Judith (Queen's Birds of Prey 3)

“It is. I guess I thought they might prove to just be unlucky people. However, it’s very noticeable, they’re crooks. My work here is finished. I’m going to mark it as arson and put the suspects in the family here where it asks me.” He shook his head. “The things people think they can get away with makes me sad at times.”

The photographer showed up about twenty minutes after Mr. Patterson left. The man said what he’d found here today was going to be taken up in court. Jude was only glad someone else had noticed what she’d thought all along. The people that lived here had taken a huge chance in setting this fire. Should one of the police or fire personnel have been hurt, it would have been prison time, she was positive of it.

After inviting Piper to dinner with her, the two of them decided to just eat some burgers instead of fighting the holiday crowd to get into a sit down type of restaurant. Even the place they picked was busier than she thought it would have been on a Thursday night.

It was getting cold now. A bit before Christmas, she had hoped it would be just a little warmer for the children who were going to be at the castle for the holiday. Jude asked Piper if she knew how much they’d donated to the party.

“No. I know Mercy said it was a great deal, but her great deal and mine are vastly different, I’ve come to figure out.” Jude laughed. “Having one of you guys put the price on my work is the only reason I’m making any kind of money. I would tell someone where all the flaws were, as well as not charge them nearly enough as I could get for each of the pieces.”

“I’ve noticed that about you. Two weeks ago, when you had me come out to the studio, you told me you were thinking of only five hundred bucks for the Indian at Rest piece. I had an idea that you hadn’t put enough zeros on it. It sold immediately, if I remember. Piper, I find it hard to believe you undervalue your work so much.” Piper told her she thought a lot of artists did the same thing. “I guess. As you said, you’d be pointing out all the flaws in something you’ve made. All I see when I look at your work—and I would imagine anyone looking at it would see the same—is perfection.”

Their food was brought to them, and they both dug into their burgers and fries. When Jude thought of all the calories she was shoving in her face, all she could be thankful for in that moment was the fact that she’d not gain an ounce from it. Laughing to herself, she thought she might have a brownie sundae while she was at it.

“I was thinking about this party thing. Why do you suppose Mercy thought it was a good idea for us all to go?” Jude asked Piper what she meant as she pushed her empty plate away. “I don’t know. Didn’t she seem kind of pushy about us all going to this? I was going to go anyway—anything to help out kids during the holidays. However, I got the feeling if I said I wasn’t going to go, she’d have a fit about it. It’s probably just me. I’ve been feeling slightly overwhelmed by a lot of shit lately.”

“No. I didn’t notice. But then, I won’t argue with her. If I didn’t want to go, I’d simply not say anything to her and just stay home. I’d get bitched at later about it, but I’d get to stay home. Why are you overwhelmed? To be honest, Piper, so am I. I think it’s about getting a house. We’re the only two looking for one. Everyone else has this mansion of a place, while we’re still in apartments.” Piper told her that might well be it. “Are you still looking for a place closer to your studio?”

“No. I’ve decided when I do find myself a home, I’m going to build a studio there. I’m really getting sick of going all over the place to work, then eat or whatever I need to do on the way home or to the grocery.” Jude laughed with her. “I’m telling you right now, if I ever find my mate, I’m not going to be all sappy around him. Mercy looks at Bryson the same way people look at cute puppies. It’s gross.”

They were still sitting there an hour later, just catching up on things. It wasn’t as if all of them didn’t see each other several times a day, but Jude was enjoying the one on one conversation between just the two of them. She thought she might like to do this more often. Find one of the others just to hang out.

~*~

Duncan walked around the house three times to make sure everything was where it was supposed to be. No food was on the tables yet, of course, but they were ready for it. The trees had been up for the last week and a half, and he couldn’t help but marvel at how festive they made the rooms look. Picking one of the gifts off the tree, he smiled when he saw how it had been wrapped—or not wrapped, in this instance.

Someone in the house had taken the time to make each of the cash gifts, twenty-five dollars, into origami ornaments. It was both clever and cute at the same time. He would have to remember to thank everyone for the extra effort being put forward for this celebration.

“Your lordship, there is a phone call for you. It’s the balloon company again.” Duncan didn’t laugh out loud, but he had to work hard at not doing it. “They have called here several times now. Do you think they do not understand English?”

