“All right Nica,” Bree said. “You go on home, but promise that if you need me for anything at all you’ll tell Joseph to come and get me.”
“I promise,” Nica said, smiling. “Have a good time and I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Bree,” an all too familiar voice barked. They all turned to watch Flora rudely push her way through two groups of people on her way toward them. Nica considered leaving, but there was a lot in Flora’s voice and manner that she didn’t like, so she decided to stay.
“Hello Flora,” Bree said, smiling hesitantly at the other woman. Nica’s eyes never strayed from Flora’s face, though Flora was pretending not to notice her existence.
“Where’s Ian?” Flora’s demand was strident enough that several people around them heard and turned to look disapprovingly, but Flora ignored them.
“He left for the country this morning,” Bree replied cautiously, surprised by Flora’s anger.
“Why?”
“Excuse me?”
“I want to know why he left. Is it something to do with this houseguest of yours? Did she run him off?” For the first time Flora turned to face Nica directly. She gave Nica her best glare, but Nica merely arched a brow at her and said nothing.
Nica could see that Flora had Bree’s temper on the verge of an explosion, so she caught her eye and shook her head slightly. Bree hesitated, then nodded, but narrowed her eyes on Flora. “My brother’s business is not mine to share, Miss Layton,” she said coldly. “Now, if you will excuse us.”
A man who looked a lot like Flora approached and placed his hands on Flora’s shoulders in time to hear what Bree said. “That’s enough now, Sister,” he said gently, trying to steer her away without success. “It’s time to leave.”
“I don’t want to leave,” Flora said stubbornly, glaring angrily at Bree. “I want to know where Ian Fadden is, and I’m not leaving until this worthless non-sidhe sister of his tells me!”
Nica didn’t know what non-sidhe meant, but from the gasps of shock she heard all around them, and the color of Bree’s face, it wasn’t a compliment. She opened her mouth to say she knew not what, then closed it when a new figure joined them. Their hostess, Mrs. Westley.
“Miss Layton, I’m afraid your behavior forces me to expel you from my home,” she said. Her voice was solemn, but no one could miss the glee sparkling in her eyes or the satisfied curve of her mouth.
“You can’t throw me out, I’m Sylvan,” Flora retorted, raising her chin even higher.
“This is my home, Miss Layton, and I assure you, I most certainly can throw you out. I’ve already warned you once, and will not do so again.” She nodded toward the side of the room and two large, burly men in evening dress with stony faces crossed the now silent ballroom and flanked Flora and her brother. “If you do not leave peaceably and quietly I will summon the authorities and file a formal complaint against you.”
Nica saw the young man’s face flush and his hands clench on his sister’s shoulders. He turned her firmly, then grasped her elbow and started walking. Flora tried to struggle, but she was no match for her brother’s strength. When she opened her mouth he tightened his grip on her in warning.
Everyone watched until the couple left the ballroom, then a low murmur sprang up. A moment later their hostess gestured to the band. They immediately began playing and the ball resumed.
“I apologize, Miss Vinia,” she said. Nica stared at her coolly. “And to you as well, Miss Fadden,” she added. Whatever else she might be, Marion Westley wasn’t stupid. But neither was Nica. “I noticed that Miss Layton seemed disturbed when she arrived this evening, but I never imagined she would cause such a scene. I should not have allowed her entrance, I see that now. I do hope that neither of you will allow this unfortunate incident to color your evening too badly.”
There were so many things Nica wanted to say to the woman, none of them polite, that it surprised her. She wondered why her emotions seemed to be so strong, and so out of control. Maybe it had something to do with this world, she thought. Whatever the cause, she knew that Marion Westley had deliberately goaded Flora in hopes that she would cause just such a scene. Why she wanted a scene at her own ball Nica didn’t know, nor did she care.
Bree cleared her throat, reminding her that she was staring at their hostess. She lowered her head in a deep nod and left it at that.
“Of course not, Mrs. Westley,” Bree said politely.
“Good, good,” Mrs. Westley said, smiling even wider. “No harm done and I’m certain it will just make the evening that much more memorable.” She looked at Nica expectantly, but Nica had no intention of giving the woman the recognition she so obviously wanted.
“Well then, I must see to my other guests,” Mrs. Westley said. Bree nodded as Mrs. Westley turned on her heel and hurried away.
“That was interesting,” Bree said softly.
“That was deliberate,” Nica said in a low voice.
Bree’s eyebrows rose in surprise, then narrowed in anger as she understood what Nica meant. “I don’t believe I’ll be attending any more events at Westley House.”
“Good decision,” Nica said. “Unfortunately, I think I need to stay here for another few minutes. Otherwise everyone will think I left because of Miss Layton and that would fuel gossip and speculation which is exactly what Mrs. Westley wants.”
“I’m sorry, Nica,” Bree said.
