Seleste, Then

SELESTE

" W atch me, Mademoiselle Seleste!" Elsie twirled in the grass, her pink dress fanning out around her and her face upturned to the sun. The little girl positively glowed, her soul just as bright as her blonde hair.

Seleste chuckled from where she sat on a blanket, book in her lap. "Wonderful, Elsie! Now, spin the other way so you don't get too dizzy."

"But dizzy is—" The girl tumbled to the ground, giggling. "Half the fun!"

"Bet I can beat you in a race to the garden and back," Emeline broke in, challenging her sister.

"You're on!" But Elsie was still off-balance, lilting to the side as she shouted and ran after Emeline toward the garden.

Laughing at the girls' antics and grateful for the distraction they embodied, Seleste tried to return to her book, but she couldn't concentrate. She hadn't retained a single word since she'd opened the thing. A shadow passed, just to her right, and she looked up to see Cal headed her way. Her heart thundered in her ears. It had been nearly a week since she'd given him the potion. Six days of awaiting the worst.

He had an easy smile on his face, his attention darting from his wild sisters to Seleste and back. His shoulders were loose, his hair neatly combed and his waistcoat perfectly in place. There was no tension in his gait or his jaw. When he approached her, she looked up at him, shielding her eyes from the sun. For all she knew, the potion was slowly eating away at his insides, like maggots in a corpse. Or it had eaten away at his love for her. It could have made him corrupted, meanspirited…

" Bonne aprés-midi, belle ," he said, his voice low, and her heart rate began to slow.

Too late, she realised she should be standing in his presence and jumped up, smoothing her boring grey dress. " Bonne aprés-midi, monsieur."

"I've missed you terribly," he whispered. The deep roll of his voice sent heat coursing up her chest. "I suppose you've been roped into helping with the extra duties to prepare for Lord Townsend and his family's arrival."

Yes and no. Mostly, she'd been avoiding him. "They will be here by week's end, and Madame Riley asked for my assistance."

Cal looked around, watching his sisters in the garden, who were oblivious to him and Seleste, and taking note of the rest of the grounds. When he turned back to her, he reached out and took one of her hands, gently squeezing it before he dropped it again. "Will I see you tonight?"

She couldn't bear to avoid him any longer. Every excuse not to see him twisted her gut. Every night away from him was almost physically painful.

"Yes." She smiled and his face lit up like the sun.

"I have something special planned." He started to lean in and kiss her, but realised his error, thinking better of it and backing away, his eyes still on her lips.

"Keep thinking what you're thinking," Seleste teased as he turned to walk away, earning her a salacious grin sent over his shoulder.

Seleste pressed her palm against her churning stomach. He seemed fine. Better than fine. Perhaps the Grimoire merely wanted to solidify something within the future Earl of Bellvary. They were moulding History with their Orders, after all.

The evidence in front of her was Cal—perfectly healthy and amazing. Logic would suggest that she not let anxiety take any more ground.

Seleste reached into the bodice of her gown and took out the tourmaline crystal she'd stashed there. Thinking of Aggie, she wished she could visit her Sister Autumn. Alas, all she could do was let the crystal infuse her with its peace.

A scream echoed across the grounds. Seleste was running before she even registered what she was doing. Both girls were screeching, arms above their heads as they ducked and swatted to avoid a raven. The bird dove and pecked at them, grabbing bits of their blonde hair and pulling. Seleste instantly recognised the overfed, insolent courier raven.

She slid to a stop next to the girls and smacked once at the bird to get its attention. It bobbed in the air, flapping its wings and squawking at Seleste.

"Go to the house!" she instructed the girls, swatting the raven repeatedly, herding it as she marched toward the treeline.

" Festus !" she seethed at her Sister Spring's raven when they were under the cover of the woods. "What in Hades are you doing?"

He offered her a stubborn squawk and sat on a branch near her eye level, feathers ruffled. He shook one of his legs until a tiny scroll descended, tied to him.

Still fuming, Seleste snatched it from him. "Get out of here." Festus was all too willing to obey, flapping off into the treetops.

Suddenly nervous about what her Sister had to say, Seleste unfurled the scroll.

Dearest S,

Apologies for sending this prat. Olivier was with Aggie.

I know you'll ask—Aggie is fine. Well, fine might be the incorrect word. She's…sullen. Her Orders last Autumn were rough on her. I finally got her to confess what happened. She'd slit my throat if she knew I'd told you, but she was sent to set fire to a monastery in Lyronia. Then, she was Ordered to poison the food supply of the Prilemian Ar my.

Seleste could almost see Sorscha shaking her head in dismay at Aggie's misfortune, just as she was. Gods, their little Sister had suffered so much, Hespa calling on her equal darkness and light.

As for Winnie, I have not heard from that old hag, either. But that's no sweat off my back, as you well know.

