A Poison Dark and Drowning (Kingdom on Fire #2)(32)

“Mother will be glad to hear you like it,” Magnus said.

There were quick footsteps on the stairs, and a woman cried, “Julian!”

A lady rushed down to meet us. She looked to be in her early forties and still quite attractive, her figure slim and her soft brown hair in curls. Her eyes were large and blue. I could read some of Magnus in her, the same pointed nose and the strong, squared jaw. Because of that jaw, most men would call her handsome rather than beautiful, but her smile had probably softened many hearts. She was lovely.

She went to her son, and he kissed her hand. “My boy, home again.”

Magnus laughed. “Well, I couldn’t resist Mrs. Whist’s cooking.” He turned her to meet us. “Mrs. Fanny Magnus.”

She knew Blackwood and Dee on sight. She warmly gave Dee her hand and curtsied to Blackwood. “My lord, so good of you to visit,” she said, turning down her eyes respectfully.

It seemed a bit odd that she should have to curtsy to a boy her son’s age, but Blackwood responded with a graceful bow. It wasn’t always easy to read his expressions, but it appeared he truly liked Fanny. That put her in rather an exclusive club.

“And this is Miss Henrietta Howel.” Magnus winked at me.

“Miss Howel. At last.” She was graciousness itself as she took my hand. I could see where Magnus got his ease with people.

Polly trundled down the stairs to meet us again and went to Magnus to pat his cheek, as if he were still some small boy. Blackwood looked stunned, but for my part, I liked it.

“Polly, you’re getting prettier every day,” Magnus said. “I hope my mother doesn’t work you too hard.”

The maid squawked at the very idea and scuttled off.

“You keep a nice home, ma’am,” I said.

Fanny waved a handkerchief. “Polly’s such a dear. I can’t give her what she’s worth, but she won’t leave! Julian sends me what he can from his pay.” She smiled at her son. “Once I tried letting our cook go. I offered to help her find a better position, but she cried so bitterly that I had to let her stay!” She led us into the parlor.

“It was always like this growing up,” Magnus told me. “A houseful of laughing women.”

“It sounds wonderful.” I smiled.

“It was.” He grinned at me.

We sat down, and I could barely keep myself from gobbling everything at once. The cake was a delicate sponge, filled with cream and jam. The tea was piping hot. I’d been so engrossed in the training that I hadn’t even noticed how famished I’d become. I could have eaten twenty slices. Dee went back for third helpings, his ears turning red, but Fanny encouraged him. “Arthur, you know I like to see you boys with healthy appetites,” she said. Apparently, Dee was a regular visitor.

Between Magnus and his mother, it was hard to get a word in, or to stop laughing. Fanny had a theatrical air similar to her son’s. She would widen her extraordinary eyes when she told stories, and the way she mimicked people’s voices was hysterical. There was one tale about losing her bonnet in the park that had me laughing so hard my stomach ached. As the others poured more tea, my eyes lit on a portrait on the back wall, of a striking elderly woman with perfectly set gray hair.

“That’s my grand-mère, Marguerite. Grandfather met her over in France during the Revolution,” Magnus said, offering me sugar. “She was an actress—and a spy.” He seemed particularly proud of that detail. Fanny scoffed.

“Grandmamma was not a spy,” she said, sipping her tea.

He mouthed, Spy, then continued. “She’d no magic whatsoever. When she first arrived in London, she caused quite a stir.” He stared at the portrait with a kind of reverence I’d never seen in him before. “She was the strongest person I’ve ever met.”

“Indeed,” Fanny said with a contented smile. “She was the best mother-in-law one could wish for.” Magnus looked at his mother with fondness.

I’d lived in Agrippa’s great house and in Blackwood’s palatial mansion, but this was a home.

“I wish I’d known my grandparents,” I said.

“Yes,” Fanny said, sympathy in her eyes. “The war has done terrible things to families. Of course, it’s always possible to expand your family. Isn’t it, Julian?” She looked pointedly at her son. For the first time, Magnus didn’t seem to know what to say. Blackwood immediately changed the topic to the weather.

Afterward, Magnus, Blackwood, and I stepped into the garden for some air. Dee stayed inside, enjoying the music Fanny played at the pianoforte. The melody followed us into the yard. It was a small, walled-in stretch of grass, but there were also flowering shrubs, and a white-barked tree with a stone bench beneath it stood at the edge of the property. Blackwood moved toward the other side of the garden, looking over my sheet of instructions. I sat on the bench while Magnus made his way around the tree, trailing his fingers along the bark.

“How’s Maria settling in?” He poked his head around to look at me. “Has she threatened Blackwood with an ax yet?”

“Don’t be too hopeful. She’s been helping Rook with his…control.”

Magnus nodded. “So he’s doing well, then?”

“Yes.” I hated to lie, but it wasn’t exactly a lie. Just stretching the truth. I pretended there was a difference.