A Lady and Her Magic

  “It’s magical. It can be whatever you want it to be. So, grab it and wrap it about yourself.”

  ***

  Suddenly, both men appeared from the mist, wrapped in fog from the waist down. “You do know how to make an appearance, don’t you?” Sophia teased as she walked toward Ashley. He nodded quickly toward her father and made eye motions at her, as though beseeching her to greet her father first.

  Following that cue, she went to her father and held out her hand. “Papa,” she said, as she squeezed her hand in his. But he suddenly dragged her into his arms and hugged her quickly, then set her away from him. He looked down at his own naked chest.

  “I believe we’re a bit underdressed,” he said.

  “A wee bit,” Sophia confirmed with a laugh. She turned to look at Ashley, but her father caught her chin and turned her back. “That’s a bit too intimate for me.” He held up both hands as though in surrender. “I’m willing to give on a lot of things, but this is not one of them.”

  Suddenly, Margaret appeared with clothing for them both, and held it out to Sophia and her mother so they could give them to the men. Sophia tossed a shirt to Ashley, winking at him as she did so. God, he loved her. And he couldn’t wait to touch her. It had only been a day since he’d held her, but he felt like it was a lifetime.

  He stepped back into the mist, donned trousers that were a bit too short, and pulled a shirt over his head. After he tucked it into his trousers quickly and stepped back out of the mist, he ran to Sophia and pulled her into his arms.

  “How did you do it?” she whispered as she laid her head upon his chest and sighed heavily. She smelled like bluebells. Bluebells and comfort. He ran his hands down her back and wanted more than anything to kiss her, but they had an audience.

  He shrugged. “A little bit of magic here and a little bit more there.” He seemed to have a permanent grin affixed to his face. He couldn’t stop smiling. But then several old men descended upon them. “The Trusted Few?” he murmured to her.

  She nodded and lifted her head to look at him. Worry clouded her features.

  “How does their ranking compare to that of a duke?” he asked.

  “No comparison,” she replied quietly. “They are the governing body of our world.”

  “Take them into custody,” one of the old men snapped.

  “That would be an unfortunate decision,” Ashley said, using his strongest you-will-obey-me voice.

  “You, sir, have entered our land without invitation,” one of them blustered, his face reddening as he sputtered.

  “Your Grace,” Ashley said calmly.

  “Beg your pardon?” another of them asked.

  “Your Grace. That’s my title and it’s how you may refer to me.”

  “Your title means nothing here,” Sophia warned.

  “I beg to differ. My title has granted me leave my whole life. And you will pay me the respect I deserve.” He stopped and inhaled heavily through his nose. “Or I shall inform everyone of my world about yours. And I’m certain you don’t want more crossing the way I did.”

  “Impossible,” one man snorted.

  “Highly possible,” Ashley countered. He approached the men slowly. “You see, you are unaware that I hold the high card. I have one of your kind, in faerie form, under lock and key in my world. I will not hesitate to expose her, along with the rest of you, should you not hear me out.” He forced his tone to soften, though it was difficult. “You must grant me my say. That’s all I ask.”

  The Trusted Few put their heads together and muttered incoherently. Finally, they motioned toward Ashley and Lord Ramsdale. “Follow, please,” one of them said.

  Ramsdale raised a brow at Ashley, and then the two of them fell into step behind the men. “Don’t just stand there,” the old man in the chair said. “You two help me up and take me with you. I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

  Ashley slid beneath one arm and Lord Ramsdale beneath the other. Lord Ramsdale turned toward his offspring. “Come along, son,” he said. Mr. Thorne blanched, and then shook his head as though shaking off a feeling of discomfort, and fell into step with them.

  “You’re just going to leave us here?” Lady Ramsdale called.

  “For now,” Lord Ramsdale called. “We’ll be back as soon as we’re able.”

  “Ashley,” Sophia called. He glanced quickly at her. “Be careful.”

