and for Elethea, the familiar sight of Gran’s home. She hoped that Lady Claire didn’t find it rough and rustic and turn her nose up at the dwelling but Claire’s expression was one of wonder and approval.

  “It is…sweet, isn’t it?” Elethea said softly. “This is my grandmother’s house.”

  She pushed in the unlocked front door and brought Claire inside with her maid. As expected, Gran wasn’t the least bit surprised at their arrival.

  “You must be Lady Claire,” Gran said with a smile. “You have your mother’s beautiful looks.”

  Ella stepped back as Gran’s magic and warm soul charmed the newcomers and eased their anxieties. At last, the great puzzle was solved and Hestia’s evil was revealed at last. Gran’s eyes were alight with fury at a woman long dead who had hurt so many souls, but also she could see a new drive to right the world again and do whatever she could to heal the rift.

  Gran conversed with the women intently and Elethea sat quietly. It felt good to know that she’d done the right thing in bringing Claire and her maid to the cottage. It felt even better to know that the tangle of threads on the grand wheel of fate were finally being pulled free for the DeLisle sisters and their families. If anyone could sift through it and put the curse to a final end, it was Gran.

  When they were done, Gran asked her to show Claire the way to their sacred stone circle and Ella stood to once again guide the pair through the woods. This time, no one had any trouble keeping up with her.

  Hope gives a person a second wind…

  After showing them the stones and the markers to look for to find their way on the following night of All Hallow’s Eve and then ensuring that the ladies were pointed safely in the direction of Castle Keyvnor, Elethea hurried back toward home, her steps light. She did not want her father to worry about where she’d gotten to or to supply him with any excuse for another tense exchange. The sky threatened rain but she loved the beauty in the changing sky. She tried singing but abandoned it immediately when a breathless and unhappy boy named Doran Jenks came racing up the hill toward her.

  “Miss! Miss Ella!”

  “What is it, Doran? You poor thing! What’s happened?”

  “M-my sister has fallen off a ladder! She was picking apples and—please come!”

  “Oh, dear!” Elethea took a deep breath. She had nearly reached the village and an idea came to life inside of her. The Jenks had sent for her but this might be the olive branch she needed with her father. They could go together to the Jenks and it would give her an opportunity to smooth things over and to tell him that she had no wish to meet any of his colleagues; and to convince him that she was an asset to his practice and not a daughter to be married off only to get her out of his way. “We need my father. He’s at the Mermaid’s Kiss. I’ll fetch him and come right away! Go back and tell your family that help is on the way, all right?”

  Doran was off in a flash and Elethea shifted direction to run toward the inn. If her father wasn’t there, she’d borrow a horse from Mr. Thackery and collect him from home or wherever he was to put her plan into motion.

  Goodness, what a day! Let it not be said I’d been idle when others needed me!

  Chapter 10

  When Dr. Alistair Fairfax arrived at the Mermaid’s Kiss to check on his bedridden patient, he was in for quite the surprise. Blade was on his feet and dressed, boots on and grimly buttoning his waistcoat with the determination of a man preparing for battle.

  “May I ask, Mr. Hambly, what in God’s name do you think you are doing?”

  “I insist on going for a walk.” Blade fastened the last button and began a careful search for his coat. “I want to go before it starts raining.”

  “Mr. Hambly, a few days of bedrest is what I had recommended and this is…unwise.”

  A knock at the door interrupted them, and Alistair opened it only to blink in shock at the sight of Elethea on the other side.

  “Elethea! What are you doing here?”

  Blade caught a glimpse of her as well as she stood outside the door and began to smile. His luck had taken a turn for the better. “Please ask her to come in.”

  “There’s no need, Mr. Hambly,” Dr. Fairfax said brusquely. “Did I forget something at the house, Elethea?”

  “No, Father. Doran Jenks found me and said that his sister has fallen from a ladder while she was picking apples. You’re needed urgently.”

  “Am I? God, I hate Allantide.”

  “Allantide?” Blade asked. “What is that exactly?”

  “Don’t ask. It’s a bit of rotted nonsense about apples that has every young girl of a certain age breaking her neck to get the prettiest fruit from the highest branches. If you’ll excuse me, Mr. Hambly, I must go. The walk you proposed is, of course, is out of the question.”

  “I’ll walk where I wish, Doctor.”

  It was Ella’s turn to look puzzled. “Do you feel up for a walk, sir?”

  “He does not!” Her father’s face was growing redder by the moment.