It took me some time to decide what to tell you about the potion and spell you sent word of. Where did you find something like this? It's a peculiar mix of light and dark magic—archaic in ways that I can't exactly explain because I can't put my finger on it. There are a thousand different uses it could be for. My suggestion is to scry and see what you can glean from that.

My greater suggestion is to not cast this spell, and certainly don't give that potion to anyone.

Bisous,

S

Seleste was going to be sick.

She bent double, vomiting into a cluster of ferns, then dabbed at her mouth with the hem of her dress, composing herself .

" Br?ler ."

The letter from Seleste caught fire until it was burnt to ash that lifted off into the trees as Festus had. With that, she pushed her shoulders back and strode to her room within Whitehall.

The girls would be at teatime with their mother, and Seleste was late. She was to be dusting and sweeping for Frances as the maid prepared two guest rooms for the Townsends.

Instead of completing her duties, however, Seleste hid in her room, between the bed and the far wall, crouched on the floor with a bowl of water. Scrying was a delicate process, but she needed to hurry. With the guests arriving in a few days, Frances had been moved into her room, and she could come in at any moment.

Pushing every thought out of her mind aside from Cal and the potion, Seleste stared into the little black pool of water until her eyes glazed over.

Her cunning, her magic, and her spirit engaged.

A vague, cloudy image passed over the water. A crescent moon, descending to attach itself to a full moon. This jarred Seleste to the point that she almost lost her focus and the image with it.

Just before she was pulled by her rushing thoughts, she saw the crescent moon disintegrate, and the full moon crack into shards.

Seleste gasped, breaking the scrying magic. She knew exactly what that meant.

Oh, gods.

What had she done?

They rolled apart onto their backs, shoulder to shoulder, both panting and slick with sweat. Cal took her hand in his, and Seleste looked over at him, marvelling at the smile on his face and the bliss coursing through her.

"I love you," he whispered, the music of cicadas dancing through the words like the fireflies floating amongst the sunflowers that swayed above them.

Filled to the brim with adoration, she shifted onto her side, resting her head on her hand. Gently, she ran her finger down the length of Cal's cheek. "And I you."

He looked at her as if she was the only person in existence. Turning his gaze to the stars that were peeking at their nakedness through the sunflowers, he said, "Do you remember our conversation about other realms?"

"Mm," Seleste confirmed, her thoughts slipping away again to her worry over what the potion had done to Cal. She hadn't noticed a difference in their evening devouring one another. Nothing tangible, anyway.

"...legend about a…" he was saying, but she'd missed the first part. "No one can open it, but it's believed it leads to another realm…"

Perhaps there would never be a physical sign of the potion's effects. Surely there was a valid reason for causing?—

"You're distracted tonight," Cal mused, pulling Seleste from her thoughts.

"Not from you, I promise."

He grinned. "I like to think I'm always on your mind, as you are on mine. "

" Always ," she confirmed, lowering to kiss his chest. When she looked up, his smile had turned mischievous. "I know that look…"

Cal laughed, the movement of his body drawing her attention away from his eyes. "I have something for you."

One eyebrow raised, Seleste sat up. "For me?"

He nodded and rose, slipping on just his pants, hanging loose around his hips. Without a word, he disappeared into the sunflowers, many of them taller than him, and returned a moment later with a large box.

"You sneak," she teased.

With a tranquil shrug, he handed her the box.

Feeling silly opening a gift in the nude, Seleste began to summon a dress but caught herself just in time. Instead, she set the box to the side and slipped into her shift. Cal sat with one leg curled and one knee up, beckoning her to sit in the little space it created between his legs. She obliged, opening the box as he kissed the back of her neck and shoulders.

"Cal!" Seleste's jaw dropped.

A gown of gold so pure it looked as if it could have been kissed by the sun sat inside the box. The neckline was embroidered with smoky quartz beading that rained down delicately along the bodice's elegant lines.

"Cal, this is…" She shook her head, her throat thick. "Too much."

He took her chin in his fingers and turned her face until she'd shifted enough that he could kiss her lips. "Nothing is too much for you. My father is feeling immensely better. Thanks to you."

"Thanks to you. Not me. "

"You're too modest, Seleste. But there is more to the dress than that."

She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Since he is feeling so much better, my parents have decided to invite several of their friends to Whitehall, instead of just the Townsends. They want to finally announce where they've been all Summer and hold a ball before we return to the city. I want you to come to the ball with me."

"Cal, I?—"

"Please, just say yes. It would make me the happiest man in the realm."

"I don't think it's a good idea." Had he forgotten everything his mother had said about her? Even if he didn't know she'd heard it.

"I love you, Seleste Joubert. And I'm done hiding it."

"Cal…"

"Consequences be damned."

Oh, the look in his eyes was threatening to break her heart. This man truly loved her. He was willing to sacrifice so much.

"I want to change this realm with you. Make it better. But right now, I'm just a boy asking a girl to a ball."

Gods . "How could I say no to that?" she murmured, and Cal kissed her.