Wrede, Patricia C - Mairelon 02 (13 page)

           
Mairelon
crossed to the bedroom and stood in the doorway, looking at it for a moment.
"That's odd."

           
"What's
odd? What did that spell do?"

           
"I
told you, it's a check for residuals. Spells leave traces, and these rooms are
full of them--but every last one of them is over two months old. No one has
done any magic here in all that time."

           
"Tom
said Ma Yanger had given up witching people," Kim said, uncertain of what
point Mairelon was trying to make.

           
"Yes,
but she can't have been incapacitated until very recently," Mairelon
pointed out. "From your description, she doesn't sound as if she can clean
or cook any longer; she'd have starved to death if she'd been like that for two
months."

           
Kim
thought of the empty eyes and the expression void of intelligence, and
shuddered. "You're right about that. Maybe someone has been taking care of
her."

           
"Possibly,"
Mairelon said. "But would whoever-it-is also take care of her herbs and
spellworkings? There's no dust on these shelves; they've certainly been cleaned
in the past day or so. And look at the table."

           
Kim
looked. A candle stub sat in a puddle of melted wax; next to it, a wilted
violet lay on top of a heap of crushed herbs. "It looks like the makings
of a spell," she said cautiously.

           
"It
is," Mairelon said. "It's a traditional spell for averting harm or
bad luck. It's very old and not terribly reliable, which is why I haven't
bothered to teach it to you--there are much better spells available
nowadays."

           
Kim
looked at the table again. "That flower isn't much wilted. Somebody set
this up yesterday, or maybe the day before."

           
"Exactly.
I'll wager that
the
somebody
was your Ma Yanger. Somehow, she knew that something was going
to happen to her, and she tried to avoid it."

           
"But
you said nobody's done magic here in two months!"

           
"They
haven't," Mairelon said, and his tone was grim. "She set this up, but
she either didn't have time to use it, or couldn't for some other reason."

           
"Maybe
that spell hit her and . . . and made her like that before she could cast
this," Kim said.

           
"Possibly.
But if it was a spell that incapacitated
her, it can't have happened here, because there's no trace of it. And as far as
we know, she hadn't left these rooms in two months."

           
Kim
stared at Mairelon. "Then what happened?"

           
Mairelon
looked at her. "That
is
the question, isn't it?"

           
Mairelon
and Kim stayed a few minutes longer, turning out Ma Yanger's bed and checking the
iron kettle they found underneath it, but they came no nearer to answering
Kim's question. When they returned to the coach at last, Hunch was wearing his
most sour expression, from which Kim concluded that he had been worried. He
refused to drive anywhere, or to allow Mairelon to do so, until Mairelon set up
a protective spell around the coach. Mairelon eventually did so. Once they
arrived home, he informed Hunch with insufferable smugness that the spell had
not even been tested during the drive.

           
It was
something of a shock to return to the trivialities of a social schedule the
following morning. The London Season was under way at last, and invitations
were pouring in. To Kim's surprise, many of them included her.

           
"At
present, people are merely curious," Lady Wendall said. "That will
change when they meet you, and I am quite certain that between us we can see to
it that the change is a positive one. To that end, I should like you to
accompany me on a few morning calls."

           
Kim
sighed. "Morning calls are boring."

           
"That
depends largely on just whom one is calling upon," Lady Wendall replied
gently. "Wear your jaconet morning dress with the pink ribbons, I
think."

           
Kim
rolled her eyes, but nodded. She let
Wilson
dress her and arrange her hair,
then
joined Lady
Wendall in the salon. Shortly thereafter, they were on their way. The first two
stops were houses Kim had visited during the horrible week with Mrs. Lowe, but
to Kim's astonishment, Lady Wendall did no more than send in her card. As they
pulled away from the second house, Kim ventured to ask why.

           
"One
cannot cut someone dead simply because they are dull, but one need not endure
their conversation in order to maintain the social niceties," Lady Wendall
replied.

           
Their
next stop was quite close, and this time Lady Wendall climbed down from the
coach to rap on the door. A moment later, they were ushered up to the drawing
room, where they found their hostess, Lady Clement, already engaged with
several earlier visitors. Kim was dismayed to see that one of them was Miss
Annabel Matthews, who had been at Mrs. Hardcastle's disastrous tea.

