Chapter 32

JUNE 23RD IN AN ORCHARD

V itus kept finding himself not sure what to say, and having to trust that he wouldn’t foul this up. He looked down at his hand, their hands, where his hand was resting on hers. “That must be terribly hard. My grandfather set up the house I live in, I’d have a terribly hard time leaving it. I will someday, probably, it’s not big enough to marry and raise a family of my own. But not to go back, for a visit, Sunday dinner, whatever that looks like, that would hurt.”

Thessaly looked up at him, and then just nodded once. “And that’s different, for both of us, than somewhere like Arundel, where it’s passed down generation to generation, in a specific way. Bryn Glas will go back to someone in the Powell line. I don’t know who. But they probably will change the decoration, the garden, all of that. A lot of what I love about it.”

“They have definitely not done much with the decoration at Arundel in a generation or two.” Vitus said, offering it as a bit of amusement.

She smiled, so it had been a decent choice. “No. Childeric says...” Then she swallowed. “Do you want me to continue that sentence?”

Vitus wasn’t sure how to answer that again. He squeezed her fingers while he was thinking, hoping to reassure that he wasn’t upset, while he worked through a little of it in his head. Then he gave up and cleared his throat. “I’d like to talk it out with you, if you don’t mind. Now, sometime later, whatever you’d prefer.”

Her other shoulder shrugged. “Now is as good a time as any, I suppose?”

Of course, that meant he had to figure out what to say. “I don’t want to do something that would upset the Fortiers. I can’t afford to, on any level. My father’s the man of business of a number of their client families and associated families, for one thing, and I need to establish myself. They’re not particularly interested in helping me - my style of work doesn’t suit what they usually commission.” That was a genteel circumlocution that did what was needed. He’d have to remember that. “But I can’t afford to go against them. And I don’t know what that means with you, or with Childeric, or what someone might be offended by.” He didn’t name the elder Fortiers. He didn’t need to.

Thessaly considered that, chewing on her lip, though she also squeezed his hand back while she thought. He liked that. “Our agreement, the formal agreement, the one with oaths and signatures, is for marriage, for suitable public support, both ways around. Two children, preferably at least one boy, but I am not committed beyond the attempt. A standard sort of agreement there. Either of us might have other lovers, with discretion. And with suitable contraceptive charms, on both parts - the, what’s the word? Not penalty?” She looked up at him.

“Consequences? Contractual obligations?” Vitus offered the two options cautiously.

“Contractual obligations will do.” It wasn’t what she had been thinking, but she went on. “Those. They’re the same in both cases - the child adopted out or otherwise separate from the family concerns, whatever makes sense. Not in the line of succession for either family.” She grimaced. “It doesn’t seem kind, but I hope it won’t be relevant, you know? The charms and potions are very effective these days. Beyond that, discretion. Nothing public, nothing that causes undue gossip. Again, also the usual sort of thing.”

“So a dance in public is fine, a conversation. And that - meeting like this, that is also fine?” Vitus felt that was the place to begin.

“This is also fine. A conversation in a library, a bookstore, being seen at a duelling salle - not that you duel, that would actually be suggestive. A lecture or a concert, then, say. Or whatever in private, when no one can observe. I am...” She swallowed and looked away. “Constrained, at the moment. And also I don’t want to do any of those things. They feel far too raw. I want to duel, but not be seen doing it.”

“And the conversation here?” Vitus felt he needed to clarify this point. Or maybe he needed to hear her say what she wanted, there. “Or in the coming days? I would be glad to arrange to meet you, here or somewhere else, if you would like that. Only if you would. I don’t want to be a bother.”

“You are not a bother. You are very kind.” She hesitated. She said nothing further.

After a long moment, a silence that went on, Vitus murmured, “At the least, it would be good to know how to get you the talisman when it is finished. A few days, maybe a week, depending on other work. It’s not that it will take that long, it’s that there are pauses between several steps.”

“Sometime.” She swallowed. “Sometime would you tell me about the process, about your work? How a piece goes together?” Thessaly looked up at him, and then she suddenly yawned. “I’m sorry, I’m so tired. But yes, come out and give it to me. Probably here, it’s the safest place. Send a note when you’re ready?”

“Your family won’t worry?” That was the other thing. He didn’t much want the Powells, or the Lyttons, or the Lytton-Powells for that matter, annoyed with him either.

“Oh, probably not. Mama’s, I don’t know. Distracted. If you’d rather, drop it at the Fox’s Den and they’ll forward it.”

Vitus nodded. The clubs were useful that way. “I’ll think about it.” He considered. “And Childeric? Will he be bothered if he knows you’re talking to someone else? Privately?”

“Oh, he might make a bit of a fuss if he notices. But that would involve him noticing. Besides, I’m fairly sure he’s got his own pleasures on the side.” Thessaly focused her attention on Vitus. “It feels horrible to say, but I’m sort of glad. I mean, I’m sure it will be fine, the necessary parts. He’s good at picking up skills when he actually cares about them.”

Vitus rather thought that Childeric was the sort who would pick up the skills about his pleasure, and not necessarily about his partner’s. But that was certainly not something he was going to say at the moment. Then he nodded. “So. To sum up, you would like to continue to see me. Now is not the time for anything further, beyond this.” He moved his fingers slightly. “But you would not object if, down the road, we both found that worth exploring more? Only if and when you’re ready, of course.”

