Chapter twenty-eight
Midnights like This
In the days when carriages turned to pumpkins and mice whispered secrets, there lived a girl who never believed in fairy godmothers.
-Tales from Meridea, Volume III
“She did not replace all the oil with vinegar!” Ira said, laughing hard enough that it came out fractured.
Luci nodded, covering her mouth as she fought to keep her breath.
“She did, I swear it. She was so mad that Lady Margaret was moving into Blythe that she thought if she ruined the cake, she might leave.”
“What happened? Did they serve it?” he asked, face red.
“Of course not. One thing about Archie is that he will never send anything out that he doesn’t test. Of course, Brielle didn’t know that, so when Lady Margaret ate and complimented the cake, Brielle was convinced she was a witch for at least a fortnight.”
Luci was learning many things about herself, and though the wine had long worn off and she was two glasses of water sober, she knew she loved being the reason he laughed. Especially when he laughed hard enough that he fought to catch his breath.
“That is now my favorite story,” he said.
“She may look sweet and innocent, but more often than not it’s her plots that cause the most trouble,” Luci said.
Nodding, Ira lifted his glass of water up before taking a sip.
“I think I can attest to that as well,” he said.
She supposed he could, given that he was at the center of her latest one. Yet there was no bitterness or anger in his words, just a casual fact. Most people would not have appreciated being tricked, but then Ira wasn’t most people. In fact, he was more of the all's well that ends well mindset, which was hard for Luci to wrap her mind around.
The dining room was long emptied of people, and it was now just them; even Calcifer and Cochran were tucked into bed together.
“I feel bad taking Cal from Cochran. They are a cute pair, but Brielle might actually kill me if I don’t bring him home.” Luci said.
“Maybe we can arrange for him to visit from time to time. He’s a good kid, and it might be good for Max.”
Ira’s lips pressed together as he tapped the table with one finger, his mind working through the possibilities.
“Max is a good kid, too. Lucien, on the other hand,” Luci said.
Ira gave a small snort, still tapping. For a moment, Luci could see the weight on his shoulders that he carried for his family. His worry for Max and his love for all of them.
"Lucien has always been a little lost. Gladys is second born, and so much of her time is spent learning how to rule in case something happens to me. Besides that, she has her art and charity work to fulfill her. Max has his stories- excuse me, history, and Lucien never really been sure where he fits into everything. When he was younger, he was of the mind that if he was crueler than everyone else, it would shield him. I can’t say he doesn’t slip back into that sometimes, but he’s trying.” Ira said.
“And Brielle is going to fix him?” Luci asked, slightly irritated.
Ira shrugged. “I don’t know, but if anyone could, it would be her.”
Luci wasn’t quite sure what to make of that. Now that they had the flower, she wanted more from life for Brielle than fixing a damaged prince, but it wasn’t hers to choose. Brielle was always in charge of her own mind, and no amount of lecturing from Luci could change it.
“It’s probably after midnight, we should sleep so we can keep pace tomorrow,” Ira said after a moment.
Luci nodded even though it felt like she’d just swallowed a toad. There was no denying things had changed between them, but there were still miles of unknown before them. Ira stood and offered her his hand, and despite everything she was, she didn’t hesitate. If there was one consistency in an ever-changing world, it was that her hand in his felt right.
The inn was silent without a soul in sight; everyone long since retired. Every step felt like a mile long as she moved further from the memory of the night. It’d been a quirk of hers that Briellenever teased her for, but still felt silly. Whenever she was truly happy, she would find herself regretting the loss of the moment, and its inevitable lapse into memory. Coveting every second felt like a dragon hoarding treasure. If she had the power to stop time, she would live in a handful of memories. Tonight was one of those memories. Music, dancing, and good company. If she could bottle it all up, it would be one of her greatest treasures.
As they neared her room, Luci’s stomach decided to try acrobatics. They’d spent time alone, but this felt different. Like there was something in between them pulling them closer, even as her mind raced with a thousand reasons why that shouldn’t happen. The only problem was that not one of those thousand reasons was louder than the want coursing through her.
“Goodnight, Lucinda,” Ira said, dipping his head as he opened the door for her.