Bits was going to have to muster the courage to jump from somewhere. Surely a broken bone or even death was preferable to this conversation.
"Vani, that is not an appropriate topic of discussion for a lady," Ezra said, which infuriated Bits. It was an inappropriate conversation topic, but not an inappropriate display? "The Untouched are not like us. They place a different level of importance on kissing and other physical contact, relegating them to the world of intimacy."
"I know that," Vani said right on top of Bits's, "And the Touched do not?"
Ezra's eyes flicked her direction for a brief moment, and she found herself somewhat delighted to see twin blotches of red stain his cheeks. "For us, certain physical activities, such as kissing, are ascribed a different type of intimacy."
"It works off the Residual," Vani added since Ezra wasn't quite getting to the point. "I normally run as fast as my legs will take me, but Calliope Miller says that is a child's tactic. If anyone is to ever take me seriously, she said I had to start kissing off my Residual like a proper person."
Bits considered touching her forehead to see if any space whatsoever remained between her eyebrows and hairline.
"Once again, Miss Miller is not the wealth of knowledge you believe her to be," Ezra said, encouraging the horses with a steady hand as they took the carriage up a steep incline. "Many old people work off their Residual without kissing or any other intimate touch. Even our Oberon prefers to work off his Residual in the boxing ring rather than the bedroom."
Vani's face lit up like the midday sun. "Can I learn boxing?"
Again Bits's voice was in chorus with another. This time it was Ezra's, "No," chiming in alongside her, "I don't see why not."
Ezra looked at her fully for the first time since the kiss. "You don't see why not? The girl is already a terror. Do you not remember that she said hello by pelting us with arrows?"
Bits straightened her shoulders and attempted to imitate her sister's haughty superior expression and tone. "I would certainly think it would be more edifying than running about kissing all and sundry whenever the aether in her system got to be too much." And it might help protect her from this Neit who had bruised her body.
"Oh, Mr. Nash, I do so like your lady," Vani said with a delighted grin. "I thought you were mad at first, going off and getting yourself a nob when a fair number of women here would have you, but I think you've done very well for yourself."
Bits tried not to be hurt by the absolute revulsion on Ezra's face.
"Lady Elizabeth is not my lady."
"Are you certain of that?" Vani asked. "You did call her 'Bits' before. As in, 'I love you to bits and pieces.'"
The carriage gave a jerk, no doubt the result of Ezra's full body flinch.
"I... I did no such thing."
Except he must have. How else would Vani have known her nickname? Bits tried to think back and recall when he might have said it. It must have been during the chaos of the runaway carriage, which meant he'd done it without thinking.
Did that mean he thought of her as Bits? In his mind, was she familiar to him? Dear, even?
The thought almost completely repaired the damage seeing him embrace Vani had done to her poor, fragile heart.
"Lady Elizabeth is a proper lady. I would not malign her so by speaking with such familiarity without her leave."
"Why, Mr. Nash, of course you should call me Bits." There. That was properly done, wasn't it? It was exactly what she was expected to say. There really was no reason for her heart to gallop in her chest like a spooked horse.
Vani sighed and rolled her eyes to the heavens. "For two people having an affair, you are terribly formal with one another."
It was Bits's turn to flinch. "We are not having an affair," she said, her voice too high and too loud in an attempt to drown out the sudden images flooding her mind at such an implication. “Mr. Nash behaves himself as a perfect gentleman." Not once had he stolen into her room in the dead of night and pressed his lips to hers while running his hands over the thin material of her night rail, no matter how much she wished he would. "He has done absolutely nothing untoward."
"If you two aren't having an affair, how are you going to tell me about whether or not he's an accomplished kisser?"
"Unfortunately, I cannot," Bits said, then felt her face flame.
There was a chance he had not heard the "unfortunately." Or if he had, maybe he would interpret it as her not wanting to disappoint Vani. Yet, a peek through her lashes revealed a creased mouth trying desperately hard to suppress a smile.
