“Yes, they have,” Niclas agreed, standing still as Abercraf expertly arranged the cloth about his neck. “I almost feel myself again. Or as much as that’s possible.”
The truth was that he’d been so exhausted following Julia’s return that he’d spent a full ten hours lying flat on a bed, eyes closed, murmuring the ancient chant Malachi had taught him. That, along with the potion, had proved so successful that it would probably be days before he’d need to rest again.
The trouble was, being well rested, and having the crisis surrounding Julia over, left Niclas with few excuses for not facing the truth about the uselessness of his attempt to lift the curse.
There was nothing to rescue Lady Alice from. Niclas had sensed what her feelings were when she’d come to Tylluan shortly after they had arrived, when Julia had still been insensible. Despite the intense concern she’d held for her niece, the emotions that she experienced in Ffinian’s presence were still strong, and none of them was fear. Lady Alice felt love for Ffinian, tenderness, a little impatience and exasperation, but not fear.
There was nothing that he could do for the Linleys, for there had never truly been a problem. Malachi had tried to warn him that the effort wouldn’t be enough to affect the curse, and Niclas had accepted that his cousin was probably right. But it wasn’t until he’d actually come to Tylluan and seen for himself how matters stood between Ffinian and Lady Alice that he’d given up hope. Because this had been his last chance, and he had clung to it, not letting himself consider just how slim it truly was.
In the garden below, Julia and her aunt embraced, and then began to move slowly toward the gate that led to Lady Alice’s waiting carriage.
There was still one matter to occupy him for a few days more. Cadmaran was yet a danger to them, at least until Malachi had Ceridwen safely married to Colonel Spar. Julia would have to remain at Tylluan until then, and Niclas would have to stay, as well, to make certain that she was safe. They would have a little time to enjoy each other’s company before they had to begin their journey back to London, and before Niclas had to decide what he wanted to do. But he wasn’t going to think about that now. Julia made him happy, and that was what he wanted to dwell on until their time was gone. It was a gift he would give himself.
“Lady Alice is about to leave,” he murmured, turning from the window to allow Abercraf to help him into his jacket. “Jane will need to hurry and gather her things in order to accompany her back to Glen Aur.”
“I’ll go at once and tell her, sir,” Abercraf said, smoothing the shoulders and lapels of the tight-fitting garment. “Shall I bring you a breakfast tray afterward?”
“No, thank you. I’m going downstairs to speak with Miss Linley.”
At the bottom of the stairs Niclas came to a halt, arrested by a strong surge of emotions coming from a hallway just around the corner to his left. Low voices confirmed the presence of at least two persons who were hidden from his view, and what he felt coming from there made him wonder if he should proceed.
Panic, anger . . . and what else? The strength of the feelings made him think instantly of Loris, and the sound of her voice the next moment told him that he’d been right.
“Get out of my way.”
“Why? You’ve plenty of room to pass, darling Loris.”
“Don’t call me that!”
“And why shouldn’t I? Everyone else at Tylluan does. Darling Loris. Dearest Loris. Or is it only from my lips that you don’t want to hear the words?”
“If you don’t move—”
“Say my name first.”
“—I’ll kick you.”
“Say my name. I want to hear it. You say Dyfed’s name all the time. Why can’t you say mine?”
“I’ll count to three, and then—”
“Say it, Loris. Just once.”
“One.”
“Please.”
She faltered for a moment, but then, a bit shakily, continued. “Two.”
A lengthy silence followed, and Niclas knew that Kian had quieted her with a kiss. Her heart had filled with pain, longing, and despair, and they were so similar that he could scarce tell one from the other.
He slipped away from the stairs and across the hallway entrance, glancing only briefly to see Loris pinned against a wall by Kian’s much larger figure. She wasn’t fighting, she wasn’t even resisting, and Kian’s kiss appeared to be neither rough nor forceful. Whatever struggle was taking place between the two of them now was internal, and Niclas was quite certain that he wouldn’t be able to figure it out.