  “He does,” Blade amended with the calm authority of a man used to getting his way. “Though perhaps your daughter can keep me company to keep an eye on me? As a capable nurse.”

  “Oh,” Ella gasped. “I’m not—”

  “Yes, very well.
Do that then. Elethea, stay with Mr. Hambly. I’m off to the Jenks!”

  “Father! Don’t you wish me to accompany you?”

  He stepped out into the corridor and drew her away a few steps for privacy, lowering his voice though the open door at his back made it somewhat of an empty gesture. “I know it’s a reversal of my position last night, but it can’t be helped. I trust you to remember all that we discussed. Just walk behind him at a respectful distance and keep a close eye out for his safety. He’s all bravado and odds are he won’t make it out of the courtyard, so there’s no danger of any indiscretion—not that a man of his position would ever consider…well, you know what I mean.”

  “Yes, Father.”

  “When he tires and begs off, just see him back to the inn and have Mr. Thackery see him to his room. Understood?”

  “Yes, Father.”

  He was gone in a clumsy flurry, his wig askew before he reached the bottom of the stairs. Ella watched him go with a sigh and then turned back to find Blade Hambly leaning against the doorframe of his room looking at her with open mischief in his pale blue eyes.

  “Why do I have the feeling you are very pleased with how this has turned out?” she asked.

  “I didn’t pull that girl out of a tree.”

  “No.”

  “But you’re right. I was going to ask your father to reappoint you as a nurse. I was in the midst of composing some excuse to ask for you…or stumble into the village square and do myself some small harm to see if that might conjure you up as you might come to my aid.”

  “It’s hard to picture you playing the damsel in distress, Mr. Hambly.”

  “Granted it hardly suits me but when you made it clear that I might have no other chance… A man must make sacrifices.”

  “Are you truly up for a walk?”

  “Yes.”

  She surveyed him as subtly as she could. His color was good, but it was hard to guess at his balance since he was propped against a doorframe. Even so, he was a gentleman of some authority and it was difficult to argue. “A walk can be very beneficial.”

  He stepped forward and offered her his arm. Elethea hesitated. “Father was…I think he wanted me to walk behind you, at a respectful distance to avoid…”

  “The appearance of stepping out with me on a social gallivant through the countryside?”

  “Well, when you phrase it like that—it sounds absolutely naughty!”

  “It’s a walk, Miss Fairfax, and I don’t want you to plod along behind me like a servant or chattel. Besides, if I’m entirely honest, I’m feeling a bit light-headed and I’d rather not embarrass myself and fall, so if you’ll take my arm, I might lean on you a bit.”

  Elethea smiled and took his arm. “As a precaution only, Mr. Hambly.”

  They made their way together down the stairs. Blade kept his free hand on the railing as a precaution, unwilling to risk her safety as he found his legs. The thrill of having Miss Elethea Fairfax’s hand tucked into the crook of his arm was a thrill he had not entirely anticipated.

  Despite her father’s dire predictions, they did make it past the courtyard and strolled out away from the village and judgmental eyes too.

  “You thought we would not meet again,” he said.

  “I underestimated you,” she said.

  “I like the way that sounds.” Blade placed his hand over hers. “I wish to know more about you, Miss Fairfax. What are your interests and pursuits?”

  “I am afraid you will find me lacking, Mr. Hambly. I love to read and take walks in the woods. I love to collect herbs and plants for various tonics and cures and…” She did her best not to look at him too much as she spoke all too aware of the pace of her heart in his presence. “I like to help people.”

  “I see no lack at all.”

  She almost protested at the compliment. Almost. But then she remembered what he’d said about it never being wicked to bask in the glow of another praise. If only he weren’t so charming…

  “Thank you.”

  “Ah, now that wasn’t so hard, was it?”

  “It was,” she replied, struggling not to smile. “It feels very unnatural, sir.”

  “Like anything, it takes practice. You’ll have to apply yourself, Miss Fairfax.”

  “Apply myself?” She laughed. “You are the only one who has ever flattered me, so I don’t think it’s a skill I shall ever need after—You will ruin me for the quiet of the countryside, Mr. Hambly.”

  “I meant no harm.”

  She took a deep breath and attempted to redirect the conversation away from herself and back onto more solid ground. “And what are your interests, Mr. Hambly? That is, when you are not feverishly falling out of carriages or teaching me how to accept compliments.”

  “I like engineering. It’s merely tinkering with my gadgets and designs but there is something about it all—about creating my own vision and seeing something work. I can feel it in my bones that there is a new age about to dawn and science will overtake our troubles.”

  “You are a visionary man of science!”