“Don’t be,” Nica said, “and don’t let it interrupt your evening further. I’m perfectly fine here. You two go do whatever you want to do, and forget about me. When you look around and don’t see me, know that I’ve gone home, all right?”
“Thanks Nica,” Bree said, squeezing her hand gently before turning to Quill with a bright smile. Quill met Nica’s gaze for a long moment, then lowered his head and spoke softly in Bree’s ear. Bree nodded, then smiled up at him.
“Nica, I’m going to dance one more dance with Quill, and then we’re both going home,” she said. “Quill agrees it’s the only right thing to do.”
Nica looked at Quill, struggling to hide her surprise, then looked at Bree. She knew that stubborn expression well. “If you insist, Bree, thank you,” she said. “And thank you, too, Mr. Thomas, for your kind consideration.”
“Of course, Miss Vinia,” he said, nodding solemnly. Then he took Bree’s arm and twirled her onto the dance floor.
Nica raised her glass to her lips, then stilled. She lowered the glass even though her mouth was suddenly dry. She’d known what Mrs. Westley had done. The knowledge had slipped into her mind so smoothly, so naturally, just like it always had before she started wearing the ring, that she hadn’t even noticed it. But…how? Had the ring stopped working? Her emotions had been all over the place since coming to Apedra, and far stronger than she was used to, so maybe it had.
She bit the inside of her mouth and cautiously searched her mind for the missing memory, but it wasn’t there. Then she wondered if she’d used her psychic ability any other time in the past few days. She went over everything she’d done, but couldn’t find anything suspicious. It was a fluke then, she decided. An accident. Or maybe she’d just made it up in her own mind. Yes, that was probably it.
She finished her drink, suddenly wishing that she’d asked for alcohol after all. She made her way carefully to the refreshment table and set her empty glass down just as the dance finished. She was sorry that Bree was cutting her evening short on her account, but she just didn’t have it in her to remain in the Westley home another moment.
***
As soon as they were out of sight of the Westley’s house Flora shook off her brother’s hand. “Don’t touch me,” she spat. “Traitor!”
“Traitor?” Kyle asked. “On what grounds do you level that accusation at me?”
“On the grounds that I’d rather think my brother a traitor than a coward,” Flora said.
“Take care, sister,” Kyle growled. “You’re dancing on dangerous grounds.”
Flora ope
ned her mouth, saw the anger in Kyle’s eyes, and knew she’d gone too far. “I’m sorry,” she said, changing what she meant to say at the last moment. “I just don’t understand why you can’t be on my side once in a while.”
“What did you want me to do, Flora?” Kyle demanded. “Refuse to leave a private home at the request of our hostess?”
“You could have said something to Bree Fadden, or that horrid friend of hers. You could have stood up for me.”
“Bree said nothing that wasn’t polite, and the other woman never said a word. You approached them, Flora, and you did it in front of a couple of hundred people in a private home. How do I defend your actions?”
“You don’t care what happens to me and you never did,” Flora accused him furiously, forgetting her decision to back off.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Kyle asked wearily.
“If you cared about me, or our family, you wouldn’t marry that mealy mouthed little non-sidhe. How you can even stand being in the same room with her defies reason.”
Kyle stared at his younger sister in shock that turned quickly to anger. “That’s it, Flora,” he said coldly. Flora looked up, surprised to find that Kyle was not beside her. She turned around and stared at him.
“What?”
“I’m finished with you,” he said. “You’re the most despicable and rude person I’ve ever known, and I want nothing further to do with you. From this moment on, you’re on your own. And watch your tongue around me or I shall forget I’m supposed to be a gentleman.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Kyle walked toward her with determined steps, not stopping until his body nearly touched hers. He stared down into her eyes and try as she might, Flora could not look away. “It means that I might just decide to wring that little neck of yours. If I do, I doubt anyone will care, either. Do we understand each other?”
Flora nearly smiled at the irony. She’d been waiting years for her big brother to grow a backbone and it appeared that he finally had. Too bad he was using it to threaten her with rather than helping her. Well, she’d never needed him before and she didn’t need him now. She spun on her heel and walked away from him without another word, fully expecting him to follow. He was, after all, a gentleman.
She saw an entrance to the park up ahead and smiled to herself. She’d duck in there when he wasn’t looking and then he’d have to spend the rest of the night searching for her, worried sick that something bad might have happened to her. She nearly laughed out loud at the thought.
She reached the entrance and glanced back over her shoulder to see if he was watching, or staring at the ground as he often did, and stopped in her tracks. He wasn’t there. She took a few steps, searching the well-lit street, but she saw no one else. Not only had he not followed her, he’d left her completely alone. She couldn’t quite believe it. She thought about that for a few minutes, then shrugged. She honestly didn’t care. In fact, this worked out just fine. She needed some alone time to think about the Faddens, and their guest, anyway.
