Magic's Muse, page 26
“She and Christian have been talking for some time. They’re trying to arrange for Wynne to come here for a few days. He told Christian that he wanted to see us get married, and therefore Christian is determined to make sure that happens.” Cathal retrieved Tomas’s now empty coffee cup and began to lead them downstairs. “It is also important that he spends some time with his son….” He hesitated, not wanting to put the thought into words.
“Wynne is an old man, Cat, and in poor health. I’m not sure how much longer he has left.” From what Mikey had said on the way home the day before, Tomas wouldn’t be surprised if Wynne had been hanging onto life by a thread, determined to wait for Cathal and Christian’s return. He was a stubborn one, definitely a part of this family Tomas was marrying into.
“I’ve told them that if there is anything we can do to ensure they get that time together, it will be done.” Cathal turned to Tomas. “I’m sorry if I spoke for both of us, but I was certain that you’d be in agreement.”
“I am, and it’s okay.” Tomas stopped at the bottom of the stairs, listening. “I don’t believe it. That kid is up watching TV already?”
“It is several hours after dawn, love.” Cathal was amused by Tomas’s reaction. “Mikey decided that it was time that Will was introduced to what he called the ‘culture’ of your world. They’re watching something called….” He hunted for the title. “Star Wars?”
Tomas snorted. “Of course they are.” He poked his head around the door of the living room just in time to see two familiar figures dueling with light sabers. “May the force be with you!”
“Hey, Tomas.” Mikey was grinning ear to ear. “Do you want to watch with us? We’re only on A New Hope so there’s lots more to see.”
Will was staring at the screen, totally immersed. He waved a vague hand in Tomas’s direction. He’d want a light saber of his own next. The other hand dipped into a bowl of popcorn. Merlin sat on his lap, purring loudly, apparently taking a break from following Christian around. His change back into human form had done nothing to dissuade the kitten from being his shadow. If anything it seemed to make her more determined to be so.
“I’ll pass.” Tomas hadn’t taken much notice of the entertainment center before. Compared to the rest of the house it was state of the art, with rows of DVDs lining the wall on either side of it. “I’ve already seen them.”
“Well, duh.” Mikey returned his attention to the screen. “You’ve got to watch this next bit, Will. It’s really cool.”
“You’re not interested in seeing the movie again?” Cathal tore himself away from the screen reluctantly. “I had no idea technology was so advanced in your world.”
“It’s not. It’s just make believe and special effects.” Tomas ushered him toward the kitchen. “If you’d like to watch it sometime, we could, though.” He lowered his voice. “Making out in front of a movie is a tradition in my world.”
“From what I gather the idea is to watch the movie, not each other.” Christian looked up from the table. How had he managed to hear that?
“But where’s the fun in that?” Heidi was stirring something on the stove. It smelled good. She turned to grin at them, shaking her head slowly. “The force is not so strong in this one.”
Tomas laughed. The cousins looked at each other, both shrugging at the same time. If it wasn’t so funny, it would have been disturbing. “You have much to learn of this world, grasshopper.”
“That settles it,” Christian declared. “You’re both crazy.” He winked at Cathal. “It is a strange world in which we’ve found ourselves, cousin.”
“No stranger than it was the last time we were both here, cousin.” Cathal helped himself to more coffee.
“Is that a normal form of address in your world?” Heidi was watching both of them. “Cousin, I mean? Would you refer to your brother as ‘brother’ rather than his name?”
“No.” Cathal refilled Tomas’s coffee and placed it in front of him. “It’s just something between us, although my younger brothers have picked up on it too. It started as a joke and—”
Christian interrupted, his tone half joking, half-serious. “We kept doing it because it annoyed Deryn so.” He sobered completely. “She took it as a reminder that she was an outsider, and it only served to fuel her determination for that to change. It was never meant as such.”
THE library, although a different building from the original Cathal remembered, still had a familiarity about it. “Alice,” he murmured when he saw the climbing roses. She’d had a role in this, of that he was certain.
