Once Upon a Maiden Lane (Maiden Lane #12.5)(36)

Then Clio had a terrible thought. What if Triton had never followed her into the sea? She looked up through the waves and saw that the sun had begun to set. Clio swam as fast as she could back to the coast, as the light leached from the sky far above.

When at last she came to the coast, she saw Triton upon the sand. But something was terribly wrong. He lay collapsed, and he still had land legs.

“Triton!” she called. “Triton, come to the sea!”

For a moment she feared he might be dead. But then he lifted his head and looked in her direction. Gone was his coral complexion. Instead his face was gray and lined. His hair had gone gray as well. As she watched, he levered himself up on shaking arms and began crawling toward the water where she waited.

Clio couldn’t understand. Triton was the most powerful being in the seas, stronger than sharks and giant octopuses. What could have struck him down so low that he couldn’t even walk?

She called again, but Triton didn’t answer. He stared at her with his sea-green eyes and doggedly kept crawling toward her until at last he came to the waves. Even then, when the seawater lapped about his chest and land legs, he didn’t regain his fish tail.

Clio swam to him and cradled his head in her hands. “Triton! What has happened?”

But he didn’t speak. He simply looked at her…and rolled his eyes.

She began crying because the last bit of color was draining from his face. She lowered her head and kissed him, the salt from her tears mingling with the salt of the sea between their lips.

And as she kissed him, Triton took a great shuddering breath. Suddenly his land legs transformed back into his lovely fish tail, and the coral color came back into his face.

Clio looked at him in wonder. “What has happened?”

“It’s simple,” Triton said gruffly. “I made the same bargain with the Sea Wizard as you save for one difference: you had to kiss me by the end of the seventh day or I would die.”

Clio looked at him thoughtfully. “That is a perfectly silly bargain. What if I’d stayed with the prince?”

Triton shrugged. “I would have died, I suppose.”

She rolled her eyes. “I am glad you did not, for I’ve discovered that I love you.”

“In that case, I think you should marry me and come on grand adventures with me,” said Triton. “For I’ve loved you all along.”

So she did, and they lived quite happily ever after under the waves.

—From The Curious Mermaid



Three months later…

Mary had expected a small wedding. After all, she and Henry had been the scandal of the London season. She’d been certain that anyone with any sort of standing at all would stay well away so as not to become tainted with their disgrace.

As it turned out, she couldn’t have been more wrong.

“It’s a crush,” Jo said with satisfaction as she came into the little room at the Home for Unfortunate Infants and Foundling Children where Mary was preparing for her vows. Jo was now Lady Joanna Seymour, but she still wanted Mary to call her Jo. “Some of the guests have had to stand, there’s so little room.”

“Really?” Mary wasn’t exactly thrilled to hear this. “Who has come?”

“Well,” Joanna said as she sat, and began reciting with relish. “There’s my mother, my grand-mère, Mr. and Mrs. Makepeace.” She paused for thought. “I think there are two Mr. and Mrs. Makepeaces—confusing, that. Oh, the Duke of Montgomery and the Duke of Kyle and their wives—the Duke of Montgomery is standing with his darling little daughter on his shoulders and taunting any gentleman who comes near him. He’s quite awful, isn’t he? But so handsome!”

Jo drew a deep breath and continued before Mary could give her opinion of the duke. “Mr. and Mrs. St. John and all their children—I counted four, and I may’ve missed one. Of course Lady Hero and Lord Griffin and their offspring along with Lady Phoebe and Captain Trevillion—he’s quite dashing, isn’t he? The Earl of Paxton and his countess and the Earl of Ashridge and his wife—didn’t she used to be the famous breeches actress?” Jo shook her head, moving on. “All of the orphanage children, of course, and the elder Lady Caire. Henry’s mother and sisters are here, as well as that odd cousin of his—Richard Somebody?” Jo beamed at Mary. “And I don’t think that’s everyone, really. The main room is crowded.”

“Goodness,” Mary murmured. “Whyever did they all come?”

“Because they love you,” Lady Caire said.

Mary turned to her and saw that the older woman was smiling, somewhat misty eyed. “Really?”

“Yes, Mary Whitsun,” Lady Caire replied. “They’ve known you nearly all your life. Most of the women met you through the Ladies’ Syndicate. They watched you grow up at the home, and they know you from my house. You’re integral to the home. To all of us.”

“It’s true,” Nell Jones said. She was the home’s head servant and had insisted on coming to help Mary dress for her wedding.

It was Mary’s turn to have tears fill her eyes.

“Now, now, you mustn’t weep,” Lady Caire chided, though she was having the same problem. “You don’t want Lord Blackwell to see you with red eyes on your wedding day.”