  “I just came through a fish pond, played cards with a carp, slogged through smoke so thick I thought I’d have to saw my way out of it directly into your magical land, and you’re telling me to be careful now?” He laughed out loud.

  “Quite farcical, isn’t it?” Sophia’s father asked.

  “Quite.”

  Thirty-Two

  Ashley cringed as the leader of the Trusted Few banged his gavel and called for order. The duke leaned closer to Lord Ramsdale and asked, “Fae court?”

  “I have no idea,” Ramsdale said with a shrug.

  Ashley would have felt more in his element if he were wearing his own clothes. Or shoes. Or stockings. Or a waistcoat. He was sorely underdressed for the occasion. But he supposed it couldn’t be helped.

  Ashley looked over at Sophia’s grandfather, who wore a look of resignation and warning. “Welcome to the land of the fae, gentlemen,” he said with reverence.

  Ashley dropped into a low bow. As did Lord Ramsdale. “We are happy to be here.”

  One of them harrumphed. “I’m certain you are. Thousands of years, and a human has never entered our land. I think they should be tossed in the gaol and left there to rot!”

  Sophia’s grandfather rolled his eyes and banged his gavel. “They’re here on my invitation, gentlemen,” he said. He coughed into his hand.

  The Trusted Few looked shocked. “They can be sent back immediately and their memories taken from them.”

  Ramsdale shot to his feet. “No one will take a single memory!” he bit out. “Not a single one. My wife went through years of torment because of your need for secrecy. I will not allow it. Not for a single moment longer.”

  One of the Trusted Few had the nerve to chuckle. Ramsdale rounded upon him. “Do not test me, old man,” he warned. Ashley clasped Ramsdale on the shoulder and urged him to calm.

  Ashley faced Sophia’s grandfather. “You had a reason behind your summons, did you not, sir?” he asked.

  “Summons,” the Trusted Few sputtered.

  Sophia’s grandfather coughed into his handkerchief and waited a moment to catch his breath. Then he continued. “I am dying, I’m afraid.”

  Ramsdale made a noise in his throat but didn’t say anything.

  “But I had some wrongs I needed to right before I did. I got you here, gentlemen. Or at least I put it all in motion.”

  He sat up straighter in the chair.

  “Pray continue,” Ashley encouraged.

  “My wife is a mission faerie, as was my daughter. When my daughter fell in love with Ramsdale, I gave no thought at all to the way things were done. I cut her from my life and let her move into yours, simply because those are the rules of the fae. It’s the way we live. But it shall be the way we live no longer.”

  The Trusted Few complained amongst themselves.

  “I allowed my own prejudices against the humans to take my daughter from me. I let her choose. And she chose love. Looking back on it, I wouldn’t have respected her had she chosen anything less.” He chuckled lightly to himself. “When my granddaughter was presented with the same path, she chose to give up love for family.”

  He speared Ashley with a glance. “You love my granddaughter, almost as much as he loves my daughter. You fell in love with one of the fae, more’s the pity. But that is not your fault.” He stopped for a moment to catch his breath.

  “It is my belief that with strict re
gulations, the fae and human worlds can mix. It’s against the law of nature to take children from their parents. By doing so, I got to raise my grandchildren, but that’s a travesty in itself.”

  Ramsdale looked enraptured.

  “I raised three of them, but he didn’t get the honor,” Sophia’s grandfather continued. “And he has three that I haven’t even met and never will.” Emotion choked his voice. “I will die without knowing my grandchildren or their fates.” He slammed his fist down on the tabletop, hitting it so hard that Ashley couldn’t help but wince for him. “But the travesty is that he could have died without knowing his three children. Sophia, Marcus, and Claire could have been lost to him forever. And that, my good sirs, is a crime.”

  Ramsdale leaned toward him. “Who is Claire?”

  Sophia’s grandfather took a box from his pocket. “She is your third fae child.”

  Ramsdale’s mouth fell open. “I have three children?”