She flushed. It was more visible with how pale she was. “That. I’m glad you aren’t pressing. I gather some people do.”

Vitus snorted. He couldn’t help himself. “It seems a poor way to begin what I hope will be a long friendship, perhaps more in time. And besides, we’ve already established you’re the far better duellist, I wouldn’t dare take liberties.” Then he glanced at the bench behind her, considering. It wouldn’t be terribly comfortable in that dress and that corset, but he could offer something now. “I do have that blanket, if you’d like to use it for a pillow. You could rest your eyes, at least.”

Thessaly blinked at him. Then she did smile, like a rock cracking open and water pouring out, a myth of coming forth. “Oh. I would like that very much. If you’re willing. Rather boring for you, though.”

“I also brought a book. I packed exceedingly thoughtfully, as you have seen.” That got him a squeeze of his hand, and then she moved to kiss him on the cheek, once, gently.

“You are kind, thoughtful.” Her breath caught. “Please. A nap sounds like the best thing in the world, or whatever rest there might be.” Vitus twisted to gather up the blanket and hand it over, as well as fishing out his book. Thessaly ended up tilted, using the arm of the bench as the framework for the pillow. She had folded the blanket to make it comfortable, and her hands curled up loosely against her chest. One of them still held the piece of jasper. She had refused to let it go or to put it away. It wasn’t terribly comfortable, he suspected. Her spine was held straight by the corset and cut of the dress. But within a couple of minutes he could hear her breathing change, and he was sure she was sleeping.

He checked the time on his watch, and she had most of an hour left. Vitus opened his book, but he did not read much. He certainly didn’t retain any of it. Instead, he alternated between watching her and thinking about what she’d said. He had in front of him direct evidence that she felt safe enough with him. Safe to fall asleep, safe to be honest, he thought, in several directions.

Vitus wanted more of that. For all she was a duellist, for all she was of Fox House, and the sort of sharply talented family that could take care of themselves, she trusted him to watch over her. Now, it wasn’t likely there would be much risk in an apple orchard inside her family’s warding. He still liked that trust, and he liked that she’d answered his questions.

And he also liked the answers. Of course, there were things he could not have with her. Not marriage, not children. He himself - as Mama kept reminding him - would need to marry sooner than later. It was a way to establish himself as fundamentally respectable and a reliable pillar of the community. But given that there was no one he was interested in, that could come in its own time.

It wasn’t even that Thessaly had promised anything in specific - of course she hadn’t, and of course he wouldn’t press her. Or even ask about it. Not until she was out of mourning, until she smiled more freely again, until she wanted it. If she ever wanted it. In the meantime, he would bask in her friendship and in her inquisitive nature. And he’d look forward to the prospect of more conversations about magic and theory and what to do with it that made a difference in the world.

And perhaps he’d have a long conversation with Niobe about what sorts of things he might read up on that Thessaly would be interested in talking about in due course. More about stones, that was easy. She’d seemed rather interested in the variations, the way they worked in practice. He could certainly learn more about illusion work, and she might recommend some places to start in a few weeks. More about the materia that went into the salle protections, some of that was crushed stones, he knew that much.

His fingers came up to touch where she’d kissed. It had been fleeting, the kind of kiss he gave to his mother, or that he’d given to Grandmother. The kiss had been affectionate, fond. It didn’t necessarily mean anything beyond that. But he’d be remembering it. He knew that. Vitus let out a little sigh. He had to keep a grip on himself. For his own sake, and for hers. He couldn’t assume, even if at least he knew a bit more about the boundaries now.

In due course, the chime on his watch sounded a little imitation of a bird call. He cleared his throat. “Thessaly? Time to wake up.” She stirred a little, but didn’t wake, and he considered. Then he leaned over to touch her shoulder, her upper arm, just enough to move her. “Thessaly? It’s half two. You needed to get back.”

That got her blinking, rubbing her face, then pushing herself upright. She almost dropped the stone, then closed her fingers around it. “Did I sleep the entire time? I’m sorry, you must be so bored.”

“It was a pleasure to keep an eye out. You obviously needed the rest. But you’d said you didn’t want to be out here too long. Let me pack up. I assume you need to let me out of the warding, too.” He then considered. “If I needed to leave something for you, would it be safe to leave it just outside the fence here? Tucked out of the way?”

“If I knew to come look for it.” She was still a little muzzy from sleep, and she rubbed her face again. “A note to tell me to come look for it if we can’t meet up.” Then she reached for his hand, fingers curling under his palm. “I’d rather see you, though. If we can.”

“If we can. I’d like that too, very much.” There was nothing else he could say to that, so he didn’t, just held her fingers for a long moment before he moved to pack up his things. “I should take the cakes?”

“I’m sorry I didn’t try them. Or can I have one to eat on the way back?”

He handed it over and packed up the rest. She stood, brushing out her skirts, then went to the gate ahead of him, to let him out. When he was through the gate, she looked him over one last time. “Thank you.” Just the two words. Then she closed the gate and turned and walked away.