“Demon mayhem on an international scale,” Lily interpreted.
“Worse.” Kelan walked over the runes, scuffing the scorched leaves and dirt with his boot to erase the patterns. Two demons less, but how many more nested in England’s cracks and crevices, awaiting their marching orders? “The mechanisms they’re pulling together are elaborate. Let’s assume they want the Duke of Harchings’ warship built, our eyes turned to China, our forces deployed abroad. What does that tell you?”
Armand answered with brittle soberness. “We need to prepare for war, but not with China.”
“It’s coming.” The sense of foreboding that had saturated his bones finally had a name. A war to end all wars. A war they had little hope of winning. And once the demons held England, the entire world would fall.
His jaw tightened. His resolve flexed, then strapped layers of steel around his gut. Damn that. If the demons wanted a war, he’d build an army twice as large and strong as all the Kings of Hell combined.
EIGHTEEN
From the outside, Harchings’ Castle was every bit as grey and gloomy as Evelyn always complained about. Lily brought her attention in from her first look at the stone fortress to the man sitting across from her. Long limbs stretched just past hers, an arm draped along the top of the carriage bench, that blue gaze lifting lazily to slowly capture hers with the collected calm of a man very much at peace with himself.
Lily’s brow furrowed. Two hours in a cramped carriage with Kelan and her heart and head still hadn’t consolidated over the events he’d as good as orchestrated yesterday. If he’d interpreted the demon situation correctly, they desperately needed the advance warning.
She appreciated the odds of war, the strategy of calculated losses for a larger victory. But how did one judge the lives of two men over thousands? Even hundreds of thousands? The weight of regret, both hers and Kelan’s share, sat heavy in her heart.
Given the option, I wouldn’t change my mind.
That’s where they differed. When she asked herself the question, the answer was a resounding yes. She’d change her mind to spare the innocent, each and every time.
“I know that look.” Kelan’s brow notched up at her.
She took a deep breath. “What look?”
“You’re thinking about yesterday again.”
“I cannot erase lives as easily as you.” The retort flew from her lips without due consideration.
Unnecessarily harsh, she instantly chided herself. But not untrue. If some part deep inside Kelan flinched, she couldn’t tell.
After the exhilaration of learning to cut the dual truths from the demons, she’d plunged to the reality of what those truths had cost. One of the General’s men had died instantly on the roadside, another had succumbed to injuries in the hospital later that night.
“Wearing red-rimmed eyes and sobbing into my handkerchief doesn’t benefit the dead, Lily, it only benefits you.”
“You think I’m silly and pathetic.”
“Not at all. Your sentiments are normal. I understand how you feel, but I’ll not indulge it.” He drew his legs in as the carriage crawled onto the gravel driveway circling a bed of summer flowers. “A better tribute to those men is to make their deaths count.”
Once again, he spoke perfect sense. And still, her heart locked horns. She didn’t want him riddled with guilt. She only wanted him to appreciate they’d been careless with lives, and factor that into future decisions.
“One death is one too many,” she said. “I’ll never accept it.”
“You will.” His gaze softened fractionally. “The day will come, and you will.”
He was wrong.
Lily accepted the stalemate with a grimace, gathering and folding her coat over her arm as the carriage drew to a halt.
Their unannounced descent on Harchings Castle passed with little fuss. The butler took their arrival not as unexpected, but rather somewhat delayed. He had their few items of luggage sent up to the Boleyn Suite, already prepared in anticipation of her missed arrival on Tuesday.
They’d barely stepped inside a cavernous parlour when Evelyn swept in from a double set of patio doors thrown wide open to let in the afternoon sunshine.
“What absolute and utter bliss,” Evelyn declared, her eyes lit with the radiance of her smile. She threw her arms around Lily, her head turned to speak to Kelan. “You’re completely forgiven for depriving me of my friend.”
Kelan took the blame with a good-natured grin. “You look well, Evelyn.”
