Nica's Legacy (Hearts of ICARUS Book 1)

by Laura Jo Phillips

  A minute later the ordeal was over and they entered the ballroom. Bree led Nica straight to the refreshment table where they each accepted a glass of wine. After Bree took a healthy swallow, Nica looked her friend in the eye and said, “Our hostess is not a nice woman, Bree.”

  “No, she isn’t,” Bree agreed. “The best I can say about her is that she treats everyone that way.”

  “Then why do so many people attend her parties?” Nica asked.

  “For the same reason she behaves the way she does,” Bree said. “She has wealth and status.”

  “That implies that all people with wealth and status behave without honor toward guests in their homes,” Nica said. “That is not the case.”

  “No, it’s not,” Bree said. “But that’s not what I meant. I meant that she does it for those reasons. Her family had neither rank nor wealth so when she married into both, she had to figure out how to move in a society she knew nothing about. She could be forgiven for getting it wrong when she was young, but after so many years it’s obvious she simply enjoys wielding power over other people.”

  “If she used her power and wealth for good, she would get far more attention than she will ever get using it as a weapon,” Nica said.

  “Yes, but she’ll never believe that,” Bree said. “I noticed that she was quite civil to you.”

  “Yes,” Nica agreed. “But only after she spent some time staring at my gown and the star diamonds. I wish I hadn’t worn them again tonight.”

  “Are you kidding?” Bree asked. “If I had even one star diamond I’d never take it off. Anyway, I’m sure her civility toward you was a direct result of your gown and your jewels, so I’d be grateful if I were you.”

  Nica grimaced with disgust. “Mrs. Cartwell did the same thing last night, but she managed to do it without being insulting. Or maybe it was her intent that was different.”

  Bree nodded and took a sip of her wine. “Enough,” she said. “I didn’t come here to talk about Marion Westley.”

  “No, you didn’t,” Nica murmured softly as she caught sight of two men making their way through the crowd toward them. “Brace yourself, Bree, cause you’re about to get what you did come here for.”

  Bree immediately turned and looked where Nica was looking, then she squealed softly with excitement. “Oh Nica, I’m so happy they’re here!”

  “Really? I hadn’t noticed,” Nica teased gently. Bree laughed just as Quill Thomas and Evan Hearken reached them.

  “Good evening, ladies,” Evan said with a brief bow of his head. “It’s a pleasure to find you here. I’m sorry we missed you last night.”

  “Yes, we missed you, as well,” Bree said, smiling at Quill.

  “Unfortunately, my business meeting ran late and I was unable to break away,” Quill said. “We were hoping we’d find you here tonight.”

  Bree’s heart fluttered in her chest when she noticed that Quill was looking steadily at her, and nowhere else. This was the most handsome and charming man to ever pay any real attention to her and it hadn’t been because she was the only female in sight at the time, either. Nica had been sitting right beside her when they met, and he’d barely glanced at her.

  “Is your brother here tonight?” Quill asked. “I think that I should meet him.”

  “No, I’m afraid not,” Bree replied, her heart going from a flutter to a full gallop at the implication in his words. “He had some business in the country and won’t be back for a week, at least. Maybe two.” Quill smiled, then moved closer to Bree and leaned down to speak softly in her ear, keeping further conversation between them private.

  “How do you like Apedra, Miss Vinia?” Evan asked.

  “What I’ve seen so far is quite beautiful, Mr. Hearken,” she said, shifting her gaze away from Bree and Quill to focus on the thin, quiet man. “I’ve only been here a couple of days, but I look forward to seeing more of it during my visit.”

  “The true beauty of Apedra lies in the countryside, beyond the city,” Evan said, relaxing a little. Miss Vinia seemed friendly and polite, but not excessively so. When she smiled at him, he could detect no artifice in it. Nor was she trying to flirt with him, or pretend an attraction that didn’t exist.

  Evan was intelligent, nicely dressed, and well-mannered, but he was not handsome and he was not a lady’s man. In fact, women tended to ignore his existence until they discovered who he was, and how much money he had. The first time it had happened he’d been just sixteen and an orphan for less than a year. Since then, he’d learned to read women quite well.

  Nica smiled warmly at him and he was surprised to see that it was genuine. “I always think the country is more beautiful than the city, wherever I am,” she said. “That’s not to say there aren’t some beautiful cities. I just prefer wide open country when I get the chance to relax.”

  “So do I,” Evan replied. “I’m looking forward to going home.”

  “Home?”

  “In the country,” Evan said. “Didn’t Bree tell you?”

  “Tell me what?”

  “My family estate borders Fadden Fields on the east.”

  “She said that you’d known each other all your lives, but I’m afraid I don’t recall if she said your estates adjoined,” Nica said. “It’s nice to have friends that you’ve known all your life, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, it is,” Evan replied, surprised again when she didn’t ask about his estate. “I never thought about it much until I went away to school. Then I discovered how rare such a thing is, and how important it can be.”