  “I hope that I am,” he said. “My uncle and family own several mines, copper and coal. Their yields are not as great as they once were but I keep thinking there is more. The mines could be safer and more productive. What if there were a way to increase the output without any loss of life? I might improve the economy of the counties and benefit so many who need not suffer.”

  “Machines. They seem so soulless but when you speak of them, I am inspired. Tell me more.”

  He opened up and began to tell her of his ideas, of the sanctuary of his workshop and his preferences for solitary pursuits. As they talked, the walk became anything but brisk in pace and far more wonderful. Elethea lost track of time until suddenly she noticed that their leisurely pace had slowed to a stop.

  “Is something wrong, Mr. Hambly?”

  “My pride is smarting. I thought on my feet I’d feel more like myself.”

  “Would you like to sit? You can recover your strength, restore your pride, and I can convince myself that it is perfectly normal to be in your company like this.”

  “No, I don’t want to sit, and it feels completely normal to me.”

  “Really? For the next Earl of Banfield to go out for a walk with the village doctor’s daughter? There’s nothing extraordinary in that?”

  “If there is, then I cannot see it.”

  “What else do you not see I wonder?” she said.

  “What do you mean?”

  “We are in an enchanted forest, Mr. Hambly. Can you see it?”

  He shook his head, openly amused. “I used to visit the castle as a child and explored these forests then. If there is anything more than woodland animals, butterflies and birds, you have me at a loss. It’s nonsense to pretend that there is more, is it not?”

  “Not everything that you don’t see or don’t wish to see is nonsense. You should not be so quick to dismiss—”

  “Nor you to defend,” he cut her off. “Country ways are all well and good but I can assure you no one beyond Bocka Morrow gives any credence to rustic rites and silly superstitions. Belief in such things or a quaint adherence to outdated traditions does not do you any credit or elevate a person’s opinion of you, Miss Fairfax.”

  “Is that how you feel? Am I less in your eyes if I do cling to my quaint adherence to outdated traditions?”

  “No. I don’t think it’s possible.”

  “Please, Mr. Hambly. I don’t understand.”

  “I find that I am rather taken with your person. I struggle to find any fault in you at all, Miss Fairfax.”

  “Do you wish to?”

  “No, I don’t.”

  “Then you are a rare person in a world where so many are not as kind.”

  “Who is unkind to you, Miss Fairfax?”

  Elethea’s color changed, a flush on her cheeks betraying the heat of her thoughts. “It is a good thing I have no aims toward overstepping and exposing myself to anyone’s cens
ure beyond my small rustic circles here to find out. I am respected and happy in Bocka Morrow. My father is a valued member of our country and a loyal servant to the Banfields. My family has been here as long as yours, perhaps longer, Mr. Hambly. As far as the mysteries of sun and shadow, earth and air, I can’t think of a reason to abandon a faith in things that have never failed me. Even if you think it’s silly but cannot find fault with me, I know your peers won’t have the same struggle.”

  “I don’t care what anyone else thinks. If you knew me, you would know I’ve spent very little of my time in pursuit of what is popular or worrying about it.”

  “I believe you.”

  “There is something about you—something mysterious, Miss Fairfax. A man would be a fool to mistake you for a simple country miss. I misspoke to even utter the phrase.”

  Elethea said nothing, patiently waiting.

  “I am not a fool, Miss Fairfax.”

  “Yet I am a simple country miss, Mr. Hambly.”

  “I disagree.” His breath caught in his throat and his steps slowed. His brow furrowed and for a moment, he swayed unsteadily on his feet.

  Without really thinking, Elethea reached up to touch his cheek, sampling his body’s temperature. His skin was cool, but a sheen of sweat on his brow told her his struggle was very real. “We’ve walked too far! You’re utterly drained!”

  “I simply—need a moment.”

  “Here,” she said firmly. “Close your eyes.” She acted without hesitation, her instinct alone guiding her. “Kneel here with me and just breathe.”

  He obeyed her but mostly because she had caught him off guard. He closed his eyes and yielded to gravity to kneel with her on the grassy path. Elethea reached up to press her palms against his cheeks, then gently drew her fingers across his features to fan and frame his face.

  Breath to breath. Bone to bone.

  “This is ridiculous, Miss Fairfax,” he said quietly.

  She ignored him, centered herself and then began to summon her gifts. Her fingertips tingled and she pressed them against his temples. In that moment, the world quieted and once again, it was only the two of them. Her shyness fell away and her only concern was the exhaustion that had seized him and the desire to bolster his strength with hers.