He tossed the letter on the settee and sauntered over. “I was injured through my own folly, Angelique. You share no part of theblame.”
Angelique stifled the desire to roll her eyes at the blatantlie.
“Which is why,” he continued, “I’m not going to tell the Council aboutit.”
Angelique gawked at him. “You’rewhat?”
“If I did tell them, it would reflect poorly on my teaching skills. They might decide Iamtoo young to have an apprentice after all and dissolve our oaths.” Evariste batted his thick eyelashes and held a hand to his heart. “And you wouldn’t wantthat, wouldyou?”
If he hadn’t been born a magic prodigy, he could have become a roaring good conman.Angelique held her sarcasm in check and managed to produce a brittle smile. “Is it really wise to keep information from the Conclave? Ought they not be informed of thetroll?”
“Oh, I will tell them all about the troll,” Evariste promised. “I’ll just leave out how we slayedit.”
Angelique pursed herlips.
Evariste sighed. “Angel,” he said, shortening her name as he had during the troll attack. “You need to agree with me on this.Please.”
“Yes, Master Evariste,” Angelique saidimmediately.
His smile was back. “I knew I could count on you.” Another wink, and he was sauntering off to a different part of the house—the kitchen, guessing by the way he bypassed thestaircase.
Angelique watched him go with a frown.I’m not certain it is wise to leave out information in a report, but he is myinstructor.
She heaved a sigh, then headed up the stairs.Now, it is time to practice. Because I need to be better at cutting off my magic by the time the representative comes, or my apprenticeship might get dissolvedanyway.
Chapter 12
One month later,Angelique stood in the front salon, wearing a new dress she was desperately trying not to brush with her sweatypalms.
I cannot get this dirty. Master Evariste bought it specifically for thisoccasion!
“My apprentice, how lovely you look!” Enchanter Evariste exclaimed as he swept into the room, a baby unicorn trailing behind him. “And I’m not just saying that because we match,” he added with agrin.
Evariste had proposed that to illustrate their “solidarity” and close relationship, they wear matchingclothes.
So, Angelique was dressed in a white gown with wide, drooping sleeves. The edges of the gown were splashed with blue silk stitched to look like waves, and pins topped with blue lapis lazuli hearts kept her dark, wayward hairback.
Evariste, however, was the opposite. His coat was blue with splashes of white drenching the arms and edges, and he sported a lapis lazuliearring.
“Breathe, Angel,” he instructed. “You’ll sail through this little formality withease.”
Angelique nodded, barely registering the use of her nickname. (Evariste had taken to it since their journey to Alabaster Forest and used it more often than her full name these days.) She wouldn’t have even given it a second thought if she had not been thinking of therepresentative.
Wait, we ought to be on our best manners. Or at leastIought to be. But still.Angelique plumped a gold tasseled cushion on an armchair. “You won’t call me Angel in front of the representative, yes?” sheasked.
Evariste blinked. “Why wouldn’tI?”
Because the representative might die of a burst heart!Angelique cleared her throat. “Some might find itinappropriate.”
He made a noise of dissatisfaction. “It is a cute shortening of my cute apprentice’s name. If the representative is displeased by it, it is likely because they are jealoustheydon’t have such aname.”
Angelique stared at her teacher.He can’t really be such a conman and still be this oblivious…can he? It must be anact.
There was a firm knock on thedoor.
“That must be they!” Evariste meandered to the door—the unicorn filly trottingbehind.
Angelique remained where she was, checking to make sure she held only the barest flickers of magic at her disposal and had dammed up therest.
