I got to my feet, stowing away everything but the arming items back into their appropriate tubs. The heavy cotton doublets and hose were laid out to be aired overnight, and laundered by an industrial laundry every week.
“I’m Lisa,” the woman said, giving me a saccharine smile. “I’m here because—”
“She’s here to help me with the renovations,” Alden said quickly, at the exact same moment that Lisa finished her sentence with, “—Lady Sybilla needs some help.”
An awkward silence fell. Alden cleared his throat, and said hurriedly, “Yes. Lady Sybilla does need help with... er...”
“She’s writing her memoirs,” Lisa said, showing a lot of her teeth in a smile. Far too many teeth, I thought.“And of course, I’ll be happy to help you inwhateverway you’d like, Alden.”
Alden cleared his throat a second time, and made an abrupt gesture. “Shall we... urm... shall we go to the house? Er... Lisa?”
I alternated between empathy and irritation at his attempt to hide the truth from me. This was clearly the woman he’d been waiting for, the one he wasn’t sure he wanted a relationship with, but if the way she clung to his arm as she all but dragged him off to the castle was anything to go by, she certainly wanted him.
“Well, that was interesting,” a voice said behind me.
“Wasn’t it, though?” My teeth ground slightly. I made an effort to stop, and cast a glance at Fenice, who moved up to stand next to me, watching as the two figures drifted into the house. “I wonder if that accent is as phony as her hair color.”
Fenice laughed. “Oooh, jealous? I thought you said that you and Aldenweren’ta couple?”
“We’re not. We just... we have mutual... uh...”
“Interests?”
“Yeah, that.” I lifted my chin and tried to look like I hadn’t just been daydreaming about stripping Alden and having my way with him. “What he does with redheaded hussies is no business of mine.”
“A hussy, is she?” Fenice laughed again, and then punched me in the arm with her good hand. “I like you, Mercy. So I’m going to give you a piece of advice that I learned from a friend of mine named Pepper. She told me once that a life filled with regret for all the desires left unexplored was a form of early death, and the only way to truly live was to take the opportunities presented.”
“A suitably vague statement that could apply to justabout any situation, but which I gather is intended to encourage me to go after Alden?”
“Only if you really want him.” She gave a little one-shoulder half shrug. “I can only offer Pepper’s advice, since I’ve seen it in action, and I know it has some merit. Ugh. What is that brother of mine doing now? Patrick! You can’t start another class now—people need to eat sometime, you know, and it’s after five!”
“Do you still need me to help disarm?” I called after her.
“No, Patrick can do it,” she answered, storming off to free the students Vandal had herded back into the center of the fighting area.
“Okeydoke.” I started to leave when the man whom Alden had been fighting limped over to me. He was quite tall and very wide, and had a red face that clashed horribly with his ginger hair.
“Do you work here?” he asked, wiping his sweaty face with a towel. “I’m looking for someone who can take a message to Alden Ainslie, the owner.”
“I work for Vandal and Fenice, but I’m staying at the house, so I can take a message if you like.”
“Staying at the house, eh?” He gave me a piercing look. “How’d that happen?”
“It’s something that Vandal and Fenice arranged.”
“Ah.” He glanced around. “They’re just here for the month, yes?”
“Three weeks.” I was starting to get a bit irritated by this man. Although his manner was pleasant enough, I felt that in some way he was giving me the third degree. I slapped a smile on my face to cover up any hostility that might have shown, and asked, “What message is it you wanted to give Alden? A note, or a verbal message?”
“Verbal will do. Remind him that Barry Butcher—that’s me—will be by tomorrow to talk about the terms of selling the tit reserve.”
I gawked at him for a moment, then realized he must be talking about birds. “I didn’t realize Alden was selling land off.”
“It would be best if he’d sell us the whole package of house and land,” Barry said, tossing the towel in a garbage bucket set up for that purpose. “We had a study made, and it was decided the house would make an excellent administrative center for the Hairy Tit Conservancy, as well as house a first-rate interpretive center that would explain to tourists the importance of local birds in the ecosystem.”
“That sounds awesome,” I said, wondering if Alden was considering Barry’s offer. It was a shame if he was—I’d much prefer to see the house restored to its former glory than be converted into offices and a tourist facility.
He shot me another keen-eyed look. “Glad to see a woman with a good head on her shoulders. You be sure to tell Alden I’ll be back tomorrow.”