He had just exited through one of the heavy main doors when another familiar voice hailed him.
“Ah, there you are, my lad,” Uncle Ffinian said happily, stomping in his usual hearty manner from the direction of a copse of trees. He held a gun in one hand and a collection of motley dogs—not a one of them hunters—loped along at his side.
“Been out birding, have you, Uncle? Had any luck?”
“Nah, damned dogs scare them all away before I can get a shot.”
“Then perhaps you shouldn’t take them,” Niclas advised, though he couldn’t resist reaching down to scratch a couple of their soft, furry heads. They responded with slavish, wagging delight.
“Ah, well, they like coming along and I don’t want to spoil their fun. And it doesn’t matter, really,” he said, grinning widely, “I can never hit the birds even when I do have time to aim. Kian and Dyfed keep fowl on the table. My own talent is with the fish.”
“That’s only because the faeries help you,” Niclas teased.
Ffinian laughed and gave a shake of his head. “Aye, that’s true, lad, very true. Now, where are you off to this fine morning? And where is Miss Linley?”
“Presently, she’s by the garden gate, saying good-bye to Lady Alice. You didn’t know she’d come?”
Ffinian’s face lit up like a lamp. “Ah, she’s come? So early? No, I didn’t expect it, for she is given to coming after luncheon, if she comes at all. It’s usually me who does all the going up and down the hill if I wish to have a little visit. But she’s going away already, you say? I can’t be having that,” he said, setting his gun aside on a low wall. “Hurry! We can’t let her get away!”
“Uncle, she’s not a thief who needs catching, and I have no intention of—”
But his uncle strode down the driveway without listening, disappearing beyond the garden wall. Sighing, Niclas began to follow, and very nearly ran Julia down as she came hurrying from the place where his uncle had disappeared.
“Oh, I’m sorry!” she said as they just missed colliding. “I wasn’t looking where I was going and didn’t expect—”
With his hands on her shoulders, Niclas steadied her and said, “The fault is mine entirely. Please don’t apologize.”
She smiled up at him, searching his face. “You’re looking much improved this morning. You must have slept well.”
“As well as I generally do,” he replied. “I was just coming to find you, Julia. If you’re not yet weary of walking through my uncle’s gardens—though I’m not entirely certain they can properly be called that—would you do me the honor of giving me your company?”
“I should be delighted,” she said, her smile widening, “but my aunt is about to leave and I must fetch Jane.”
“She’ll be down shortly. Abercraf is getting her. This is probably her now,” he said as one of the massive castle doors opened. They watched as Loris struggled to make her way outside, held back by Kian with a hand on her arm. She swung at him with her other hand, whacking him soundly on the shoulder and gaining her freedom. Then she strode off toward the stables and Kian went back inside, closing the door firmly behind him.
Niclas turned back to Julia. “Or perhaps it’s only Kian and Loris having another fight.”
Julia sighed and shook her head. “That,” she said as Niclas began to lead her toward the nearest garden gate, “is a very complicated relationship. They clearly want to deny their feelings for each other.
But it’s odd, isn’t it, that she should be betrothed to the brother when she really doesn’t care for him as she does for Kian.”
“Loris?” Niclas asked, much surprised by her comments. “You believe that Loris and Kian are in love?”
“It seems obvious to me that they are,” she replied simply.
“That’s impossible,” Niclas told her.
“Why?” she asked, pausing as he opened the gate and then walking through it. “Because of the curse that was laid upon Loris? A blood curse, I believe she called it.” She made a sound of distaste. “It sounds terrible, does it not?”
Niclas stopped just inside the gate and, freezing, stared at her. Panic threatened to overwhelm him, and he could scarce think of what to do or say.
She walked a few steps farther into the overgrown garden, but when she realized that he hadn’t followed, she stopped and turned.
“Niclas?”
“Loris told you of it?” he asked, his voice thick in his throat.