  His father-in-law slid the box toward him. Then he opened his fist and blew some dust into the air. The Trusted Few looked at it incredulously, as though he’d be shackled in Bedlam within moments. But then he said, “May you share your pain with them all, so they can understand. Open the box.”

  Ashley had been there when Sophia opened her box of memories and remembered feeling like he was hit by a team of runaway horses when he’d felt her pain. He steeled himself as Ramsdale opened the box, but it wasn’t enough. The memories swirled around the room like living beasts. They prowled and jumped and danced and fought with all the occupants of the room, and Ashley wanted to do nothing more than leave the chamber and run from the feeling. But he forced himself to experience the heartbreak that came with losing a child. A parent’s desperation in knowing there’s nothing he can do to prevent it. The aching sorrow of remembrance.

  The Trusted Few felt it, too. One swiped at his eyes, as another clutched at his throat, choked by the feelings closing in upon them all. Finally, when Ashley worried he could take no more, the feelings dissipated. They settled like dirt after a broom throws it into the air, heavy and dirty.

  “We should all be ashamed,” one of the Trusted Few murmured.

  The others were a little more reticent. But they slowly agreed. “How can we make it work? Our kind performs a service within the human world. If the fae strive to be part of that world, there can be recriminations.”

  “Ambassadors,” Ashley muttered to Ramsdale.

  The man appeared to have hope for the first time since they’d sat down. The ruddiness had left his cheeks, and he appeared to understand what was required of him. “Ambassadors.”

  Ashley shot to his feet. “We shall be ambassadors between your world and ours. We will come and go at will. But we will be the only ones who can, unless the Trusted Few approve of any additions to your world. We will ensure that no one of our world is apprised of your secrets, and by working together, we can preserve your anonymity and freedom.” He took a deep breath and smiled. “We can work together.”

  Sophia’s grandfather reached for the duke’s hand. Ashley shook it in a firm grip. Then Sophia’s grandfather got up and clasped Ramsdale in his arms. “I will leave it to the rest of you to work out the details.” He called for some servants to take him back home. By the looks of him, he wasn’t to be long of this world.

  “Thank you, sir,” Ashley said. Ramsdale bowed low before him. “Please know that I will care for your family as my own.”

  Sophia’s grandfather beckoned the servants to stop. “I have watched you for years. You are a brilliant example of love, faith, and devotion. Teach that to my grandchildren and ensure that future fae do not suffer the same fate as my daughter. With this task, I entrust you. And my name is Lucius Gramerly. Be certain they remember me and this day.”

  “I promise. Good day, sir,” Ramsdale said with a nod.

  The servants carried the old man from the room, but he left with a light heart and a smile on his face.

  “Let’s decide how this will work, shall we, gentlemen?” Ramsdale said, as he pulled up a chair and began to scratch a list on a piece of parchment.

  ***

  Sophia clutched her grandfather’s hand in her own and willed him to grow stronger. If she could accomplish that by sheer will alone, she would. But it was not to be.

  Her mother paced across the room, nibbling her fingernail as she muttered, “What on earth is taking them so long?”

  Her grandfather didn’t wake. Sophia feared he wouldn’t. He was much too weak.

  Suddenly, the door opened and Lord Ramsdale entered. Her mother looked anxiously at her father and waited for him to smile. “It looks as though we’ll be staying in the land of the fae for a time.”

  Her jaw fell open. “How can that be?”

  He nodded to the man in the bed. “Your father had a change of heart. He put all this in motion. He needed to lighten his heart and bring you back into the fold. And I get to come with you.”

  “What about the children?” she asked.

  “They will come, too, if I can talk Marcus into taking over our affairs for a time. I need to talk to him and see if he’s all right with it. He is my heir, after all.”

  “Your oldest son will be all right with that?” Sophia asked.

  “Marcus is my oldest son. Allen will have to live with it.” Ramsdale looked a bit worried about the prospects. But Sophia supposed it couldn’t be avoided. “The other five will live with us here in the land of the fae, at least long enough to learn about the world you come from.” He tugged at his wife’s elbow. “Let’s take a walk. I have much to tell you.” She looked over at the bed, where her father lay so still.