“The roses are the same as those at the inn.” Tomas slipped his hand into Cathal’s and squeezed it. “I knew this library held some answers as soon as I saw them. Did everything go okay at the bank?”
“Yes.” Cathal smiled. “There was much more in the account than I’d anticipated, and they were also more than happy to take care of the dragon for me.” He hadn’t believed the figures at first. There was more than enough to take care of everything for quite some time. “I’ve arranged for regular payments to go into Donovan and Heidi’s account too.” Although Tomas had insisted it wasn’t necessary and he would look after it, Cathal had been equally adamant that he help toward their living expenses. Tomas’s income was not regular, and royalties were fickle and dependent on how many books were sold. There was no need to use his savings, at least not yet, and Cathal hoped his carvings would start to bring in some income soon. He’d already started on a first piece now that Tomas’s flute was finished.
“Okay.” Tomas opened the door to the library and pointed out the tapestry hanging above the old-fashioned writing desk in the entrance. “Love me now, love me never, but if you love me, love me forever,” he said softly, reading the finely stitched words.
“Alice loved that quote, although we never did find out who wrote it.” Cathal peered through the glass frame, recognizing Alice’s work. She’d loved needlework, often sitting by the fire, her needle moving in and out of the fabric to create works such as these. It was another creative outlet for her, like his and Christian’s carvings and Tomas’s writing.
“One of those credited to Anonymous, I expect. That guy was really prolific.” Tomas shrugged. “I need to introduce you to Phoebe and get a library card sorted out for you. She’s a bit of a stickler when it comes to rules and borrowing and all that.”
“Books need to be safeguarded and cared for. It’s understandable that she would be.” Cathal’s eyes widened when they went through the double doors into the main part of the library. He’d never seen so many books in one place before. There were rows and rows of shelves, all neatly filled with books of all shapes and sizes. “Oh my,” he exclaimed. “This is amazing.”
“This is only a small village library, Cat.” Tomas sounded more than a little amused. “In London they have bookshops that sell more books than this.”
“Is that where your books sell?” Where was he going to start? Signs above the shelves proclaimed different genres. Cathal let out a contented sigh. He could move in here and never leave. “How many books can I borrow? Would I be considering greedy if I took more than three?”
“As long as you leave enough books in here for the other patrons to read, there is no limit as to how many you can borrow.” A tall, slim woman was watching him, she too amused by his reaction. He frowned, wondering why he hadn’t felt her presence. Distraction was becoming a serious problem of late, where his ability was concerned. It was something he would need to work on. Unless, as the other part of it―being able to feel the emotions of others―was becoming stronger, it drew its power from this, which in turn would continue to grow weaker? There were checks and balances in all magic, and abilities tended to follow that rule along with everything else.
“Cat, this is Phoebe. She’s the librarian here.” Tomas began his introduction, but Cathal nodded slowly, something familiar niggling at the back of his mind. He’d known a Phoebe once, very briefly, a very long time ago. But she’d been a young child, and this woman was….
Phoebe pushed her glasses back up her nose. “Cat,” she said softly. “I’d heard the whispers of course, but didn’t believe them to be true.” She took the glasses off, polishing them briefly, before putting them back on again. For a moment he glimpsed a memory long gone, a chance encounter on an autumn day years ago, although many more for her than it had been for him.
“Phoebe.” Cathal smiled. There was still the echo of the curious child in her, the little girl who’d overcome her shyness to speak to what she’d thought was the ghost who haunted the old Finlay estate. “How is your grandmother? I hope….” His words trailed off; it was a foolish question. Rachel was of Alice’s era. She would have passed on by now, although she’d still been alive when he and Phoebe had met.
“She died thirty years ago.” Phoebe’s voice softened. “She believed me when I said I’d spoken to you. No one else did. But then, she knew you, didn’t she?”
Cathal nodded. “She and Alice were close. I’m sorry for your loss.” The words seemed inadequate, too often spoken of late.