“It’s all this country air, don’t you know?” She unwound herself from Lily with a dramatic sigh. “My body’s screaming for a decent lungful of smog.”
Lily laughed, a good measure of the pent-up tension rolling off her shoulders.
“Is Greyston about?” said Kelan.
“He’s outside, attempting to play croquet. The last I saw, he was hunting for his ball in the trees.” Evelyn led them through the double doors onto the patio, then pointed the way for Kelan. “They’re on the lawn around the side of the library wing. We’re right behind you.”
They followed at a sedate pace, down the patio steps to the cobbled courtyard below.
“Does this mean the London demon crisis has been averted?” Evelyn said in a low voice.
Lily suppressed a sigh. “Has Greyston told you everything?”
“I wouldn’t say everything,” Evelyn said lightly. “He enlisted my aid in getting Devon roaring drunk so he could learn something about a warship, but heaven alone knows what that’s about.”
Lily linked arms with her friend. She didn’t like keeping secrets from Evelyn, and these couldn’t do any harm. Not anymore.
“London is hazard-free for the moment. Kelan banished both the demons yesterday, but he suspects demon interest in a dirigible warship Devon may or may not be building. That’s the information Greyston’s after.”
“Ah, so that’s what brought you here.”
“Partly.” Lily gave her a wry smile. “And partly to say goodbye. We depart for Cragloden tomorrow. We take the evening train to Edinburgh.”
“Must you?” groaned Evelyn.
Lily hesitated, afraid to over-divulge and cause undue stress.
“I’ll worry more if you don’t tell me,” Evelyn said, adeptly reading the silence.
“There’s no cause for concern,” Lily told her. “There’s a demon by the name of Agares still about. The last place we saw it was Scotland—Glasgow, to be precise.”
“You’re going back to track it down.” Evelyn extracted her arm to step in front of Lily. “Have you had any visions about this demon?”
Unaware of Lily’s demon blood, Evelyn spoke of the sporadic visions Lily had suffered from since her fifteenth birthday. Since her demon glass wasn’t proving to be a reliable improvement, Lily left it at that.
“Not recently,” she said. “That’s the problem.”
She looked at Evelyn, her mind churning decisions over another person’s life. She’d tried playing the hand of God, and yesterday she’d lost.
She’d trumpet dire warnings across England if it would do any good, but that would only cause mass twitters and get herself classified insane. Evelyn was one of the few exceptions. She’d been with them when the demon Flavith, known to them as Lady Ostrich, had trapped the Red Hawk in a web of white fire and very nearly succeeded in incinerating the ship along with everyone on board.
Full disclosure.
“Kelan is convinced Agares has catastrophic plans,” Lily said quietly. “Plans that could mean war.”
“Goodness, how many demons are there?”
“How many would it take to overthrow England?” Lily countered. A baker’s dozen would probably do it.
Evelyn’s eyes widened, her colour draining.
“You promised to worry less if I told you,” Lily cajoled with a gentle smile, “not more.”
“That was before the demons went to war on us.”
“This is all speculation and Kelan does
tend to latch onto the darkest threat he can find in any scenario,” Lily reassured her. “Besides, I have every intention of rooting Agares out first, and you know what a stubborn mule I can be when my mind is set.”
Evelyn wiped the crease from her brow with a weak smile. “You did vow to find a husband by the end of the season, and look at you now, Lady Perth.”
“Speaking of husbands…” Lily slid her arm through Evelyn’s and they continued walking, crossing the pebbled courtyard. “Does your Boleyn Suite happen to accommodate two separate bedrooms?”
“No, but it does have a magnificent bed canopied in raw silks fit for a queen,” Evelyn said. “I picked it out specifically for you.”
“Well, now there’s me and Kelan,” Lily reminded her, “and your butler labours under the wrong impression about Lord and Lady Perth’s marital arrangements. He’s lumped us in the suite together.”