           
Lady
Wendall presented Kim, and Lady Clement introduced her guests. Miss Matthews
was accompanied by her mother; the tall, brown-haired girl beside her was Miss
Marianne Farrell. Miss Farrell's aunt completed the company of ladies. Across
from them was a handsome, blond man in his mid-twenties, who was introduced as
Lord Gideon Starnes. As he rose and bowed, Kim's eyes flashed automatically to
his hands. They were ringless.

           
A little
uncertainly, Kim made her curtsey. To her relief, Miss Matthews welcomed her
warmly, though her mother frowned disapprovingly. Lord Starnes, Kim noticed,
did not seem pleased either; his eyebrows rose slightly and his lips curved in
an ironic smile as she took her seat.

           
"I
am so glad to see you again," Miss Matthews said in a low tone. "And
if you would be so good as to pretend to be absorbed in conversation with me
for a few moments, I would be deeply grateful."

           
"Why?"
Kim asked.

           
"I
do not wish to speak with Lord Starnes," Miss Matthews said. "And he
will
not take a hint."

           
"Is
he--" Kim could not think of a polite way to finish her question.

           
"There!
He has struck up a conversation with Mrs. Farrell, and we are safe."

           
"Why
don't you like him?" Kim asked.

           
"It
is not that I don't like him, exactly," Miss Matthews responded. "But
it is very wearing to be solicited constantly as a go-between, particularly
when it would be decidedly improper of me to agree."

           
Kim
blinked in surprise. In her experience, the need for a third party to carry
messages or arrange other things occurred only when something illegal was
involved. But Miss Matthews was an unlikely choice as either a fence or a bawd.
"Who does he want you to--to go between?" she asked cautiously.

           
Before
Miss Matthews could answer, her mother looked over and said, "Annabel,
dear, come and tell Lady Clement about that Brussels lace we found at the
market last Thursday. You are much better at describing such things than I
am."

           
Miss
Matthews looked a little surprised by this request, but all she said was,
"Of course, Mother," and the two changed places.

           
"And
then I wish to hear all about this ghost of yours," Lady Clement said to
Lady Wendall. "I understand it smashed an entire set of Crown Derby china
and sent three of the housemaids completely out of their minds?"

           
Startled
and a little worried, Kim looked at Lady Wendall, but Lady Wendall only smiled.
"Nothing
so
dramatic as that. An extremely ugly
Sevres vase was broken, and one of the housemaids had hysterics."

           
"But the ghost?"
Miss Farrell said breathlessly.

           
"A
magical experiment that got out of hand," Lady Wendall said.

           
"I
suspected as much," Lady Clement said with satisfaction. Miss Farrell
appeared to have suffered a severe disappointment.

           
"It
was really very careless of Richard," Lady Wendall went on, "and I
have informed him that in the future he is to use the laboratories at the
Royal
College
."

           
"An
excellent idea," Lady Clement said. "You really cannot have anything
like that happening during your ball. It has been an age since your last party,
and I am quite looking forward to this one. Though I trust you do not plan to
serve frogs' legs this time. Unusual refreshments are all very well, but there
are
limits."

           
"My
son has already made the same request," Lady Wendall replied. "And
since it is to be his
ward's
come-out, I felt it only
proper to accede to his wishes."

           
"So
there
is
going to be a ball!" Miss Farrell said. "I thought it
must be true when you came in with--That is, how splendid!"

           
Mrs.
Matthews looked slightly startled. "You are indeed presenting your son's .
. . ward, Lady Wendall? I had heard some talk of a ball, but I made sure it was
idle speculation, circumstances being what they are."

           
Lady
Wendall's smile had very little warmth in it.
"Circumstances?
I have not the slightest notion what you mean."

           
"Well
. . . that is . . . I was no doubt misinformed."

           
"Miss
Tarnower was probably just mistaken," Miss Farrell said soothingly.

           
Lord
Starnes stiffened, and his expression turned dark as thunderclouds. "I
hope you are not criticizing Miss Tarnower," he said.

           
"Anyone
can make a mistake," Miss Farrell said hastily.

           
"Perhaps
she was confused because my sister-in-law, Mrs. Lowe, acted as Kim's chaperone
for a few days until I arrived in
London
,"
Lady Wendall said. "But it would be quite improper for anyone other than
myself
to present my son's apprentice and ward to
Society."

           
"Apprentice?"
Miss Matthews said, with a puzzled
glance at Kim.

           
"Kim
is to be a wizard."

           
"Oh,
I
see.
" Mrs. Matthews looked relieved. "That explains
everything."

           
"I
thought it might," Lady Wendall murmured sweetly.

