Julian smiled at her, ignoring Camellia's stink face. "Oh, yes, I can't help it. It's just part of my nature to sense all the time with my magic. It's been quite the change since I started learning to pay attention, but I wouldn't give it up for the world."
"How charming," said Lady Herbert, and Julian got a sudden image of her as a doting dowager, just waiting to age into the role, and liked her the more for it.
"Horace is the real charmer," said Julian. "Did you want to see him? He loves meeting new people."
Horace chirped again and hopped along Julian's shoulder to show off his eagerness to, well, show off.
"Oh, I'd love to!" she said, looking younger as the bird fluttered over to land on her upheld hand. She looked him over while he posed for her, and then smiled when he trilled a little snatch of song. "You're right," she said, launching him gently back to Julian, "he is a charmer."
"Alex used him to court me, and it was very effective," said Julian, letting the bird alight on his hand before offering him to the eager-eyed Lady Johanna. "Would you like to hold him?"
"Oh, no, I'll just look from here," she said, clearly wanting to. "He's so beautiful, where did your husband get him?"
"Alex made him years ago," said Julian. "He's got so much personality, it's a real marvel."
He turned to offer the bird to Halliwell, but she was busy conversing with the man on her other side, so he returned Horace to his shoulder instead and went back to his soup, feeling even more ravenous after the pause. "We tend to use a lot of local produce in our food, too, from the main St. Albans house, and also the Benedict estates."
"You mean your servants do," drawled Camellia again, as if determined to be unlikeable.
"Oh, no, they have brownies," said Grover with a delighted, if shy, smile. "I got to see them once, they're wondrous little beings that take good care of their humans."
"You and Whitby will have to come by for another visit and tell them so," said Julian, feeling fond. He and Grover had never had any chemistry, but they'd gotten along, and he was happy to see Grover with Whitby. "They love pretending not to like it."
Halliwell turned back at that and asked, "Who does, your cats?"
"No, our brownies," said Julian. "They like to pretend they don't drink in the praise like whiskey, but they do love it."
"Brownies? As in the little fae?" she said, pert nose wrinkling. "I thought you weren't supposed to acknowledge them or something."
"That's for non-magical households," said Julian. "We made a bargain with ours outright, rather than having them try to sneak around our wards."
"You still can't thank them, I seem to recall," said Grover.
"We cannot, and we're well-trained by now." Julian kept eating spoonfuls between volleys, and hoped that he could stop being the centre of attention any minute now so he could finish before they stole his bowl.
"Unlike real servants, who must be thanked or else their service deteriorates," said Camellia. "Tedious but one must maintain morale, you're well shut of it."
Julian felt his jaw clench. "Do you run an estate, then?" he asked, knowing full well that Camellia was barely gentry at all, really, and a third son at that.
"Hardly," he said with a sniff. "I have important business to do."
Lady Dahlia seemed as done with him as Julian was, and started a conversation with Applewhite and Halliwell about flowers that lasted into the next course, giving Julian time to get his face fed. The salad wasn't particularly substantial, but he noticed that his serving was bigger and heartier than the others, which explained why he'd spotted Alex whispering at one of the servers. He sent a burst of gratitude as he stuffed himself with candied walnuts and sliced pears, fresh greens and a simple vinaigrette.
The wine this time was a nice, crisp white that went well with the food, and seemed to be from somewhere in France, which he found impressive. The world outside felt so dead and white, it was nice to have these little bursts of life. Julian did contribute a little to the flower talk, given his own penchant for plants, but he mostly let it go while Camellia bothered the woman next to him, Sabrina Periwig.
Grover, too, participated happily in this. Apparently he learned a lot about the symbolism of flowers not just for his own interestbut as part of Whitby's pottery collecting, since one did not want to end up with a teacup indicating disdain and use it for the wrong guest.
Salads were removed, Julian's devoured to the last leaf, and then there was a fish course of whitefish in wine sauce, on a bed of cooked bitter greens in lemon and garlic. Julian didn't have any more fish than anyone else, but his greens were generously piled, also from the estate, and deliciously filling. He sent another burst of gratitude to Alex, finally feeling like he might not faint before the end of the meal.
"Did any of you ever take magic?" asked Julian, expecting negative answers all around but still curious.
"You know I'm quite mundane," said Grover with a smile that spoke of good memories of the courtship.
"Women of my standing are rarely even tested, let alone educated in magic," said Lady Dahlia.
"Yes, I didn't learn about my own talent until Alex helped me figure it out," said Julian sympathetically.
"I have not," said Camellia, trying and failing to catch Periwig's attention again. He paid little attention to Halliwell, his ostensible conversation partner, which made Julian feel bad for her.
