“But they didn’t.”
“But they could have.”
“I’m going to die!”Beetleson howled.
“Is he?” Amelia asked worriedly, but no one noticed. Elodie and Gabriel were staring at each other for longer than they had in all nine years of their acquaintance. Elodie’s cheeks glowed with hectic color, and Gabriel breathed more than was advisable for the maintenance of a sober reputation. Several people in the crowd whispered to one another that any moment now someone was going to get either slapped or kissed.
Thankfully, Motthers stepped forward in the nick of time, mustache quaking.
“Professor Tarrant,” he squeaked. “And, er, Professor Tarrant. Sorry. The train is here.”
—
Elodie looked awayfrom Gabriel, releasing a breath she’d not only been holding but had tied up and gagged too. There was no point trying to compel her nerves into tranquility; she might as well attempt meditation in a hurricane. Gabriel was so damnedvexing, the most arrogant man she’deverknown!
(He’d alsoembracedher, risking himself toprotecther! And his sister clearly knew that Elodie was his wife, which suggested thathe’d mentioned her to his family!)
Oh yes, and there had been an explosion.
Preoccupied with these italics, Elodie only vaguely noted that the other travelers on the platform had begun bustling toward the train. Motthers was removing pages from his clipboard and handing them to her; she folded them absentmindedly and handed them back. Amelia, turning slowly on a heel to inspect the lingering blue tinge in the atmosphere, murmured something about “thaumaturgic residue,” but Elodieonly dimly registered the words. He’dmentionedher.To his family!
“What a mess,” Gabriel grumbled.
Elodie managed to focus then, supposing he was about to continue their argument. Her stomach clenched. But in fact his gaze was on Beetleson, who remained hunched among the dowsing rod’s remnants, trying frantically to brush away the glimmering cloud of magic that now engulfed his entire head.
“I want a full report of this episode on my desk, Monday morning,” Gabriel told the young man, his voice like a dormant volcano: quiet, calm, but with the potential to erupt with terrifying effect at any moment. “Accompanied by an essay on Newton’s first law of motion.”
“Aghhhh,”Beetleson replied.
“Motthers, help the poor boy get to the infirmary,” Elodie said without thinking—thendidthink, and winced at the realization she’d just consigned herself to going on the assignment alone with Gabriel. But it was too late; Motthers had already dropped his clipboard and shrugged off his emergency response kit with such an eager haste Elodie would have been offended had the train’s conductor calling, “All aboard!” not distracted her.
“Should I try to follow after you tomorrow?” he asked, making it sound like he was proposing a trek up Mt. Everest.
Elodie frowned as the question reverberated through her tangled nerves. “I don’t know,” she murmured, and turned to discuss the situation with Gabriel—only to find he’d picked up his suitcase in one hand, his ER kit in the other, and was striding for the train.
Just like that.
Elodie glared after him. Beside her, Amelia gave a heavysigh that sounded a lot like Elodie’s heart felt. “He’s so uptight,” the woman said. “I can’t remember the last time he relaxed, let alone laughed.”
“I saw him smile once,” Elodie said, then immediately shut down her memory of the moment before it triggered a catastrophic tsunami of emotions. She looked around for her suitcase, which was in fact sitting by her feet, along with Motthers’s ER kit. Motthers himself had already gone to help Beetleson, apparently thinking that, if he didn’t get an answer from Elodie, that was as good as a no. Her brain felt too askew to manage the decision, so she just hauled the kit onto her back, lifted the suitcase, and tucked one side of her hair behind her ear in lieu of a proper coiffure. Then she nodded to Amelia.
“Sorry to dash, but it really was nice meeting you.”
“And you,” Amelia replied, then glanced at Beetleson. “Is the student going to be all right?”
“Oh, he’ll be fine once the magic dissipates,” Elodie said. Then she leaned closer to add furtively, “Besides, this fright will teach the lad not to be so careless about basic safety rules when it comes to thaumaturgic tools.”
Amelia blinked for one startled moment, then laughed. “I’m off to Hereford,” she said, “but when I get back, perhaps we might have tea? It’s no concern if you’d rather not.”
“I would like that indeed…” Elodie said, but her voice trailed off as she noticed Gabriel across the platform. He’d paused in boarding the first class carriage and was frowning at her, no doubt wondering if she intended to catch the train. For a moment, she considered again not doing so. Spending several days in the countryside with her husband might be a secret wish of her heart, but it was also one that only the most devious of fairy godmothers would make come true.
And yet, although she often failed at being dignified, she was in every other respect professional. Whatever her personal issues with Gabriel, she was going to do her work, and do it well, like a grown-up. So there!
“Well, good luck,” Amelia said. And watching her brother as he entered the train, she added, “I’ve a feeling you’ll need it.”
“Oh?”
“It’s going to be a disaster zone.”