  “Yes, me too,” Nica said.

  “You have friends you’ve had your entire life?” he asked.

  “Not exactly,” Nica said. “My sister and I moved to Jasan when I was six. But I made friends then that I’m still close with today. Quite a few, actually.”

  “I’d say that counts,” Evan said, and Nica smiled.

  “Would you care to dance, Miss Vinia?” he asked, then immediately regretted it.

  “I’d be honored, Mr. Hearken,” Nica said, “but I don’t know how. Last night was the first time I’d even seen a pattern dance.”

  “Don’t worry, the dance instructor is coming to the house tomorrow,” Bree said brightly as Quill led her away to the dance floor.

  While Nica watched Bree and Quill, Evan studied her for the first time. She was beautiful, of course. That was the first thing he’d noticed about her in the restaurant the previous day, but he hadn’t looked further than that. Now, he did. Although he didn’t know the first thing about women’s fashion, he did know quality when he saw it, and Miss Nica Vinia obviously did as well. Her dress was simple elegance, and her jewels were undeniably rare and enormously expensive, but she wore them with a casual ease that spoke of familiarity.

  “If you don’t mind my saying so, Miss Vinia, the star diamonds you’re wearing are absolutely stunning,” he said.

  “Thank you, Mr. Hearken,” she said, dropping her eyes to hide the expression of annoyance, but not quite fast enough.

  Evan smiled and made a silent bet with himself, then said, “Personally, I’m far more fascinated by the complicated and lengthy astro-geological process that must take place for the formation of star diamonds to occur.”

  Nica looked up at him in surprise, then gave him another, brighter smile, and he won his bet. “So am I,” she said. “It’s really quite extraordinary that they exist at all.” She glanced back at the dance floor and her smile dimmed.

  “What troubles you, Miss Vinia?” he asked in a low voice.

  Nica glanced at him appraisingly, then looked back to the dance floor. “Have you and Mr. Thomas been friends for a long time?”

  “No,” Evan replied, turning his gaze to the dancing couple. “I’ve only known him for about a week.”

  “You’ve known him a week and you invited him home with you?” Nica asked, surprised, but careful not to show it.

  “No, of course not,” Evan said, smiling to show he wasn’t offended by her questi
on. “He’s staying in a hotel.”

  “How did you meet?” Nica asked, then smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry if I seem nosy, Mr. Hearken.”

  “I presume you’re asking out of concern for Bree?”

  “Yes, I am.”

  “Good,” Evan said. “Bree needs more caring friends and I’m completely agreeable to answering any questions you may have.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Hearken,” Nica said with real relief. He nodded his head briefly, then answered her question.

  “Mr. Thomas and I sat next to each other on the shuttle leaving Sauria, and we got to talking. We discovered that we were both coming to Apedra and since we were both traveling alone, we shared a few meals together on the passenger liner.”

  “What do you know about him?” Nica asked, relieved that Quill was more of an acquaintance than a friend of Evan’s. It let her be direct with her questions.

  “Not a lot,” Evan replied. “He’s here on business, his family estate is on Sauria, and he’s single. Oh, and this is his first visit to Apedra.” Evan smiled slightly and raised one shoulder in a shrug. “He’ll be here for a few weeks, so I offered to introduce him around a bit before I leave for the country. I never have dates for these functions, so I invited Quill to join me.”

  “When do you plan to leave town?”

  “Not for a week,” Evan said. “Maybe two. It depends.”

  Nica started to ask another question when, once again, she thought she saw a flash of blue and green out of the corner of her eye. It was coming from a large flower pot holding a purple fern at the entrance to the hallway where the guest restrooms were located.

  “If you’ll excuse me, Mr. Hearken,” she said, setting her drink on a passing tray, “I’ll return in a few minutes.”

  “Of course, Miss Vinia,” Evan said. He watched as she made her way around the ballroom to the restrooms, then ordered a fresh drink from the waiter standing behind the refreshment table. While he waited he wondered if she’d return. He sipped his drink and sighed. She was a nice woman so, for her sake, it was best if she didn’t.

  ***

  Nica passed the gaudy purple fern in its even gaudier gold and purple planter without a glance and stepped into the restroom. She closed the door and made herself count to ten. Then she opened the door as silently as she could and peeked out. She nearly gasped aloud at the sight of two tiny people, one blue, the other green, hovering just above the lip of the flower pot, their wings moving too fast to see as more than twin blurs.

  Glad that the floor here was thickly carpeted and that she was alone for the moment, she walked quietly toward them. When she was just a step away she caught the sound of tiny voices speaking rapidly, but she couldn’t make out what they were saying.

  “Don’t even try to hide this time,” she said, keeping her voice just above a whisper so no one else could hear her, though the music was so loud she thought she could have shouted and no one would have heard. The tiny people jerked, turned, and flew straight into each other. Nica clapped one hand over her mouth to smother her laughter as she watched them both tumble down through several layers of fuzzy purple fronds. After a few moments she heard their voices again, and while she still couldn’t make out what they were saying, it sounded as though they were arguing.