  “Go,” Sophia encouraged. “I’ll call you if he worsens.”

  Sophia’s mother followed her husband into the corridor and closed the door behind them.

  Sophia fell into Ashley’s arms. He wrapped her tightly and stroked her hair.

  “He’s a wily old codger,” Ashley finally said with a chuckle. “You have no idea how much it took for the man to pull this off. He planned for years, weighing his options, deciding the best way to proceed.”

  “What happened?” Sophia asked.

  “Your father has replaced him as one of the Trusted Few,” Ashley said. He shook his head in disbelief.

  Ashley reached out to push her mouth closed. “I know,” he crooned. “I didn’t think it would work either. But we made them an offer they couldn’t refuse.”

  She stepped back to look into his face. “What sort of offer?”

  “They want to know more about our world. So they can protect their interests. So, I have promised to build a library and fill it with literature of the past, present, and future. I am also to be their liaison between the worlds. Kind of like a voice outside the fae. I’ll represent them in Parliament, without anyone knowing it’s in their interest, of course.”

  “Can you do that?”

  “I can,” he said with a shrug. “I won’t compromise my principles for them. But I’ll represent what is good and right if they need it. I can’t see it happening often.”

  She laid her head upon his chest and took a deep breath, feeling lighter than she had in a very long time. She took a deep breath. “I never expected it to all work out.”

  A sound arose from the bed. “It has to work out,” her grandfather groaned. He fell into a fit of coughing, his body wracked so hard by it that Sophia feared he would expire on the spot. She rushed to his side.

  “My lovely girl,” he said, reaching a hand toward her.

  She pressed her face into his palm and a hot tear trailed down her cheek. She held his hand by her cheek until he slept, and then she tucked his hand beneath the counterpane.

  “I fear it won’t be long,” Ashley warned.

  “I know,” she whispered back, as he gripped her shoul
der in a strong grasp.

  Thirty-Three

  Sophia stepped from the tub and wrapped a length of linen around her body. She glanced quickly at the clock on the mantel. Ashley would be expecting her at noon. She wrung the water from her hair. She would barely have time for her hair to dry, much less to have it piled atop her head in any kind of artful creation.

  The door to her dressing room opened, and Margaret slipped quietly into the room. Sophia’s mother walked in behind her. “We’re here to help you get dressed,” her mother said, her eyes shimmery with tears. She could have sworn Margaret blinked back a tear or two as well, but the maid turned away, cleared her throat, and reached for the wardrobe doorknob. She looked inside and turned back with a grimace. “Your green dress is the only thing fancy enough for the occasion,” she said.

  “Oh, wait.” Her mother looked around the room and went to the door. She giggled lightly. “It was supposed to be delivered by now.” She opened the door and stuck her head out. “I knew you wouldn’t be able to stay away,” she laughed as Sophia’s grandmother walked into the room. She had a dress hung over her arm and a sly grin on her face. She looked at Lady Ramsdale and said, “You don’t mind if she wears it, do you?”

  A lone tear slipped down Sophia’s mother’s cheek, but she swiped it away and hopped onto the bed like an adolescent might. She stuck a pillow in her lap and rested her elbows upon it. “I can’t wait to see it on you.”

  “What is it?” Sophia asked. She reached out to touch the material. It was as soft as the down of a newly hatched bird and as shiny as her magic dust. It sparkled and shone, rays of light bouncing off it like it was lined with prisms.

  “It’s my wedding dress,” her grandmother said. “I thought you might like to wear it.”

  Sophia took the dress and held it up in front of her, and as she regarded herself in the looking glass, she could already imagine herself in it and the look on Ashley’s face when he saw it.

  “You can marry beneath the arbor in the churchyard. Where the sun can play upon it. It’s well known that sunbeams bring good luck.”