A Lady and Her Magic (Faerie 1)

Soft footsteps from outside the door reached her ears, just before the door handle began to turn slowly. Sophia dashed behind a lamp as quickly as she could, as the gift faerie dove beneath the skirts of one of Lady Anne’s dolls. Sophia rolled her eyes. Of course, he would choose there.

Sophia peeked out from behind the lamp and watched as the duke himself slipped into the room. He wore his shirtsleeves, and his throat was bare. A very light sprinkling of dark hair dusted his chest. His hair was messy, like he’d run his hands through it over and over. Shadows darkened the skin beneath his eyes. He looked tired. And that tugged at Sophia’s heart a little.

Ashley sat down very gently on the edge of the bed and sneaked his fingers beneath the pillow. He retrieved Anne’s tooth from beneath her feather pillow and dropped it into his pocket, as he pulled out a length of pink silk. He wound the ribbon around his finger and held it for a moment, sliding the pad of his thumb across the silky surface. Then he tucked it beneath Anne’s pillow and kissed her gently on the forehead. The little girl didn’t even move. He left as quietly as he’d arrived.

“You owe me for that,” the gift faerie groused.

“You should have been quicker,” Sophia tossed back. True, if Sophia hadn’t interrupted him, he’d probably have had that tooth and would have been long since gone.

“And you wonder why we dislike you so,” the other faerie muttered.

She’d never wondered any such thing. She knew exactly why they didn’t like one another. They had very different goals and lived by different covenants. Gift faeries weren’t bound by the same Unpardonable Errors; theirs were not nearly as stringent, nor were the consequences as harsh if one erred.

“You hate us because we’re beautiful,” she said instead. “That’s the tooth, the whole tooth, and nothing but the tooth. Admit it.”

“You mission faeries should be swimming with the fish,” he grumbled as he moved toward the cracked

window. Only the really, really bad faeries were turned into fish to live out their days.

Sophia cast one long look toward Lady Anne. She wanted to stay and see if she could learn anything about the little girl by looking through her personal belongings. But that might have to wait until the next day, because the girl’s nurse could already be heard moving about the adjoining chamber.

Sophia flitted back to the window and slipped beneath it. She really needed to lay off the sweets so she could fit more easily in small spaces. The webbed clothing could only do so much.

The gift faerie shot her a dirty look. “See you around,” he said as he put his wings in motion.

“Not if I see you first,” Sophia called back.

Sophia made her way back to her own window, surprised to find Margaret wide awake and waiting for her. Margaret helped her out of her webbed dress and into her nightrail. Then she turned down the bed and moved toward the door to go to the servants’ quarters.

“Will you wake me bright and early? I’d like to get an early start and wander about a while tomorrow before anyone else wakes.”

Margaret huffed. “Certainly, miss. You can keep me up until all hours of the night and then expect me to rise from my warm bed to wake you at the crack of dawn. Certainly. Not a problem.”

“Margaret,” Sophia sighed.

Margaret held up a hand to stop her. “I know, I know. Your mission rests upon it.” She moved toward the door. “I believe you’d tell me your mission rested upon it if you wanted a cup of chocolate, too, for what it’s worth.”

“Good night, Margaret,” Sophia said to her retreating back. The house faerie was still muttering as she went out the door.

Sophia slid beneath the counterpane and had just laid her head upon her pillow when she heard the sound. She bolted upright. What was that noise?

Seven

Ashley cleaned up the mess he’d made with the cards and then waited for Simmons, his valet, who would arrive to make certain the duke didn’t need anything before retiring. The man was as predictable as the clock striking the hour. Ashley rubbed at his eyes. Sleep was often elusive for him, and he felt remorseful for keeping his servants up so late to take care of his needs. But, try as he might, the ones who had been with him the longest seemed to take great pride in being available despite his odd schedule.

Just as he’d expected, there was a scratch at the door. “Enter,” he called absently.

His valet of twelve years entered the room and nodded politely. “I trust you had a good evening, Your Grace.”

He’d had worse. “I suppose,” Ashley said as he rose and moved toward the wardrobe.

“Allow me, Your Grace,” Andrew said as he stepped in Ashley’s path and reached for his night robe.

“Go to bed, Simmons,” Ashley growled as he stumbled over a footstool. Simmons stuck one foot out and slid the stool out of the duke’s path with a hard shove. “Thank you,” Ashley muttered.

“Would you care for a tonic, Your Grace?” He said it with such dignity. What he should have said was, “Would you care for a drink that might make you feel a little better when you wake up, despite the fact that you’re foxed out of your skull?”

“That special concoction you make will do nicely in the morning,” Ashley muttered as he tugged his shirt from his waistband. He’d discarded his neckcloth and waistcoat hours before. But Simmons knew Ashley slept naked. So, he simply laid the duke’s robe across the bed and bustled about the room, tidying up behind him. Ashley could take care of his own clothing when he was ready for bed. He fully believed that a man, unless he was a complete fop, could disrobe on his own. Such a simple task.