“Why is it you have our newest addition in your arms, Harry?” Cam asked.
Harry is blessed with ability to settle children. He can tell if they are hurting and what any ailment is.
“Her little belly is sore, so I’m settling her.”
“Hello, Lizzie.” Cam dipped Merry, who was still in his arms, and put his face close to the infant. “Make sure you explode your bowels all over Uncle Harry.”
“Too late. She did that over her daddy before.” Harry looked smug.
These people were vastly different from the preconceived notions he’d had of noblemen. They did not marry those of their sphere, instead marrying those of Raven blood. Ash searched for Dorrie and found her running, skirts in her hands, being chased by a pack of shrieking children. Somer was with them.
“Radcliff is the reason you went to see Mr. Spriggot, isn’t it, Ash?” Gus asked him in front of the others.
“Gus—”
“He tried to set fire to his ship,” Max said before Ash could finish his sentence.
“What?” Gus looked from Max to Ash.
“I believe you said, ‘unlike some of the other members of my family, I can keep a secret,’” Ash said.
“Oh, he can,” Cam said. “But he realizes this is not a battle you can fight with Baron alone, and he is your cousin, therefore feels the need to inform us as to what is going on.”
“Perhaps a meeting is needed?” Harry said, rocking from side to side. Elizabeth’s eyes were now closed, and she was slumbering peacefully. “We can discuss how to deal with this Radcliff, and Ash can tell us everything.”
“No,” Ash said.
“Agreed. We’ll meet in James’s study. It’s big enough for all of us.” Warwick ignored him. “We can do that before we leave for the circus.”
“Tell the others,” Max said, walking off with Harry, Warwick, and Cam. Leaving Ash with his brother.
“‘No’ is not a word they understand,” Gus said. “I tried to use it often when I first met them. Simple things like, ‘no, I don’t want to be a magician in your charity ball, James.’”
“You still do that?”
“I am a huge success with the children.”
Ash smiled. Gus had always loved magic.
“I’m really angry with you for leaving Crunston Cliff without a word, Ash.”
“It thought it for the best.”
“I understand when first we met things between us were not comfortable, but did I not at least deserve a goodbye?”
It wasn’t often he felt shame, and yet that was exactly the emotion he was currently experiencing.
“I am trying to protect you.”
“Well stop. I—we can look after ourselves.” Gus glared at him.
“I heard you were a professor,” Ash said, deciding to change the subject.
“Yes. Maths is my subject,” Gus snapped, still clearly annoyed.
“I’m sorry,” Ash said. “I don’t usually have to consider others.”
Gus grunted something, but he seemed to relax. “I also dabble in unexplained myths and legends, which as you can imagine did not go down well with these people.”