“You guys know each other?” Tomas glanced between the two, confusion giving way to understanding. “So that explains all the riddles!”
“Excuse me?” Phoebe peered at him over her glasses. “I do not speak in riddles, Mr. Kemp, and never have.” She ignored Tomas’s expression of disbelief. “Just because you don’t know the answer to something doesn’t mean it’s a riddle.”
“Yeah, right.” Tomas snorted. Cathal’s chuckle earned him a rolling of Tomas’s eyes. “You’re not one to talk either. Peas of a pod, the pair of you. It makes sense that you’d know each other.”
“We only met briefly, Tomas, and it was a long time ago.” Cathal looked around to see if there was anyone listening to their conversation, but there wasn’t. “Riddles safeguard the truth and the people connected to that truth, and those who are determined to solve them do so anyway.”
“Like a dog with a bone,” Tomas muttered, repeating something that Christian had said. “So, does that mean the riddles that you don’t speak anyway will stop now?”
The sides of Phoebe’s mouth twitched. “Come now, Mr. Kemp. A lady has to have some secrets, you know.” She turned to Cathal. “The town amuses itself with wagers each year to guess my age. If I hear that you’ve either told someone the answer or won the bet, we’ll need to have words.”
Cathal stared at her. “A gentleman does not reveal a lady’s age!” His mother had instilled that fact into him years ago.
“Not even a hint?” Tomas sounded hopeful; he was definitely amused by Cathal’s response. “That’s a little old-fashioned, don’t you think?”
“There’s nothing wrong with old-fashioned, Mr. Kemp,” Phoebe pointed out somewhat primly.
“Tomas,” he corrected. “So did you guys meet by the tree? I’m beginning to think that one hell of a lot of people in this place knew what had happened and said nothing.”
“They didn’t, love,” Cathal reassured him softly, not missing the edge that had entered Tomas’s voice. “And they wouldn’t. The only people who knew the truth were Alice and Wynne. As far as anyone else was concerned, we’d come from somewhere far away and others might come looking for us. They simply closed ranks to protect their own after we’d helped with the fire.”
“And as the years passed, the stories grew into some of the mythology of the area.” Phoebe cleared her throat. For a moment she was the young girl Cathal had first met. “The old Finlay house had the reputation of being haunted, you see. My grandmother was looking after it while Mr. Edmonds and his new wife were on their honeymoon. When I met Cat I thought he was a ghost. In fact, he faded away right before my eyes.”
“I….” Cathal realized he’d never explained the truth to her, that she might still not know. This wasn’t an easy explanation, and much had happened to both of them during the years since they’d last met. At least she seemed to be accepting his reappearance, although he wasn’t sure whether the fact she seemed unflustered by it was a good thing or not. “I’m not a ghost, and never was.”
He noticed a familiar pile of books on the recently returned shelf. Donovan had been reading one of them the day before. He and Ethan must have been here earlier. Perhaps they’d already spoken with her and mentioned his name.
“Of course you aren’t.” Suddenly Phoebe was all business again. “There’s no need to explain. In fact some things are better not known, aren’t they? Perhaps one day you can come for tea and we can trade stories.”
The door opened, and a couple of elderly ladies entered, one of them leaning heavily on a stick. “Are we too late for the tea and tales group today?” one of them asked. “The sign isn’t out as it usually is.” She peered around anxiously.
“You’re a little early, Mrs. Pethigrew, but no matter.” Phoebe walked out from behind the counter. “Why don’t you take a seat over in your usual spot? Ada is out the back making the tea. We have fresh scones today and some new titles for you to look at when we’re done.” Mrs. Pethigrew smiled at that, the promise of scones smoothing over her agitation. Her friend, who seemed even older than she was, helped her over to a group of chairs arranged in a semicircle by the window. “Tomas, if you and Cat would like to choose some books, I’ll see about getting him a library card.”
Cathal opened his mouth to say thank you, but she was already gone in a flurry of activity. Tomas stared after her. “She’s still a little weird,” he decided.
