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Then he seemed to remember that speaking to me probably meant meeting the royally appointed highborns he seemed set to loathe on sight. He glanced over his shoulder, through the shop window toward his bakery across the street. "I should probably get going,” he said reluctantly to me. “I don't know what I was thinking, leaving the counter like that this time of day. I thought I saw you through the window and I just had to say welcome home."
I nodded in understanding. And in commiseration. Jig always seemed dead-set on finding her brother a lover or mate. It was a strange past-time. And one Gambol often bemoaned. "We'll have to catch up soon. I've just had a lot on my plate." I gave him a meaningful look, and he nodded back. I didn't share all of Larkwood's secrets with anyone. But Gambol knew about the mines. He'd been at the manor the day I got the excited summons from Ruby letting me know they had found mage dust. So, he knew I wasn't just dealing with the usual steward duties, new mates, and a mountain pass.
"I'll see you soon, Kat," he said, reaching out to ruffle my hair like a kid before he rushed out the door and back to his own shop.
The clothier came to the counter a moment later, followed by my mates, who were still smiling slightly and murmuring about whatever they had been laughing at earlier, though I thought Fife’s amusement looked a bit faked. Still, I smiled in reflex at their happiness. It was nice to see them looking anything other than angry.
But of course, Fife saw me looking at them and narrowed his eyes at me. I had thought he was relaxing a little. But now he seemed peeved at me all over again. Perfect.
"I just wanted to get your approval on a couple of items, if you wouldn't mind, Lady Kat," the clothier said with a warm smile. He was an older human who didn't have a drop of magic, but you would never believe that when you saw his creations. He had a keen eye, and he knew how to use the magic and talents of others around him to their best advantage. He slid a hastily scribbled list across the counter for me to read. "The gentlemen have chosen these accessories for their formal attire, but I thought you might have…suggestions."
I glanced at the list of bare-minimum accessories and chuckled. "You're right, I have suggestions." Turning to the men behind me, I arched a brow. "Do you want me to choose your jewelry, or do you want to do that? Honestly, I meant it when I said not to worry about the cost."
Bach, Adder, and Mirri shared a glance. Fife was still staring at me with a slightly displeased look on his beautiful face. When no one spoke up, I turned back to the clothier. "Match the jewelry to the color of their eyes, please. And add some accents that will compliment my new gown."
The clothier grinned. "Just so, my lady. I think…" He studied each of my mates in turn. "Lapis lazuli, blue topaz, green sapphire, and yellow tourmaline. With diamond accents?"
I nodded. "That sounds lovely."
Bach watched the clothier make note of the different gemstones that would match each male's eyes, then gave me a stern look, the tips of his ears turning pink. "That's too extravagant," he insisted. "You should be spending your money on Larkwood, not on your mates."
I smiled at the clothier and concluded our business before I answered. "I'm not stealing from Larkwood's coffers," I informed Bach as we left the shop. "I'm honestly offended that you think I would."
He shook his head. "I didn't mean—"
But I waved his concerns away as I slipped my purchases into a small saddle bag and fed Balefire a sweet in thanks for his patience. "I have my own money, Bach. There's my wages and my inheritance from my parents. Believe me, I'm not so poor I can't afford a few indulgences. But also," I said, giving him a wry look, "the king and queen specifically asked that I outfit you well in thanks for your hard work and integrity both during the tournament and in your new job as co-stewards."
I swung up into my saddle. "Besides," I added. "I just wanted to do something nice for you. Accept the gesture gracefully, my lord."
Bach's bright blue eyes met mine, and he stared at me for a long moment. "It hardly seems warranted," he finally said with a tired sigh. "But thank you."
"Mistvale might be small, but at least the clothier seemed competent," Fife piped up in a haughty tone, directing his words toward Adder, even though they were clearly meant to needle me. "He went with green sapphire, like anyone with eyes in their head would do. I was afraid he'd try to put me in citrine or emeralds."
I snorted. "You have something against emeralds, now?" I asked in disbelief.
One corner of his mouth twitched as he fought to keep from smiling. "Of course not. But they certainly don't match my lovely eyes."
The males all mounted up, and we headed for home.
I was in a pensive mood as we returned to Northbower that evening. A small flicker of hope had begun to grow inside me. A fragile, tentative spark I thought might be able to grow into more. Despite our personal differences, I respected these men. I had chosen them. And I was seeing tiny hints of an opening. Of a softening toward me that said maybe, just maybe, one day we could heal the rift between us.
Things were still uncomfortable. But maybe they didn't have to be that way. And on that note, I slept easier than I had in ages.
Chapter 9
The next few days were busy, but quiet. Ruby came by to visit, and she told me she had sussed out who had leaked the information about the mines. As she suspected, one of the workers had gotten drunk and bragged to someone, and word must have somehow spread acquaintance to acquaintance all the way to the Summerhavens. The man had been taken off the job and reprimanded by the guards. The incident had also been reported to the king and queen, though I doubted they would do much in this instance. It wasn’t like the man was maliciously spreading rumors or selling information for his own gain. He had just gotten a little too loose-lipped. Besides, the leak wasn’t the end of the world. We would be announcing the mage dust find soon anyway.
After that, I spent the days focused mostly on paperwork, accounting, and planning, which gave my mates a chance to settle in and for all of us to find a somewhat comfortable routine. We ate breakfasts together in the smaller private dining room and divvied up tasks for the day before going our separate ways until dinnertime. I had a large office of my own, and I was working on having a couple more rooms converted to offices for my new co-stewards. But in the meantime, they mainly worked from their rooms or took over the library or one of the many seating alcoves around the estate.
I was still trying to get comfortable delegating tasks to them, which was foreign to me and took a lot of practice. It made me feel twitchy, and I had to suppress the urge to constantly look over their shoulders and double check everything they did. I had to trust that they were intelligent, capable men who had been chosen specifically for their ability to be co-stewards. Easier said than done, but not because of any failing on their part. That was solely my own stubborn, independent streak and lonely upbringing talking. Somewhere along the way I had gotten it in my head that I had to do everything alone.
I lifted my arms above my head and stretched, arching back into my chair and rolling my neck and shoulders to relieve the tension from sitting at my desk all day. When I glanced out the window, a glimpse of bright red hair caught my attention. Jasper, trailing after one of the guards. The boy was earnest and determined, and he had followed Bach far away from his home. I wasn't sure what Bach's long-term plans were for his squire now that his position in life had changed. But it would be sorted in time, I supposed. I smiled faintly at the memory of a bawdy joke Jasper had told me during our travels as I turned my attention back to my work.
I was nearly done reviewing the rest of the massive pile of letters and mail that had come in while I was away at the capital. Thank all that was magical and good in the world. I hated boring things like this; I'd much rather be outside working, pitching in around the estate or helping some townsperson or other solve a problem face-to-face. Paperwork and making nice through perfumed letters had never been my idea of a good time. Bach glanced my way, his blue eyes dragging over me for only a moment before he returned to his own work.
I had him set up at a makeshift desk on the other side of the room, where he was reviewing the accounts for the estate. He had been trained in these sorts of things growing up, and was more than capable of the task once he got a feel for my system. He mostly worked in silence, only looking up occasionally to ask where I kept receipts, or who a certain business belonged to and what our relationship to them was. But the silence between us was comfortable as we worked.
Fife also had the necessary training to do the accounting and manage the estate books, but I had a feeling his nature wasn't as suited to it as Bach's. From what I gathered, the cleric and bard was usually less serious, more playful and interested in adventure and mischief—his sullenness toward me wasn't his normal default state. I suspected he would hate sitting still and crunching numbers all day.
