Page 57 of Crown of Tides and Fury

“She rarely is.”

* * *

Given a day to work with,Alwyn put together a celebratory feast that would rival any wedding. He seemed as pleased to see Ivy and the boys as they were to see him. That night, we ate on the veranda under strings of magical restaurant lights with a cloudless view of the stars popping out of a still-blue evening sky. The boys seemed impressed with their new residence, which they kept referring to as the castle. Even the oldest was happy to grab a switch from the trees and chase his brothers around like a bunch of dueling musketeers.

Ivy had suggested we dress up for the occasion, since she hadn’t had an excuse to wear something pretty for years. When Persi showed up in the same stunning outfit she’d worn for our “family pictures,” I wondered if she was the reason for Ivy’s suggestion.

When she walked out the doors, everyone fell silent. I struggled for something to say, but when I opened my mouth, nothing came out.

Persi froze. I could almost see the wheels turning in her head, probably toying with the idea of going back inside and changing into something else. But she’d already been noticed.

Her hands shook, and she tucked them behind her. “Nick? Will you help me?”

Nick? I’d never heard him called Nick before.

He, too, was wearing the same thing he’d worn in the pictures. I looked around and realized we all were, more or less. I shuffled over to Alwyn’s side, to offer help if he wanted it, but it was just for show. I wanted a better angle to watch Kitch double-time it up the steps.

Persi took the bewildered man by the hand, walked him to the back of the veranda, then turned him and pushed him up against an ivy-covered trellis. Then she grabbed his head and pulled it to her, to kiss him on the mouth.

In front of God, the children, and everybody.

Kitch put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her back, shook his head to break her hold on him, and scowled. Everyone gasped, assuming like I did that he was rejecting her. Then he put one hand on her hip and spun her, like a violent dance move. Now she was the one with her back to the trellis. He was the one demanding the kiss.

The men cheered—all except Gavin and J.W., who shouted, “Eeew!”

Everly fanned herself with her hand. Ivy grabbed Wickham’s waist and pulled herself under his arm. The look she sent me was clear—it could have been me, had I moved faster. I laughed and shook my head. Kitch had never been the man for me.

The man for me wasn’t even a man.

* * *

Dinner was lovely.Everyone was happy. The food was scrumptious, and I didn’t use the word lightly. In fact, I’d never used that word in my life.

Kitch and Persi sat together, holding hands and acting like they’d always been affectionate. They spoke to others like normal, then seemed shy when whispering privately. Naturally, I was happy for them. I was now experienced at falling in love. I only hoped their romance would last longer than mine had.

In fact, I hoped they would find their happily ever after together—if, in fact, we all survived to see Orion contained once more. Considering what the Grandfather had said on the recording, it seemed unlikely.

Depending on the speed at which the Naming Powers were found, and by whom, none of us might be around much longer. And I wondered if that little dose of reality had played a hand in Persi taking off the kid gloves with Kitch.

Or maybe, Ivy Muir was just a really clever woman who knew how to push couples into each other’s arms. Considering there had been thirty or more Jacobites living on her ranch who were now married and gone, I wondered if Ivy’s fingers had been in all those pies too.

Maybe she had someone—besides Kitch—in mind for me. Someone…mortal.

* * *

No one wantedto go inside and bring our pleasant evening to an end. After the sun was down, a light, warm breeze teased the strings of lights and sent goosebumps up my arms. It would be easy to slip into my room for a sweater, but I worried the magic would be gone when I got back. So to warm myself, I went out into the sprawling gardens where the boys played Ultimate Frisbee, a very popular sport in the UK.

The youngest, Gavin, had warmed up to me a little. He reminded me a lot of Fallon, so I gave him space and let him initiate conversation. But it turned out all it took to win a little boy’s heart was a Tootsie Pop from my pocket. I knew I’d promised Wickham I wouldn’t lure his children with sweets, but it turned out I was a pretty good child-catcher after all.

J.W. had been a little harder. He’d come to me that afternoon, shyly, and hemmed and hawed for a while before bluntly stating that he’d overheard his da talking about my pet rock. Then he asked very politely if he could see it.

He seemed impressed that I kept it on me. The money belt seemed just as interesting…until he’d laid eyes on Hank. I let him hold it for a long time, while I pretended to finish some task on my computer. And when he finally handed it back, his eyes sparkled like the blue stones embedded in the stone, and I knew I’d crossed over.

I was cool.

Alexander wasn’t going to be so easy. He’d watched me indirectly since the moment we’d met. And though Flann, Brian, Meral, and Reem had all been new to him as well, I was the only one he distrusted. I hoped I might break the ice a little if I could catch the frisbee a couple of times.

It was a happy surprise to learn that all my training and some good food had made me much more athletic than I’d ever been in my college days. I’d removed my fancy shoes and managed to surprise myself with a few quick sprints. My aim was pretty good too, and I thought Alexander was finally cutting me some slack, when he came up with a wild, intentional throw that sent the frisbee high in the air, over the two rows of apple trees at the back of the property. I could tell by the look on his face it was a test.

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