“Or the right impression, given the story you’re putting about,” Evelyn said with an air of innocence. “We’ve brought some of our London staff down with us, and they’ll take their wagging tongues back with them. Not to mention Devon, who’d be most alarmed after the show you two put on at his ball. He knows I love you like a sister, and he’d call Kelan out on his behaviour if he thought your marriage suddenly in distress.”
“You’re making this purposely difficult.”
“I’m not.” Evelyn’s lips twitched. “That’s not to say I won’t have fun with it—or that you shouldn’t,” she added, some of her natural buoyancy creeping back. “It would be a shame to waste that bed.”
“Evie!”
“Are you honestly saying the thought of Kelan’s kisses hasn’t crossed your mind?” Evelyn prodded. “You’re not the least bit curious?”
Lily looked at her, but instead of finding the gleam of mischief, Evelyn’s gaze was warm and sincere. The furious denials dried up in her throat.
“We’ve kissed,” she said, warmth flushing her blood at just how thoroughly her curiosity had been satisfied.
Evelyn studied her face for a long moment, then smiled. “You like him!”
“That depends on which hour of the day you ask me.” Lily released a heavy sigh. “Kelan is like one of those fancy chocolates you brought back from Paris last summer. The first taste is designed to overwhelm your senses and explode into tiny cravings, but when you bite down in the centre, there’s an iron pit instead of creamy butterscotch.”
“Iron smelts when it gets hot enough.”
“Kelan wouldn’t melt if you dropped him into the core of the sun,” Lily snorted.
Evelyn wasn’t put off in the slightest. “You might find iron has unique properties, every bit as deliciously addictive as butterscotch.”
Lily blew out a heavy breath. “That’s exactly what I’m afraid of.”
“Once you stop resisting, your fears will fly away.” Evelyn’s smile dipped in wicked intentions. “Leave it to me. By the end of this weekend, you’ll be well and truly married.”
“Don’t you dare! It’s complicated enough without you interfering. I mean it, Evie.”
“Is it truly complicated, or are you still harping on about that annulment? Dukes and earls rarely give up anything that belongs to them, not even an unwanted wife.”
“I don’t belong to anyone.” Another thought occurred. “Dear Lord, you haven’t asked Devon for a divorce?”
“I should have, considering how unwanted he made me feel.”
Lily’s stare darkened on her friend.
Evelyn arched a brow. “You can put that judgemental look away; you know I’d never do it. I love him too much.”
“I’m not judging you, I’m concerned.”
“Devon finally opened up and spoke to me. He harbours a deep-seated fear of pregnancy. He somehow convinced himself that every breath I take, is the breath that might break me.”
“You’ve reconciled, then?” Lily said hopefully.
“I’m letting him stew a while longer before I forgive him.” Evelyn shook her head. “I know he loves me, but this isn’t the first time he’s choked me with a jewelled necklace that sparkles love and strangles with steel clasps of over protectiveness. I’ve never walked my life on eggshells, and I didn’t marry him so I could start.”
Lily laughed. “Poor Devon. I only have demons to deal with, but he has you.”
“Don’t feel too sorry for my husband. He knows exactly where to stroke to tame me.” Evelyn gave a wispy sigh. “Perhaps I’ll forgive him before tonight.”
They rounded the corner of the library wing. Buffeted between the stone grey walls of the castle and dense pine forest stretched a manicured lawn. Kelan stood by the refreshment table set up beneath a small pavilion on the forest edge, his gaze trained on the couple down the end of the lawn.
Greyston watched, one hand in the pocket of fawn-coloured trousers, as a lady concentrated on knocking the ball through a croquet hoop. The sun caught the copper in her hair, giving the illusion of a stream flaming down her back. Her gown was sleeveless, and draped her body in swirls of pale lemon that defied the laws of petticoats. She didn’t even sport the tiniest bustle to upset the lines of her graceful form.
“Georgina Bonnington,” Evelyn informed her as they made their way toward the pavilion. “Indecently beautiful, of course, but quite delightful.”
Georgina Bonnington? The name snagged a thread of conversation. “She’s a friend of Greyston’s, if I recall.”
