Page 98 of Research with Rivals
“I do want the job, and as I said yesterday when we spoke, I plan to continue the study of blood magic. I’ve done my own test on living beings. I plan to do more.”
Mother glanced at Father, and he nodded. “I understand, but then why…”
The news might not be public yet, but I knew it would be soon enough. Evelyn wouldn’t mind me sharing this. “Evelyn and I are together. It’s new but serious. She’s to be the next Vesten Point, and so she’s asked me to take the historian position at Compass Lake.”
My parents seemed momentarily speechless.
“She’s to be?—”
“You’re in a?—”
Neither sounded condemning as they repeated my statements and digested my words.
“Who knew?” Father said with a bit of a laugh. “The fae really are changing.” There was bewilderment still in his tone, but it didn’t feel disrespectful so much as awed. And when it came to Evelyn, that was a feeling I knew all too well.
“We’re happy for you, Ambrose,” Mother said.
“Very much so. I read her papers, too, since last night,” Father said. “Her work is brilliant. She has an understanding of blood magic I didn’t have after a decade of study. I can only assume how much she keeps you on your toes.”
My lip tugged into a smile at that.
“We’ll miss you, of course,” Mother said. Her glance veered toward my siblings, who had thus far ignored our conversation.
I let my head hang. “I know. Me, too. I wish we could all live at Compass Lake, but I know that’s too much to ask. And I know I have to make this decision for myself. I’ll visit. The position requires work at the Vesten Library. It’s not like I’ll never return.”
Mother squeezed Father’s hand again. “We’ve always dreamed of living at Compass Lake.”
I straightened in my chair. It couldn’t be that easy. But Mother continued. “I’ve actually been offered a full-time position by one of the Vesten collectors at the lake. They want me to manage a restoration project. It would cut down on my travel significantly.”
“When? Why didn’t you say something?”
Mother waved her hand. “I only received the offer this week. I didn’t think we’d consider it with you at the Vesten Library, but if that’s not the case … we could move with you, if you truly meant you wanted us to.”
I had been the one to champion Evelyn speaking her desires. Yet, somehow, I hadn’t believed how powerful it was to state what I wanted. If a move to Compass Lake wouldn’t inconvenience my family, I wanted them to be there with me. “I meant it.”
Mother and Father smiled. “Well, that settles that.”
40
Evelyn
Ambrose and I had similar steps to take next. We both needed to speak to our families. I didn’t think his confrontation would be simple, but at least the prospective reactions of the participants were known to him. Stephen was a mystery to me.
I found Mom and Stephen in the apartment when I returned. The real words for his presence hadn’t stuck yet. He lived with us. He and Mom were in a relationship. My missing father was missing no more. I knew it wasn’t fair to blame him for what had happened. The mist plague had been a natural disaster. He’d done nothing wrong, and nothing could have prevented it.
Knowing that didn’t diminish the ache in my chest that the years of his absence had caused.
Mom deserved this, though, and I was committed to trying. Maybe we could get to know each other as two adults, without the pressure of him being my missing father.
Today was a day for scary questions. A new one popped into my mind. Would he want that?
The title of my position might have changed, but my dream of how it should be executed remained the same. It might not have always been directly related to the Vesten historian position, but Mom and I had dreamed of moving to Compass Lake—together.
In my dreams, we would get a cottage in the Vesten neighborhood, and I would work at the Vesten House Library by day, and we’d share a living space and meals outside of my work. They had bookstores there, just like here. She had wanted to come with me. We were the only family each other had.
That had all changed now.
They were playing a game of cards in the living room when I entered. I cleared my throat, unsure how to proceed.