It seemed she was back to the throwing herself from the moving carriage plan.
"Well, then you can at least tell me about the other men you have kissed. Are they all able to make your toes tingle without leaving your face wet?"
Perhaps, if she landed in a patch of grass, she would be unharmed enough to run away. She didn't know how far Manchester was, but surely if she kept going west she would eventually get there.
"I'm afraid I have no other experiences to draw from," she said, mortified. She was probably the only female to have ever reached six and twenty years without receiving a stolen kiss while hiding in an alcove or the gardens.
Vani obviously felt the same. "You've never been kissed?"
No need to jump. She would die of humiliation right here and now.
"I am, as Mr. Nash has pointed out, a lady. My father was an earl. I do have my virtue to protect."
Oh yes. That was lovely. Even Sarah, the esteemed Duchess of Keaton, could not find fault in the response nor the way she delivered it. Certainly it would make one -- with Ezra being the only "one" she currently cared about -- believe she was unsoiled out of choice rather than a lack of options. Who cared how far from the truth such a belief would be?
"I really think if he's to call you Bits you should be permitted to call him..." Vani's face once again screwed up in a way that made Bits want to give the girl a biscuit and pat her on the head. “Do you have a given name, Mr. Nash?”
"It's Ezra," he said with a low chuckle. "And of course Lady Elizabeth - Bits - has leave to call me by it." He fixed Vani with a hard look. "You, however, do not."
Vani's mouth dropped open in outrage, but before she could say anything, a small cottage appeared just over the rise and the carriage slowed to a crawl.
"Here we are," Ezra said as the horses came to a halt. "I assume Neit is in the stables?"
"With any luck," Vani said, crawling over Ezra like a monkey in the zoological gardens of Regent's Park and vaulting from the seat. "I'll go warn him you're coming."
Ezra shifted his legs with a scowl, allowing Vani to leap down. "And Arawn?" he asked.
"Likely in the house, being a lazy fool as normal." Vani huffed out a sigh. "I reckon you want to meet him too?"
Bits looked to Ezra for guidance, and at his slight nod, she agreed. "I would be pleased to make his acquaintance, if he's amiable."
"It's Arawn. He's never amiable," Vani said as she stomped towards the cottage. "Give me a few moments to prepare them, then you can meet me around back. It's best if the introductions are made where everyone has enough space to run if they need." With those foreboding words, Vani was gone.
"Space to run?" she asked Ezra, rethinking this series of introductions.
"Arawn and Neit are a bit high strung," he said as he climbed down from the carriage. Bits tracked his movements as he tied the horses to a nearby tree. "And they can be overwhelming to anyone meeting them for the first time. Some space is best for all involved."
With the horses secured, Ezra walked around and offered Bits his hand.
"I'm not so sure I'll be able to call you Bits, my lady," he said as he helped her to the ground.
She tried not to let her disappointment show. "Why not? I will grant you, it's a ridiculous nickname, but I've grown rather accustomed to it over the years. There is a chance I would not even realize you were speaking to me if you were to call me a more sedate Liz or Lizzie."
"I'm simply saying, madam, that with our stations being as they are--"
"Oh posh." Really, that was the most ridiculous thing she'd ever heard. If ever there was a person who cared less about a person's station, Bits had never made their acquaintance. "I shall very much enjoy calling you Ezra. It’s a mite bit simpler," and more endearing, "than Mr. Nash. Yet, if you insist on continuing to call me Lady Elizabeth, then I'll be left with no other option, and that won't do at all."
A smile creased Ezra's cheeks. "Then, Bits, may I accompany you to the stables? I do believe your audience should be fully prepared."
Bits tucked her hand into the fold of Ezra's arm, unable to stop the smile spreading across her own face. "I must admit," she said, "I'm rather intimidated now we are here. Are these gentlemen nearly as imposing as I fear?”
"More so, I would imagine."
That wasn't quite the encouragement she was seeking. If she was going to do this, she was going to have to fortify herself. It would help to remember why she had come in the first place.
