Cassia studied the pebbles on the walkway. Shouldn’t she return his feelings? He was good, honest, and had done so much for their family. And Lieutenant Malum and Alyria had shattered all hopes she’d had of Darkwood pursuing her.
Caliazo cleared his throat. “You can’t fool me now, Cassia. I can tell you do not love me.”
Her breath stopped. What had he said?
He continued. “I know now that you are a mirror. A few times when I employed my magic, to help others fall in love, some of it mirrored off of you, and I felt feelings for you that I now know were mistaken from my end.” He paused. How did he know her gift? Before she could ask him more questions, he continued. “There is someone out there for me, but I release you from any sense of obligation you’ve felt toward me.”
Cassia tried to curtail the involuntary smile that tried to bloom on her face.
“I am so sorry,” she said slowly, and meant it. She met his eyes. “Is it because you know of my sister’s situation?”
He offered a genuine smile. “No. Alyria’s choices have nothing to do with my feelings, nor do I suspect, yours. Understanding hearts is my gift, remember? I am confident I know mine now, and though yours is hard to detect, I know your feelings aren’t for me.”
Cassia found herself releasing a long sigh. “You are right, though I can’t thank you enough for your friendship, nor your service to my family and myself.”
“You are welcome. And so we part now as good friends.” He bowed toward her.
Cassia curtsied and watched as he turned and climbed inside the waiting carriage that had deposited their group earlier.
As the dust rose from the carriage wheels, Cassia relaxed into the doorway of Longbourn. Alyria’s dastardly plight had been settled, and Caliazo’s affections too. Life would return to normal. Except that the one person who knew of such ruin was High Mage Darkwood. Without a doubt, he would never speak to her again, and her heart ached more than ever at such a horrible fact.
* * *
Gaius lay in bed that night thinking over the fallout of the past few days. He tapped the pocket watch he’d vowed to never again let leave his person. He had done what was right. Even his father would think him generous, he hoped, for not killing Malum right then and instead turning him over to the authorities. He’d paid for Alyria’s schooling too. That school, in fact, had been funded by himself a year ago when he learned of Athelia’s near ruin. Too many young girls lived in compromised circumstances and needed more care, and under the direction of his old governess, he had made such a place for them.
But then he’d told Caliazo to deliver the news to Longbourn. Surely Cassia had expressly bid Caliazo to help and had feelings for him. He had tried not to speak of her to Caliazo, only letting it slip once that he suspected her gift as being a mirror. Other than that he tried to stick to the business of Alyria and Malum.
Gaius could not deny Caliazo happiness, even if it was with the young woman he couldn’t keep from his mind.
He blew out his candle and adjusted his pillow. Perhaps he was fascinated with her magic abilities; that must be his draw. But the longer Caliazo was gone, the more Gaius wished it had been him to deliver the news, and it had nothing to do with her powers. Why had he let his cousin go? Why hadn’t he made his feelings known?
He remembered his first time in the forest with Cassia months ago. He hadn’t known of her power then, but he had been just as captivated by her. The conversation they had, the way she looked at him, the way she loved Ember as he did. The first time he asked for her hand, power hadn’t mattered. He loved her—and he had let her go.
A loss so much greater than his stolen pocket watch.
* * *
A few quiet days passed and Cassia wondered if she should tell all of her feelings to Gynelle. What would it help, though, for her sister had lost Blythesome, and even after seeing so much gold in the mirror at Rosings, nothing had happened. Cassia guessed it would most likely only bring back her sister’s own feelings of emptiness.
How had Darkwood offered for her hand once and she had denied it so callously? To know that he wished, once upon a time, for her gnawed at her very soul. In a thousand individual painful moments she wished again what she had said could be undone. But it was no use, he would never love her now. Not for all the dragons or power in the world.
Cassia determined it was best to carry the burden alone. Perhaps, in time, it would hurt less.
Later that night, Cassia awoke to the sound of Gynelle’s voice.
“Someone is at the door,” Gynelle managed groggily as she peered over her bed.
“Can you see who it is?” Cassia moaned. Their bedroom afforded a perfect second story view of the front door and it made absolutely no sense that someone would call at such an hour.
“I demand an audience with Miss Cassia at once,” came the shrill voice from down below. A few more pounding thumps rattled through the knocker.
“What in heavens…” said Cassia, sitting upright.
Gynelle had run to the window and was squinting as she pulled at her hair. “It’s the Magess…” whispered Gynelle.
Through the window Cassia beheld the old woman’s face, and despite the dark of the night, she could see the woman because the bottom of her blood-colored gown seemed afire, a few sparks emanating from it as she twisted in short agitated steps on the front steps.
“This cannot be a good sign.” Cassia threw her dressing gown over her nightgown and donned her slippers. Her mother came from the downstairs room in a panic, but Cassia shimmied past, hedging her from the door. The cold night air slapped Cassia even more awake. She screwed up her courage and dropped into a curtsey. “To what do I owe the honor your Ladyship?”
