"Fortunately, not a lot of my work has to do with Plutonic energies, as I'm primarily a maker of trinkets these days, as well as healing potions. I'd be in a lot more trouble if I started making poisons instead." Alex tried to look charming, and it seemed to work on Winterson but no one else.
He supposed it was better than no one at all.
Their plates were removed and wine glasses as well, though they were left with their water. Alex didn't mind his wine vanishing, but Gallowglass seemed a little offended when her mostly-empty glass went away.
"I suppose this is the sort of dinner where we get wine with every course," she said philosophically. "Better than no wine at all, like the tea."
"I was tempted to put some whiskey in mine," said McGuinness, winking at her across the table.
"That would have helped, though our conversation was entertaining enough, I suppose. I got sat with your young Julian,in fact, he's quite the pretty thing." She sipped her water and gave Alex a challenging look.
"He is, I'm a very lucky man," said Alex, shooting Julian a fond look. "He's really blossomed the past few years, both magically and in his confidence."
She huffed. "You two are soppy in love still, aren't you?"
Alex shrugged. "I have no regrets," he said smugly, sending Julian a little wave of possessive love through their bond and getting amusement back, though also love. Always love.
Winterson sighed. "I'd give anything for a man to look at me like that," she said, clearly transported by the romance of it all, eyes bright and cheeks pink.
"A lady such as yourself deserves no less," said Winston-Smythe. Unfortunately, he didn't manage to hit a sincere note, so the compliment fell flat.
Winston-Smythe didn't seem the adoring sort, really.
"I'll hope for that for you, then," said Alex, saluting her with the fresh wine glass that had appeared while they were talking, and taking a sip of this new vintage. For all he had strong opinions about food and more recently tea, Alex was just not that into wine, and thought it tasted, well, fine.
More food was appearing, soup this time, a smooth golden-orange cream soup that reminded Alex of winter vegetables and fall leaves. It was surprisingly hearty and warming when he tasted it, delicious with the curl of crème fraîche atop it, and garnished with a bit of hardy winter parsley. Again it felt likethings that had come from the house and grounds, rather than being sent out for, not so much an economy as an ode to the manor house they were celebrating.
Alex smiled and took another bite.
Conversation swirled on around him for a while, coming back around to hunting and balls and the other social events that he himself took as little part in as physically possible. He ate his soup in smallish bites but every mouthful nonetheless, already starting to feel a small gnaw of hunger from not having his metabolism supported quite well enough.
Well, there were always midnight snacks.
Chapter 9
Julian enjoyed the soup course as best he could, hungry still from tea and not really being filled up by the succession of light courses so far. Hopefully there would be something more substantial down the line, as he could feel the same pangs coming off Alex, as the only other magic user at the party. Well, except for the rumoured illusionist, but they had no idea who that was or where they were eating.
"Did you do a lot of hunting this season?" asked Julian. He was mostly surrounded by strangers, with Dahlia Smythe-Darbyshire, the Lady Herbert, across from him, Adelina Halliwell on his left, and Johanna Applewhite on his right. Grover was across from Applewhite, at least, with Bruce Camellia across from Halliwell, the two singletons paired off in what was hopefully a kind manner.
So far Julian had been unimpressed with Camellia, however, and found Lady Johanna quite kind, if a bit flighty. Lady Herbert was possibly the second-oldest here after her husband, but she had an air of wanting to mentor the younger ladies rather than annihilate them as some older women seemed to. Grover, of course, was shy but made an effort to talk, and Julian did all he could to encourage him.
Camellia was still bragging about some hunt he'd been on at the end of the summer, so Julian sent Grover an amused look andwent back to eating his soup. He didn't like the wine with this course, finding it paired badly with the rich soup, and wondered if there was some other thing that was supposed to go in this course whose ingredients hadn't appeared.
Every vegetable and ingredient in the soup felt like the Chudleigh estate, from the broth to the parsnips, and even the garnishes. He could imagine some deliveries might have been delayed by the storm just as the musicians had been, after all.
"This soup is quite good, don't you think?" said Julian, into the silence left by Camellia's declaration of triumph over nature or whatever.
"It's very warming for such a cold night," agreed Applewhite, looking relieved to have a new subject to touch upon.
"I think all of the ingredients are local, too," said Julian, taking another bite just for the taste of its history.
"How would you know that?" drawled Camellia, supercilious and clearly expecting Julian to have no answer.
"Oh, I can taste it through my magic," said Julian cheerfully. "Everything feels like it belongs here on the estate, and it's all winter garden veg that are in season now, too."
Horace chirruped from where he'd been quietly posing on Julian's shoulder, as if to remind them that Julian was, in fact, a very magical person. Julian chuckled and stroked down his back, finding the metal cool but not cold, kept warm by proximity to Julian's body and magic both.
"You really do all that magic all the time?" asked Lady Herbert, though she sounded at least curious under the judgmental tone.
