Chemistry of Magic: Unexpected Magic Book Five (Unexpected Magic #5)(81)
“And your cousin Peter is not wealthy or established enough to be influential,” Emilia added.
“I had a long talk with Peter before he left. His case is unusual and not one he wishes bandied about,” Dare said with a warning in his voice. “If I can swear you to secrecy?” At nods from all his listeners, he continued, “Peter and his wife married when they were very young, to save Susan from her father’s abuse. Men terrify her. She lives comfortably with a female companion in the small house Peter’s family left to him. She has no interest in marital relations. She and Peter are friends, and she has encouraged him to make his family elsewhere.”
“Your poor cousin,” Emilia said in horror.
“Poor Susan,” Bridey added. “We must beg introductions. She will need friends.”
Dare looked on them with pride and relief. “Good, because my next task is to make the railroad profitable, and I will need to do so through connections in Harrogate.”
Bridey narrowed her eyes. “We will not stop the school so you can make peace with bigots.”
Dare shook his head, and Emilia regarded him with love, trusting that his inventive mind had already sought solutions that would not leave her behind.
“While the school and railroad are being built, we will begin building relationships with the town. I will make Peter my man of business and establish him as a man of consequence.”
“And his. . . his children and their mother?” Emilia asked.
“They will have to continue to live in anonymity, unfortunately. But he assures me they will be delighted to move near Harrogate if I’m so evil as to continue living,” Dare said with a smile. “He’s really not a complete termite, and he has the kind of character that deals well with small minds. As a matter of fact, Arthur Crenshaw has agreed that I might rent his estate for Peter’s use. It seems he and his son have had a falling out, and if I’m willing to find some other use for Frederick—somewhere in the Antipodes was his suggestion—he will be delighted. Your gardener is quite an entertaining man.”
“Now I am fascinated,” Erran said. “You are almost Machiavellian in your manipulation. What do you intend to do with that bitter, gout-ridden old goat who wants to charge you with murder?”
Dare shrugged. “I’ve had him brought up on charges of theft. He is currently sitting in gaol, awaiting arraignment, so Mr. Arthur is free to return to his own home if he so chooses. I’ve ordered the locks changed so his son can’t usurp it again. I have left it up to Arthur to decide how he wants his son punished. He is considering sending him to a sister in Scotland if I drop the charges and can’t find a place for him on the other side of the planet.”
The men laughed and pounded him on the back. Dare didn’t cough once.
“You are employing your formidable mind for the good of all and not for profit,” Emilia crowed in delight.
Dare hugged her. “As you will soon employ your gift for others. We will be a national treasure.”
The laughter and cheering aroused the marquess’s curiosity. While the others hastened to tell Ashford the story, Dare took Emilia’s hand and led her from the room.
“Tonight, we will explore the chemistry of magic,” he murmured, leading her down the corridor.
“That should take a lifetime and more,” Emilia agreed happily.
The ancient walls of Wystan hummed agreement.
No Perfect Magic
Unexpected Magic Book Six
Copyright ?2017 Patricia Rice
First Publication Book View Cafe, 2017
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No Perfect Magic EXCERPT
Late September 1831, Castle Yates, Yorkshire
* * *
“You are the dawn’s golden light, the moon’s silver glow, the light of my life, Lady Aurelia. Will you please do me the great honor of accepting my hand in marriage?” the handsome, elegantly attired gentleman beseeched the lady beneath the rose arbor.
“Well damn.” Deciding the tableau beyond the hedge shouldn’t be interrupted, if only for the entertainment value, William Ives-Madden halted the mastiff he was training. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t seen this play before, but one never knew how the farce would end.
He admired the gentleman’s way with words. In the eyes of every man over the age of six, Lady Aurelia was all he said and more. Her hair shimmered in the palest shades of corn silk. Her thick-lashed blue eyes matched the summer skies, and her dainty, feminine form made a man swell with protectiveness and desire.
Unfortunately, as the wealthy daughter of a duke, she had more suitors than dogs had fleas. She’d had so many proposals, she would probably disdain a prince if one offered. Proposing to her had become a sport wagered on in taverns in the same way hunters wagered on the number of quail they’d bring down.
Will pitied the foolish chap on his knees, soaking his best trousers. As usual, the lady didn’t even deign to look at him but tilted her head to admire a bird flitting from the trees.
The only real question was what the deuce she was doing out here without one of her family or servants with her. For good reason, the duke wisely shielded her from just this sort of in-opportunity.