"This Neit. He's the one who hurt Vani?"
Ezra nodded as he led Bits around a root. "Usually it's Arawn. I was surprised it was Neit this time. I hope it's not a sign of things to come from him."
"Yet you knew it was this Neit the moment you saw her injury?”
"It was the only logical explanation. Arawn is too small to cause such extensive bruising, not to mention his specialty is burns."
Burns? What had this poor girl had to endure? And how could Ezra just leave her here, knowing what was happening?
"Why doesn't she leave?" Bits asked instead of the questions that would no doubt put Ezra on the defensive and less likely to continue their conversation.
"Believe me, I've asked her that myself. But they're the only family she has, and she worries they cannot survive without her." They stopped just outside the stable and Ezra met her eyes with his own. "I promise you, no matter how things may appear, you are safe. I will not let any harm come to you."
She should be afraid at having to be given such assurances, but the way his blue eyes held hers, the warmth of his body so near, and the chivalry of his words had her feeling as if she was floating on air.
"I trust you." And she did, more so than she'd realized until this moment. Enough that one day, maybe even one day soon, she would be able to trust him with the secrets she held. Maybe someday she could finally tell him where she had been heading when she boarded the train for Scotland and the real reason her family had seen fit to send her there.
"Then let us proceed," Ezra said, resuming their trek.
The stables were larger than the cottage, and in better repair. It was large enough to house a team of four, but when Bits stepped inside, it wasn't horses she saw. In fact, it took her several long moments to understand what she was seeing.
The creature Vani was petting was the darkest shade of black imaginable, the color fading somewhat to a deep purple at the edges of its tail and wings. There was a depth to the color, an unevenness that made it appear as if its scales were moving where the sun hit them. Brilliant green eyes with elongated pupils watched Bits from atop a triangular head.
"Bits, meet Neit. Neit, this is Mr. Nash's not-really lover, Bits."
"It's Lady Elizabeth to you and Neit," Ezra corrected.
"Neit is a dragon." Bits said the words, but she didn’t believe them.
Vani scratched behind the creature's ear. "What else would he be?"
"But dragons are extinct." They had been since the reign of King James II, and those had been small creatures. She'd seen many of the preserved bodies in exhibits. Most of them were the size of hares, the large ones being the size of a spaniel.
Neit was roughly the size of an Arabian horse.
"Nearly extinct," said Vani, “but magic cannot die out. The Untouched might keep it at bay for a while, but it will come back, stronger than before."
"Dragons are drawn to magic," Ezra explained. "Their numbers are low, but we have always had a small population of them in Corrigan. Mostly they run about the countryside, occasionally stealing a farmer's sheep or pig, but Vani has managed to tame these two."
Two. There was another one. Bits looked around, but could only see Neit. Too late, Bits realized her error in not looking down.
"Arawn, no!"
Either the tiny dragon didn't hear Vani, or he refused to listen. He climbed up Bits's skirts, stopping on her chest with his face level with hers. He let out a noise, something between a growl and a hiss, and all the hairs on the back of Bits's neck stood on end.
Vani snatched the smaller dragon off of Bits and treated the beast to her own growling hiss. Arawn opened his mouth, emitting a flame so powerful Bits, who was standing a good four feet away at this point, was forced to step further back lest she risk being singed. A scream escaped her throat. She lunged for Vani, who was nearly nose to nose with the dragon, but her effort was for naught since the flame stopped at some invisible barrier a hair’s breath from Vani's face.
"That's it," Vani declared and stomped across the floor. She stopped in front of a large, wrought iron chest, threw up the lid, and dropped Arawn inside before slamming the lid back down and latching the lock. "And you're staying in there until you remember your manners."
"Tame may have been too ambitious of a word," Ezra said in the silence that followed. Bits could only stare at him, too much in shock to know whether to laugh or scream.