  “I can’t stand here all night you two,” she said softly. She wasn’t altogether surprised to see two heads pop up between one especially large frond and stare at her for a long moment. She arched a brow, but remained still and quiet. After a moment, at some silent signal that she didn’t catch, they both moved higher up the fern until they were standing on a frond at her eye level.

  They were about three inches high, one blue and decidedly female, the other green and male. The male had short green hair, and the female had short blue hair, but the most startling thing about their faces was their eyes. They were perfectly round, enormous, and colored to match their skin, which made them appear even larger than they were. Otherwise they looked much like humans, with tiny, pointed noses and wide mouths. The male wore a length of green cloth tied around his waist, and the female wore a short blue shift, the colors matching their skin tones so well that it took Nica a moment to realize that they weren’t nude. But it was the wings that really captured Nica’s interest. They were quite large, reaching much higher than their heads and several times wider than their bodies, and looked just like the wings of a giant butterfly except that they were a solid color, matching their owner’s skin tones.

  Nica had spent years studying the sentient races of the Thousand Worlds, but she’d never heard of beings like these before. Well, not outside of fairy tales. “Would you like to explain why you’re following me around?”

  “No, Bright Lady,” the female said, shaking her head back and forth so quickly Nica feared she’d hurt herself. “We can’t do that! Eibhleann would get very angry with us!” Nica opened her mouth, but both of the tiny beings ducked beneath their frond just as two young women passed Nica on their way to the restrooms. As soon as the door closed behind them, the blue and green heads popped back up.

  “Who is…Ayv-lyn?” Nica asked, stumbling over the unfamiliar name.

  “We can’t tell you that either,” the female said, her big eyes looking sad.

  “What can you tell me?” Nica asked. They turned to look at each other, then back to Nica with twin shrugs. “How about your names?”

  “Oh yes,” the female said excitedly. Apparently she was their spokesperson, Nica decided. “We can tell you that that! I’m Min, and he’s Nim.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Min and Nim,” Nica said. “My name is Nica.” They beamed happily at her. “Please don’t be offended, but I can’t think of a really polite way to ask what you are.”

  “We aren’t offended,” Nim said, speaking for the first time in a voice nearly as high as Min’s.

  “We’re sprites,” Min added. Nica heard the restroom door open behind her and lifted her gaze to the ballroom. After the two women passed, Nica looked back down at the sprites just as they poked their heads up again.

  “I think we should continue this conversation somewhere more private,” Nica said. “How about you meet me in my room at Fadden House later tonight? And don’t tell me you don’t know where it is, because I saw you there yesterday morning, didn’t I?”

  “Yes, Bright Lady,” Min said after glancing at Nim worriedly. “We’ll be there.”

  “Good,” Nica said, wondering why they looked so unhappy about it. And why they called her Bright Lady. She didn’t ask any more questions though. Instead, she straightened up and walked away without a backward glance. She made her way around the dance floor to the refreshment table, disappointed to find that Evan was no longer there. He was, at least, a friendly face.

  She accepted a glass of juice, then sipped it warily. It was, as she’d specified, alcohol free. She found an empty spot at the side of the room and looked around for Bree, not surprised to find her still dancing with Quill. She tensed as she watched Quill place a hand at the small of Bree’s back to lead her through a turn, relaxing only when he removed it.

  Nica shook her head at herself, wondering why it bothered her so much to see Quill touch Bree in the course of a dance in which everyone else on the floor touched their partner in the same way. As soon as she asked herself the question, she knew the answer. It was because she didn’t like or trust Quill Thomas. She felt a little ashamed of herself for her snap judgment of the man. After all, he’d never done anything to earn her dislike. More importantly, Bree did like him. It was her job as Bree’s friend to support her when she needed it, and to be happy for her. Not to force her opinions on her.

  “Nica?” Bree said, startling Nica out of her thoughts. “Are you all right?”

  Nica smiled at her friend, but from the expression in Bree’s eyes, it wasn’t very convincing. Quill Thomas stood behind Bree, his face blank, eyes cool.

  “To be honest, Bree, I don’t feel well. The past couple of weeks o
f traveling have caught up with me. I think I’ll go back to the house and go to bed, but only if you promise to stay here and enjoy the ball.”

  “Oh, I can’t do that, Nica,” Bree said, trying to hide her reluctance. “It would be rude. You’re my guest.”

  “Then I’ll stay here,” Nica said. “You and Mr. Thomas should go on and dance or get refreshments, or whatever you were going to do. You needn’t worry about me, Bree. I’m fine.”

  “Nica, I can’t,” Bree began, but Nica shook her head.

  “No, Bree,” she said gently. “I appreciate your concern, but I don’t need you to take care of me.” She looked deliberately at Quill who now stood beside Bree, then back to her friend.