Julia’s blue eyes filled with regret, and she moved back to take one of his hands. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it would upset you for me to know of such things. And truly, I know very little, for Loris only spoke of it briefly, as a way to explain her unruly relationship with Kian. I didn’t even have the feeling that she believed it was true. She was quite dismissive about it.”
Niclas squeezed her hand lightly and mastered himself.
“Aye, she is, and always has been. But some people,” he said solemnly, “have difficulty accepting that their lives have been altered by some power outside their control.”
“I understand,” Julia said, searching his face. “Loris is a strong person, like my Aunt Eunice. She would not lightly accept any interference in her life. But is it true, then? Is there a curse on her? A blood curse?”
He drew in a tight breath and set her hand on his arm.
“Let’s walk.”
He shut the gate and they began to move, without any clear direction at first, and then Niclas found one of the paths that had nearly been overgrown with grass and led her that way.
“I apologize for the state of the gardens,” he said. “For the entire castle, but especially for the gardens. I wish my uncle would at least keep them in some state of order. That only requires a little labor, not a fortune.”
“Tylluan is terribly in need of repair, isn’t it?” Julia replied conversationally, but he could hear the tension behind the words. “Loris has done admirably in making it as presentable as possible.”
“She’s kept it from falling down into a crumbling heap,” Niclas agreed. “My uncle is a fine fellow, in his way, but he hasn’t any interest in managing himself or his affairs in such a way as to actually make himself prosperous. Kian will do much better, once he’s the baron.”
“He does seem a capable young man,” she said, and then they fell silent.
The far side of the garden came to an end at the top of a cliff, where a low wall gave way to a particularly spectacular view of the valley. An ancient stone bench set before the wall was the favorite spot of all who went into the gardens. Niclas had hoped to take Julia there because it would provide a private place where he might be completely alone with her and away from his prying family. They had so little time left; he didn’t want to spend it speaking of the very thing that endlessly haunted him. But they would speak of it, even if he couldn’t bring himself to confess the whole.
“Oh, how beautiful,” she murmured as they neared the garden’s edge. “You can see Glen Aur so well from here. How lovely it is.”
She was lovely, he wanted to say aloud. She wore an alluring gown in a shade of blue that put him in mind of the awful garment she’d worn to the Dubrow ball, save that this gown was delightfully becoming. It was very feminine, as she was, and accentuated her slender, delicate frame in a most enticing manner. Niclas found it hard to keep from touching her. He made himself look at the view before them, instead.
“I’ve often imagined Ffinian standing here in the evenings, gazing down at the lights of Glen Aur,” he said, “and thinking of your aunt. Missing her and wondering when he would see her again.”
“I believe he must,” she said. “He loves her. I’m certain of that. But I’m equally certain that the reason he wishes to wed her is her wealth.”
“It’s most likely,” Niclas agreed. “Marriage never seemed to sit well with him, even when my aunt was alive. But she had a gift for keeping their wealth and making him even wealthier, and he adored her to her final day. Sadly, when she was gone, he lost nearly all she had gained for him and her sons.”
“Is that why he loves my aunt, then?” she asked, troubled. “Because she has a way with money?”
He smiled and touched her cheek in a brief caress. “No, my dear. He wants to marry her because of her way with money, but he loves her for herself. Having met Lady Alice, I quite understand. In fact, I would think my uncle a fool if he did not love her. Come and sit.”
He took one of her hands and led her to the bench, then sat close beside her. He didn’t release her, but spent a quiet moment comparing the sizes of their hands, gently pressing their palms together. Lifting his other hand, he traced the lines of slender bones with a single fingertip, and felt her shiver slightly beneath the light touch.
“You are so delicate,” he murmured. “So dainty and exquisite. Wizards—some wizards—are born with the ability to tap into supernatural strength, and this is one of the gifts I possess. Yet the power you wield over me makes that strength seem useless by comparison. I have felt great affection for a number of women in my life, but none has ever before captured my heart.” He gazed at her fully. “You have both captured and conquered it, Julia.”