           
"Yes,
yes, but now you must tell us about this ball," Lady Clement said, and the
talk turned to the festivities. Kim found it very dull. So, apparently, did
Lord Starnes, for after a very few minutes he rose to take his leave. He bowed
punctiliously to each of the ladies, but when he came to Miss Matthews, he gave
her a look that, even to Kim's inexperienced eye, was fraught with significance.
Miss Matthews reddened and shook her head slightly. Lord Starnes's face
darkened once again; with a curt nod to Kim, he left.

           
"Such
a handsome young man," Lady Clement said as the door closed behind him.
"What a pity he has not a feather to fly with."

           
"If
someone truly cared for him, his lack of fortune would not weigh with
her," Miss Farrell proclaimed, tossing her head.

           
"Yes,
between the title and that face of his, he may do very well in spite of his
financial situation," Mrs. Matthews said. "Though I understand he has
a penchant for gaming, which may add to his difficulties." She looked at
her daughter and added pointedly, "It is unlikely, however, that he would
express serious interest in any young woman whose means are but modest. He cannot
afford it."

           
"Oh,
Mrs. Matthews, you cannot mean that the way it sounds," Miss Farrell said
earnestly. "Why, you make Lord Starnes out to be the veriest fortune
hunter!"

           
Although
Kim was quite sure that this was exactly what Mrs. Matthews had intended, the
woman disclaimed any such intention, and the talk turned to various social
events once more. Lady Greythorne's upcoming musicale was the focus of much
interest; rumor had it that over a hundred and fifty cards of invitation had
been sent out, and that nearly everyone had accepted.

           
Several
well-known singers had been asked to perform, in addition to an Austrian
harpsichordist, and there were to be refreshments afterward, and a card room
for those who were not musically inclined.

           
Kim found
the conversation alarming. The invitation to Lady Greythorne's musicale had
been delivered two days before, and Lady Wendall had accepted it that morning.
Kim was rather vague as to what a musicale was, and had been picturing
something rather like the opera. From the ladies' discussion, it was clear that
there would be considerably more activity than that. It was also clear from
Miss Farrell's remarks that rumors about Kim and her exact status were already
circulating. The thought of facing over a hundred members of the
ton
was
intimidating enough for a former street thief without adding worries about what
they might have heard.

           
Kim
voiced her concerns to Lady Wendall as soon as they were alone in the carriage
again after leaving Lady Clement's.

           
"All
the more reason for us to make a push to establish you properly," Lady
Wendall said. "In fact, that is one of the reasons I particularly wished
you to join me today. You may be sure that after this morning Lady Clement will
inform all her acquaintance that you are a very prettily behaved young woman,
and her word carries considerable weight. If we can stop in to see Lady
Harris,
and perhaps Lady Jersey as well, we will have done a
good day's work. I do hope Sally Jersey is at home. She is the dearest
creature, and the greatest gossip in
London
."

           
Kim
prepared herself for another boring morning, but the rest of it went much
better than its beginning. Lady Harris was a lively woman with a wide range of
interests; she had clearly heard of Kim's background and equally clearly found
it fascinating. Lady Jersey was even livelier; she talked nearly nonstop for
the entire visit and at the end of it pronounced Kim's conversation to be
thoroughly unexceptionable.

           
They
arrived home to find Mairelon scowling over Marie de Cambriol's battered book.
"Mother, do these ingredients sound familiar to you
? 'A
quart of red wine, three handfuls roses, and the pills out of two
pomegranates.'
The pomegranates are heavily underlined; they must be
important, though I can't see why. I thought at first it might be a variation
on the de Quincy fire spell, but I can't see why anyone would need that much
wine for it."

           
"It's
a receipt for a cough remedy, dear," Lady Wendall said. "It was quite
popular when I was young, on both sides of the Channel."

           
"Cough
remedies." Mairelon closed the book with a snap.

           
"You
mean it's just a book of recipes?" Kim said.

           
"Not
just
recipes. There are portions of spells, incantations, at least two
shopping lists, and several lists of directions which are utterly useless
because they don't mention where one is supposed to begin." Mairelon shook
his head. "I cannot think why anyone would go to such lengths to get hold
of this book. I've been through it twice, and everything in it is either
commonplace or incomprehensible or both."

           
"A
livre
de memoire
isn't supposed to make sense to anyone except the owner,"
Lady Wendall said. "She only copied into it the bits of things she
couldn't remember. That's probably why the pomegranates are underlined."