***
Evan Hearken was leaning against the trunk of an ancient oak tree when he heard the Layton siblings’ loud approach. He grimaced. Kyle was all right he supposed, but Flora was rotten to the core. She was pretty enough on the outside if you liked the cold, haughty, type. Most people did, or seemed to anyway. He remembered liking it too, once. He wasn’t so easily fooled these days.
He shifted his position slowly, moving to the side of the trunk deepest in shadow, grimacing with disgust as he listened to Flora berate her brother. They never even noticed him, though they passed by him so closely that they could have both reached out and touched him if they’d wanted. He waited until he could no longer hear either of them, then turned around and started walking the other direction. He’d have to walk two extra blocks and then cut through the park to get home, but he’d go out of his way twice that distance in order to avoid running into Flora Layton. He wasn’t the least bit afraid of her. He was, however, a little afraid of himself, and what he might do to her if she turned her foul mouth on him where there were no witnesses to see.
***
Quill Thomas smiled in the direction of the dark window of the Fadden carriage and raised one hand to wave as it drove by. He grimaced when he saw Bree press her face against the glass and wave back, confident that his expression couldn’t be seen in the dark. He waited until the carriage turned the corner, then climbed into Evan Hearken’s carriage, imagining, just for a moment, that he actually owned it. Soon, he thought. Very soon.
He told the driver that he wanted to return to his hotel even though it was the last place he really wanted to be. One thing he’d learned over the years was that extreme caution paid off, and if there was ever a time when he couldn’t afford a mistake, it was now.
Happily, it took just a few minutes for the carriage to reach his hotel. He climbed out and entered the hotel without a backward glance, just another rich dandy going about his business without bothering to notice the peons around him. He went up to his room and took off his good clothes, careful to hang his suit up properly. It was outrageous how much he had to pay for someone to press a few wrinkles out of a pair of slacks. Then he pulled on some casual clothing and left again, exiting the hotel through a back door this time. He smiled as he walked up the alley toward the shortcut through the park that would take him to the less haughty part of the city. It wasn’t even midnight yet, and he was nowhere near ready to call it a night. In fact, it was the perfect time for a little fun.
***
Luagh was bored. And frustrated. The effort required to rise to the surface when he’d first arrived on Apedra had exhausted the small amount of power he had, so he’d been forced to retreat fully into a dark corner of his human’s mind until he was able to absorb some. That had taken a full day, which was much longer than he’d expected, proving that the trickle of power from Udari was even slower than he’d first thought. At this rate, it would take twice as long for him to absorb the power he needed than he’d expected. He just couldn’t understand why, try as he might.
At least it gave him something to think about while he waited for his ride to do something interesting. After less than a full day, he was already bored with the human’s memories of past entertainments, and looked forward to watching it perform one up close. He’d never seen one human kill another purely for pleasure, but as much fun as it had been to watch the memories, he knew it would be even better to experience it while it happened. His human got a real charge out of killing. That was why he’d chosen this particular human to ride in the first place.
Just when he was beginning to think he’d made a mistake, and that he needed to find another ride, his human had entered a room filled with other humans. Although he could do no more than listen without rising to the surface and exposing his scent, Luagh was excited to discover that the gathering was some sort of primitive ritual called a ball. The humans listened to what they called music, and did something called dance, which meant they all moved around in a set, ritualistic pattern.
Rituals were generally used to gather power, increase power, distribute power, or just use power. Anything having to do with power interested Luagh, so he stayed as close to the surface as he dared and listened carefully. He wanted to see, but couldn’t risk it. If the humans were playing with power, Eibhleann would no doubt be keeping an eye on them. She always interfered with everyone’s fun. After hours of meaningless and inane conversation, and not a single hint of power anywhere, his human had left the ball with its companion, and he’d retreated to think.
He hated being so close to Eibhleann but he was sick and tired of existing with tiny sips of power here and there, and never enough to do anything with. Only the Udari could fill him with power, and only Apedra had the Udari. If only he could find a way to speed the process of absorbing the power through his human. Suddenly, a scent filtered through his human’s worthless nose to his superior Changeling senses that was so intoxica
ting, so instantaneously compelling, that it brought him straight to the surface without a thought to who, or what, might be watching.
He looked around with his human’s weak eyes, struggling to make sense of his surroundings in the dark. After a few moments he realized he was on a path that skirted a grove of trees in what humans called a park. The scent was coming from somewhere within the grove, so he stepped off the path and followed it. He paused when he heard voices up ahead and ducked behind a tree.
There, just a few yards ahead of him, were two humans. One male, one female. The male was talking, but Luagh didn’t bother to listen to its words. He was far more interested in the scent coming from the female which, he saw when he peeked around the tree trunk, was sitting on the ground with her dress pulled up to bare one leg. She had a hand clasped to her knee as though she’d injured herself, but Luagh didn’t care about that, either.
Nica's Legacy (Hearts of ICARUS Book 1) Page 14