“He's getting better," Vani said. "Did you notice how he attacked me and not her? It's because he knew I was wearing my crystals and could handle it. He doesn't do it if I've got them off. He doesn't really want to hurt anyone. It's just he's a dragon, and when they feel attacked or threatened, they retaliate. It's instinct."
"That instinct could get you killed," Bits couldn't help but point out.
Vani shrugged. "What's the point of living if you're not doing the thing you were born to do?"
Someone else might have been able to argue the point, but not Bits. The truth of it hit a little too close to home.
Neit dipped his head close to Vani's and made a sound similar to a bear doing an imitation of a door creaking open.
"He thinks your sad," Vani said to Bits. "He thinks perhaps you should pet him." She put a hand up next to her mouth and continued sotto voce, "He thinks he can read and regulate human emotions."
Neit huffed as if he'd heard and understood Vani perfectly well and did not care for her lack of faith in his abilities.
"Well, I don't know that I am sad," lie, "but I would enjoy petting your dragon, if both you and he would not mind.” The child who still lived somewhere inside of Bits's adult body bounced with glee, yet the older, more reasonable woman could not forget the bruises Ezra had healed not so long ago.
"Come on, then. He won't hurt you," Vani assured her. "He's really quite gentle, unlike some ruffians I've known." She glared at the trunk where she'd vanquished Arawn and stuck out her tongue.
Bits didn't feel connected to her body as she walked forward and reached out a hand to the large dragon. Her knees shook at being so close to such a dangerous creature, even knowing those last few feet made no difference if the dragon meant her harm. The dragon who had burned half of London to the ground in 1666 was roughly the size of a fox and only had less than a minute before the soldiers who were escorting him to the Tower had severed his head. Bits had no doubt a dragon of Neit's size could destroy half of England with one breath should he wish.
Yet, Neit didn't appear to be in the mood to raze a country. As Bits approached, he dipped his head, giving her ample room to stroke his neck. The scales were smoother and warmer than Bits was expecting. Up close, she could see a rainbow of colors in each one. In that moment, she understood why Vani would risk herself for these magnificent creatures. She, too, was willing to put her life on the line to ensure they did not die out as the Untouched had thought.
"He is magnificent," she said, nuzzling her cheek against the warmth of his scales. He wa
s also, quite possibly, correct about his abilities, for Bits no longer felt the age-old sadness weighing her down. Her heart was too filled with beauty and wonder to leave any room for such useless emotions.
"He likes you," Vani said, "and Neit is an excellent judge of character."
"Then it seems we have put our trust in the right person," Ezra said.
Bits looked up from the hypnotic swirl of Neit's scales. "And what trust is that?"
"You are the only Untouched who knows dragons still exist. Who knows where they can be found. I would imagine that information would bring quite a good price in London."
Bits was affronted. He thought she would sell their secrets, sell Neit's life, for a few crowns?
"I assure you, Mr. Nash, I have no intentions of letting anyone outside of Corrigan know of the things I've discovered by living within its walls. I understand the importance of secrets when it comes to protecting things and people who are precious."
"I never had any doubt," he said with a smile that let her know he'd goaded her on purpose. For what purpose she was unsure, but by the way Vani's shoulders relaxed at her outburst, she had a good guess. "And I thought I was to be Ezra to you now."
"Ezra," she said, savoring the feel of his name on her tongue. "My apologies."
"One of these days, Bits," he said, "I'm going to cure you of this need to apologize when you have done nothing wrong."
Chapter 18
The ride back to Corrigan proper was uneventful in light of the previous hours. Bits had been shot at with arrows, survived a runaway carriage, and touched a real, breathing dragon.
For the first time, she was grateful her family had seen fit to ship her off so they might get on with the rest of their lives. She was even grateful to Daniel Ware for his idiotic attempt at creating a single-man, self-propelled air craft. Without her siblings and Mr. Ware, she would have never shared a train car with Alice and ended up here.
A Dance Like Flame (Of Magic & Machine Book 1) Page 13