“I don’t think there is anything weird about her at all.” Cathal begged to differ. A thought occurred to him. “So… if she’s weird, as you put it, what does that make me?” Was the word a compliment? It wasn’t one he had heard used often, and he suspected it wasn’t meant as one.
Tomas grinned. “Ah, yes, but you’re mine so you’re forgiven.” He laughed when Cathal poked out his tongue. “And that would be a sign of your maturity, I take it?” He leaned in and kissed Cathal briefly on the lips. “Let’s go choose some books. I still need to take you out for lunch before we meet Kathleen.”
“And you’re mine so you’re forgiven.” A discreet cough behind them was probably meant to be a reminder they were in a library. Tomas took Cathal’s hand, and they quickly took refuge behind a tall row of books labeled “historical fiction.” “When we get home,” Cathal whispered, “I intend on reminding you exactly how much you are.”
“I’ll hold you to that.” Tomas snuck in another kiss. “And return the sentiment.”
THE long-haired gray cat who had ignored Tomas when he’d arrived in Oakwood was now sitting on Cathal’s lap being fussed over as they sat on the platform awaiting the arrival of Kathleen’s train. Apparently it belonged to the stationmaster and only bothered with a small percentage of the people who passed through. Tomas wasn’t sure whether to be insulted by that revelation or amused.
“I’ve never seen a train up close before, apart from in books and paintings,” Cathal announced suddenly. “Alice said they were noisy, smelly things.” Apparently it was her default description for much of the technology of her time. She probably would have loved Cathal’s world. It was a damn shame she’d never had the chance to see it.
“Most trains are powered by electricity now, even the ones that come through here.” There was so much he took for granted. Being with Cathal reminded him of that in ways he hadn’t considered, but then there had been stuff in Cathal’s world that Tomas had no clue about either.
“Perhaps we could take a ride on one sometime?” Cathal’s expression for a moment was akin to that of a small boy.
Tomas chuckled. “Perhaps. I do need to make a trip to London in a few weeks, and I was hoping you’d come with me.”
“Why wouldn’t I?” Cathal’s hand stilled on the cat’s fur. It glared at Tomas. “I must admit, though, that the size of the city sounds a little overwhelming. We have nothing on that scale in my world.”
“London….” How could he explain it in just a few words? “We’ll take it as it comes and a bit at a time if you need. Fraser and his wife usually put me up for the few days I’m there. Their place is very peaceful, so we’ll have a haven if you need it.” Penelope would fuss over Cathal and make sure of it.
“They won’t mind if I’m with you?” Cathal cocked his head, as though listening to something in the distance. A few moments later church bells began to play the tune “Amazing Grace,” although the loud whistle at the end of the first phrase rather ruined the effect.
“Of course not. In fact I’d never hear the end of it if you weren’t there. They’re both very welcoming.”
The stationmaster poked his head around the open door. “Train’s running early, but not as early as you are. It will be here in a few minutes.”
“Thank you,” said Cathal, before Tomas had the chance to reply. The cat clambered off his lap to sit on the ground a short distance away. It began to wash itself methodically, first one paw, then the other. “Those bells have reminded me that I promised Christian we would lay flowers on Alice’s grave this evening. Did you want to come with us or spend some time with Kathleen?”
“Don’t you guys want some private time together?” It was doubtful the invitation to join them would have come from Christian. Tomas strained his eyes, peering into the distance for the approaching train. While he knew the cousins needed some time together, it didn’t mean he had to like it. His fists clenched. He shoved them in his jacket pockets as soon as he’d realized his reaction.
“It’s your choice, love. Christian said he’d abide by your decision, but….” Cathal walked closer to the edge of the platform, following Tomas’s lead. “I keep hoping that once things settle a little the two of you will get on better. The hostility you feel for each other lingers under the surface, reminiscent of a black tar reaching up to capture anything that tries to break free of it.” He shivered. “It reminds me of the diawl of my world.”