“More than friends, I’d say. They’ve been discreet, but the telltale signs are there,” Evelyn said gently. “Do you mind terribly?”
“Not at all.”
The ball dribbled through the hoop and Georgina threw her head back on a triumphant whoop. Greyston’s hand brushed along her spine, a fleeting, yet intimate caress, as he moved around her to fetch the ball.
A ghostly remnant of regret tugged her heart as she watched Greyston scoop up the ball and straighten, his jaw softened with that roguish grin for another woman.
She didn’t mind terribly, but perhaps a little.
It wasn’t so much that he’d moved on, or that Georgina was so beautiful, but that from even one look across the length of the lawn, she could tell how well they fit. Greyston with his rugged charm and careless social graces, Georgina with her reckless dress sense and outrageous hair, they were a match that would set Heaven aflame and burn all the way down to earth.
What did irk her a whole lot more, was Kelan’s rapt attention on the lady in question. Invisible to him, Lily accepted the glass of cooled lemonade Evelyn poured, then moved in place beside him.
Her lips pursed on an unsuitable retort.
But the mores of propriety wore thinner by the day and a restless dissatisfaction washed over her. “The lady’s taken.”
What was meant to be a detached rebuke came out on a sharp rasp.
“So it would appear.” Kelan’s head turned, his gaze sweeping to her with probing intensity—examining her state of emotions.
Her skin bristled. If he asked if she minded, she may well slap him. Or at least try. The only slaps that ever landed were the ones Kelan allowed. His reflexes were phenomenal, beyond the realms of anything she’d ever seen. Whatever else she thought on the matter, watching him fight that demon yesterday had filled her with awe.
And now, staring into the arctic blue depths of his scrutiny, her last grudging opinion fell by the wayside.
Kelan wasn’t a fool. However confident he might be in his abilities, each encounter with a demon put him in death’s sights, and he knew it. That hadn’t stopped him yesterday. He hadn’t even hesitated at the prospect of taking on a pair of demons alone. If he believed some lives were worth the sacrifice, that sentiment started with his own. She still did not agree, but neither could she fault him for the inborn warrior mentality.
Movement in their peripheral vision dragged their gazes apart.
Greyston had seen them and made his way up the lawn with Georgina, who seemed to grow lovelier and lovelier
as she drew closer. Within minutes of their introduction, Lily learnt that beauty went bone-deep.
“I’m so pleased to finally meet you,” Georgina greeted enthusiastically. “Grey speaks of you with such affection, and high praise, I may add, I’m determined to find a wart or two for my own peace of mind.” Her warm blue eyes glittered with humour; her soft laughter could write a musical score.
Lily took her hand, inexplicably minding a whole lot less about the new woman in Greyston’s life. “My warts and I look forward to getting to know you.”
Lily’s eyes darted to Greyston, her smile genuine. Not that he needed her approval, but he had it. He grinned, but his sober gaze held an unspoken question. She blinked slowly, nodding. The demons have been dealt with.
They chatted around the table for a few minutes, sipping on refreshments.
“How about another round of croquet?” Evelyn suggested, looking from Lily to Kelan. “That will give you a chance to stretch your legs after the long drive.”
Greyston groaned.
“Actually, I was hoping to raid your stable,” Kelan said. “Your estate here appears extensive, and I wouldn’t mind exploring the boundaries.” At Evelyn’s nod, he turned to Greyston. “Join me?”
He intends to grill Greyston. Lily was just as interested in what Greyston had learnt, but the demons could wait.
She only had a day and a half with Evelyn, then she was off to Scotland. She intended to devote the afternoon and evening to making the most of it. They played croquet until the day cooled with lengthened shadows. Evelyn cheated outlandishly and Georgina was quick to catch on; by the end of the game, Lily could aim better with her foot than with the stick. At one point, they laughed so hard, the three of them collapsed into a heap.
The Dark Matters Quartet Page 63