“I’m sure they do. But last night, I decided to take them up on the offer of having twice the number of balloons on site. I’m sure he’s just making sure.” Nodding, Alexander walked away. Duncan made his way to the phone.

After dealing with the man about the balloons, Duncan walked around the rest of the rooms on the main floor. It was going to be quite fun, he thought. Pausing in front of the portrait of his mom, he told her how much he loved her and wished she was there too. It was the woman he was going to meet that had him so nervous, and he told her that.

Duncan spoke to his mom daily. Even with all the brouhaha going on, he still made time to sit and have a conversation with her. It was a comfort for him to talk to her, even though he thought the rest of the household thought him off his rocker. Today, this time, was no different. He smiled up at her when he took his usual seat to talk.

“Judith will be here in a couple of days. I’m as nervous as I’ve ever been in my life. To think, so long ago, you knew who was going to be my other half.” Alexander, his butler, friend, and someone he depended on a great deal sat him down a cup of tea, as well as some scones fresh from the oven. Taking one, Duncan looked up at his mom. “I’ve been able to locate the ring. I don’t know if you remember or not, but I had mislaid it. I didn’t lose it so much as I didn’t have it in the first place. I remembered, of course, after I found it. I had sent it to be cleaned several days beforehand. I’m so glad they sent it to me, or I don’t know how much more I would have had to look through the things you left for me.”

He thought about the gifts he’d gotten for the birds. “I’ve put them in the kind of wrapping paper I knew you’d get a kick out of. I’ve also made sure that Miley gets the other crown, as you asked me to do. Every day you have had me do one chore or another, and I feel so much closer to you than ever before.”

When he’d located his mother’s book, he’d not had much time to look it over. When they’d first moved to New Town, Duncan read it from cover to cover. Sometimes he’d read some passages over and over. Not that he wanted to read any words she’d put to paper for him back then, but he’d been grief stricken by her death. However, now she had a daily chore for him to do with the Christmas party she’d told him to have. Today he was to rest. He was no better at that then she’d been, he thought with a grin.

“When she gets here—well, perhaps not exactly when she arrives—I’m going to ask her to marry me.” He had rethought that several times over the last days. “Or I’ll have her propose to me. I don’t know yet. However, I do know that she is going to make the perfect queen for us. She’s the most beautiful creature ever made. With the exception of you, Mom.”

Duncan didn’t think he was off his noodle in talking to his mom daily. He had a good head on his shoulders, and he’d been highly educated, having gone to several colleges in his lifetime. Duncan thought himself easy to get along with as well. But he was sure of one thing. Every thought, every word he’d been practici

ng to say to Judith, would go out the door when he laid eyes on her close up.

“I’m going to be worse than a small school boy, all tongue-tied and everything. I swear to you, Mom, I’m going to make a total fool of myself, you just watch and see.” He laughed at himself. “I’ve seen other men with their loves. I would love to say that I’m not going to be so sappy around her, but I have a feeling it’s a male thing, and I’ll be so much more sappy than any other of my genre.”

After telling her everything he’d done since their last talk, Duncan made his way outside. Out here was where most of the decorations were being put up. Standing back out of the way of the workers, Duncan thought it looked just like he’d envisioned it, like a castle made of fun and sweets.

The children, twelve of them in total, not counting the men and women that were there to help, would be arriving on the morning of Christmas. He had thought to have them spend the night in the castle, but it wasn’t to be. The red tape he had to go through to simply have a party for them had nearly taken all his time. The gifts also had to be approved by the home the children were going back to.

“Your lordship?” He turned and looked at Billy. The young man, William Sheets, had been with him since he’d had the renovations started on the castle and the keep surrounding it. “I’ve been looking around, and I don’t think there is a single thing out of place. Mayhap you need me to do something else?”

“No. You have the plans, correct?” He showed him that he had them. “Good. You just keep things like it says in the book there and we’ll have the best decorated castle in the world. Don’t you think?”

Billy grinned at him, then walked away. He had been born with a disability, but it hadn’t stopped him from being a great person. Every time he saw Billy’s mother, when she’d come to get her son or just to drop him off, Duncan would tell her what a wonderful job she’d done in raising him. He was not just a joy to be around, he took his work seriously.