“Niclas,” she murmured, but he stopped her with a shake of his head.
“We shouldn’t speak of it more. There is nothing I can offer you beyond my heart, as little as that may be worth,” he told her. “I simply wanted you to know.” Releasing her hand, he straightened and turned to look at the vista before them.
“Among my people, a blood curse is the worst kind of magic that can befall a group or individual. It’s complicated to explain how such a curse works, for the circumstances surrounding each have a great deal to do with exactly what the curse will be. It’s helpful that you’ve met the guardians and understand something of what they are. They are the ones who decide when an act worthy of punishment has been committed, and what that remedy should be.”
“The guardians?” she asked. “They wield so great a power over your people?”
“It’s a power that’s been given to them by the ones who rule the world we were exiled from.” When she raised her eyebrows, he said, “That story is far too long to tell. Suffice it to say that the guardians were given such power over us because they are very wise and can see all that occurs in this world.
“When a supernatural mortal uses his or her powers, either directly or indirectly, and blood is shed, the guardians make a judgment of guilt or innocence and, if they find guilt, decide upon a punishment. There are a great many variables, of course, such as in times of war or of an action taken in self-defense. Age and maturity play a part, too, for younger members of the Families are held to a lesser standard. But even then there are exceptions. Kian was but seventeen when he brought down the curse that plagues both Loris and himself, and it might well be argued that he acted in self-defense when blood was drawn. Yet the guardians judged him guilty, and he was punished accordingly.”
“But wasn’t the curse set upon Loris?” Julia asked. “So that she could never feel anything but hatred for him?”
“Loris was the one chosen for Kian, long before they met. She has never believed that, of course, but I think that’s due to the curse. It has filled her with disbelief.”
“Chosen?”
“To be his mate,” Niclas said softly, sadness rising within him. “When one of my kind takes a mate, a special magic is invoked that creates a powerful bond, and they become what we c
all a unoliaeth, or oneness, to each other. In rare instances, however, the guardians select a mate, or unoliaeth, for one of our kind, and that choice cannot be altered. Kian’s mate was decided for him before either he or Loris were even born, and now she is the only woman that Kian can ever love.”
“Oh, no,” Julia murmured. “And yet she cannot love him, because of the curse. Then the guardians have indeed punished him fully for whatever wrong he did.” She looked deeply troubled. “They seemed such kind beings when I was with them. How could they condemn anyone to so terrible a fate? Can nothing be done to redeem such a curse?”
“Every blood curse is different,” Niclas said, “but each can be lifted in some specific way. The challenge for the one who is cursed is to find that way. And that isn’t always easy. The guardians tend to think on a mystical plane, and their idea of recompense is usually quite different from ours.”
“But surely Lord Graymar would know how to lift such a curse? Or Steffan could go to the spirit realm and ask the guardians?”
Niclas smiled grimly. “Magic isn’t always as easy as it may seem. In fact, it’s often more trouble than help.”
Julia reached out to touch his hand, lightly. “Are they lifted very often? Blood curses?”
“No,” he said, and stood, strolling the few steps to the half-wall. “Not very often.”
He gazed down into the valley and thought of a way to turn the topic. Any more talk of blood curses was going to lead to revelations that he wasn’t yet ready for.
“Steffan is down there somewhere,” he said, “though I don’t suppose we can see his camp from here. It will be hidden by the trees.”
“Steffan?” Julia asked, still seated on the bench. “I assumed that he and his men returned to their home camp.”
“Not yet. There’s a certain stream in the valley, not far from your aunt’s estate, where particularly knowing water faeries live. Steffan has been encamped there with his men, reading the bowl and communicating to Malachi with their help. It requires a great deal of swimming, however, as the faeries can’t come out of the water, so he’s obliged to remain near the stream.”
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