“Just Lydia voicing her concerns about the treatment of her daughters.” Seville abandoned me for a candy jar nestled on a shelf. She selected a ruby-colored morsel and popped it into her mouth. “I took care of it.”
“I see.” Orin’s gaze never left mine. “Seville, will you give us a minute?”
“Sure thing.” She snagged another candy before heading for the exit. “I’m expected at the Waterstones’, anyway.”
“Please see me when you return.”
She offered a flippant wave over her shoulder as she disappeared. Orin set aside his pen and braided his fingers together. “Did Lydia harm you?”
“She’s an absolute nightmare, but no.” I sighed. “I’m fine.”
The tension left his shoulders, and he offered a dry smile as he gestured to the empty armchair across from his desk. “My aunt is difficult, to say the least.”
“I’m not sure that’s saying enough,” I muttered.
At that, he laughed. “No, you’re right. She’s downright abhorrent, but I try not to push her too hard. When my parents passed,she expected to inherit the estate. Instead, it fell to me, and it’s been a bit tumultuous navigating that relationship ever since.”
Sinking into the armchair, I clasped my hands in my lap. “How did they die?”
“It’s...” He swallowed thickly, his eyes downcast. “I still have trouble discussing it.”
I could relate all too well. A ghost pain flickered through my chest, and I instinctively reached for the pocket of my trousers hoping to find my mother’s leather scrap. Of course, I came up empty, and the ache in my heart deepened. “I understand.”
“My father was brilliant, though. A truly intelligent businessman.” He reached for a miniature golden hourglass near his pens and turned it over. Fine sand began to trickle into the empty base. “Always stressed the value of time and the importance of words. He fell in love with my mother the moment he saw her.”
The sprawling lineage chart bled to life in my mind. “Was he human? Or from a different Ever family?”
“He was an Ever, though his family had little magic. Mavis thought he was only after my mother for our power.” His eyes darkened as he glowered at nothing, but after a breath he brushed it off with a slight wave of his hand. “Anyway, my mother’s grasp on our familial magic was stronger than Lydia’s, so she became head of house until she passed. Lydia assumed she would take over, but because my parents were heartbonds, my father still possessed all my mother’s abilities.”
I watched the sand fall as I marveled over his words. “Ever magic is fascinating.”
He grinned. “Glad you think so. But enough about me. I’ll speak with Lydia. I’d already told her not to seek you out, and she clearly went against my word.” Orin leaned back in his chair and cupped the back of his head with his hands.
“Don’t worry about it,” I said. “She was just concerned for her daughters. They’re being punished?”
“Amalyss and Tasia have never respected my authority.” He blew out a sigh. “But Lydia makes it sound far worse than it is. They are being confined to a room with fewer luxuries than their quarters, but they’re not in a cell or anything.”
“Pity,” I said.
Orin’s lips jerked up in the corners.
I’m interested to hear what other quips might slip from that tongue of yours.A warm blush crawled over my cheeks as his words from market filled my mind. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was just my quick wit or my tongue he was curious about. As if hearing my thoughts, his gaze dipped to my lips.
“That aside,” he murmured as he came around the desk to lean against the corner. One of his legs brushed against mine as he adjusted. “I am curious to know how your research is going.”
“I’ve made a few notes for different methods I’d like to try when the time comes, but...” My mind rewound to my aunt’s journal. Did he know about the missing page? What if it was nothing? A torn sheet used for note-taking much like I’d been doing for the past few days. I doubted he—or anyone else for that matter—had taken anything from the journals. They wanted me to succeed just as much as I did.
“The journals are informative,” I said finally. “But I was hoping for more details about their work with Mavis’s blight specifically.”
“Not all of them had the chance. A few had been threadmending before they joined us, so their lifespans were already shortened.” He’d spoken softly, and his smile turned tired. Sad. “And the one or two who did... Well, I didn’t make documenting their experience mandatory. In hindsight, I should have made it part of our agreement to aid future threadmenders in their efforts.”
Despite myself, I hated the way he looked so defeated, as if he’d failed somehow in the face of this strange illness. Ultimately, I was glad he hadn’t forced the threadmenders to relive what was likely the last few moments of their lives. So instead of fixating onsomething we couldn’t change, I offered him a teasing smile. “Going to make an amendment to our terms of employment?”
“No.” The hint of a grin tugged at his lips. “I have faith there will be no need for future threadmenders after your work with us.”
I was suddenly too aware of the heady beat of my heart. Of the hushed tone of his words, of the closeness of his body. He reached out with one finger and lightly grazed my hair. It was only a whisper of a touch, and yet my body thrummed with electricity. I couldn’t help but study the planes of his face and the depths of his eyes.
I steadied myself with two breaths before continuing. “Your faith in me is unwavering.”
