“I would like to have you observe Silas today,” Roger said, grinning at him.“And then Wyn and I want to see you work with raw materials.”
Conrad stared at him.“I forgot about that discovery of yours.But I’m game to try.”
“Excellent.After that, Wyn and I would like to see you work with another fae, the way he and I did last year.You’re the only human, other than my family, who has expressed interest in that experiment.It seems a shame not to take advantage of the opportunity, since we have so many fae in the house.”
“I would be delighted.”
“That should keep you both busy for a couple of weeks,” Torquil observed.
Conrad tried to hide his thrill at the casual remark.He was being permitted to stay that long?“I’m looking forward to it,” he managed.
Torquil winked at him and went on, “And then, of course, Roger will want to put you through your paces on the rubric, if he hasn’t already?—”
“I haven’t.”
“So by the time we all return to London in the autumn, you should be up to speed.”
Conrad’s eyes widened.“Do you mean?—”
“We have to get my father’s approval still,” Roger chimed in.“But from everything I’ve observed, I can’t imagine he’ll decline your application.I’m hoping to introduce you to him myself.”
“Thank you,” Conrad said, feeling as if he might burst.“Do tell me whatever you need me to do to clear up any doubts you might have.”
Roger smiled.“No doubts at all.Although since I’ve been selfishly keeping you locked up and working in the study, we haven’t given you much opportunity to interact with the rest of the group.Not that I have any concerns about you getting along with others or anything.But I do want to make sure you have a chance to socialize with the fae in residence, in particular, and those who are not on the Council in order to get a good sense of what we can do for them.”
“That sounds reasonable,” Conrad said.
“Although if Roger continues with his plans,” Torquil put in, “you may have to find time to socialize on your own.”They chuckled.“I’m not sure you’ll get much opportunity to otherwise.”
“Well,” Emrys said, drawing out the word, “I can think of one fae he’s getting to knowverywell.”
“And if you can get along with him, you can get along with anybody,” Keelan added.
Conrad shrugged good-humoredly.“I’m not sure I understand everyone’s impressions of the gentleman.From everything I’ve seen of Mr.Ravenwing, he’s really quite?—”
“Sweet?”Emrys offered with a smirk.
“Kind?”Keelan added.
Conrad looked around at the expectant faces and chuckled.“Decent.”
Torquil’s amused expression turned thoughtful.“I’ve always suspected as much, but…I daresay if anyone can verify that, it’s you.”
“Agreed,” Roger said.“I’m glad I invited him, after all.I think it’s going to turn out to be very nice to have him here.”
“Whydidyou invite him?”Emrys asked.
Roger blushed.“I have my reasons,” he said, lifting his chin.
Emrys snorted.“If I wasn’t certain that you were keeping my brother very busy, I’d think you were offering Sage up on a silver platter.”
Roger’s blush deepened.“Nothing of the sort.And besides—” He broke off and sighed.“That’s all in the past anyway.I think we would do well to move forward.”
Torquil nodded their approval at this, although Emrys looked dubious.Conrad didn’t inquire into the details—for one thing, he agreed with Roger that some things were best left in the past, and for another, he was well accustomed to such vague references to past events by now.The group had a lot of shared history and it would take him ages to untangle it all.While he liked everyone there, his priority was not to root out old gossip.So he took a sip of tea and joined in when Keelan politely pivoted the topic back to how they ought to spend the time of another rainy day.
