“And the others can add to our numbers,” Wyndham said.“Come along.”
So Conrad soon found himself paired with Wyndham, with Keelan and Emrys on one side, Fern and Cyril on the other, and Harriet and Anthea completing the group.Imogen played the piano as requested, while Torquil and Silas watched.
Conrad might have worried that the lesson would go as poorly as the cards had.But he was not quite as distracted this time, and his friends were determined to see him successful.Also, as Keelan helpfully pointed out, Conrad was accustomed to activity, so learning something physical, like dancing, came rather naturally.He learned the quadrille and the waltz within hours.
Keelan was just about to suggest a third dance when Torquil intervened, looped their arm around Conrad’s, and said, “Give the poor man some time to rest before you teach him another.”
“But the party’s tomorrow!”Keelan protested.
Torquil held up a hand.“Conrad knows enough to impress Sage already.Give him a quarter hour to catch his breath and then you can have him back until dinner.”
“Where are you going?”Emrys asked.
“We’re taking a turn about the garden,” Torquil replied, leading Conrad out of the room.“And no, you’re not invited.I’ll return him shortly.”
Conrad grinned as he allowed Torquil to set the pace out the door and down the garden path.He was taken back immediately to his afternoon of stealing Sage in much the same way.“Thank you.”
“I’ve been on the receiving end of Wyndham’s generosity before,” they said with a smile.“Hours of dancing lessons and I thought I might collapse.You are far hardier than I am, but that doesn’t mean you couldn’t use a rest.”
Conrad drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly.“I appreciate it.It’s certainly exhausting, but I have to admit that I will miss all of this when I leave.”
“Are you planning on leaving soon?”
“Well, I really do need to speak to Roger’s father.So much depends on his decision.”
“He’s coming to the party, remember?You don’t need to go find him.He’s going to be delivered directly to you.”
“But that’s Wyndham’s birthday party.Won’t that be pulling attention from him?”
“I imagine Wyndham would be grateful for that,” they replied.“And besides, you’ll soon learn that Council business tends to leak into personal lives whether we like it or not.Roger, Wyndham, and I were all invited to be on the Council during Roger and Wyndham’s wedding.”
Conrad laughed.“I didn’t know that.”He paused.“You seem to be acting like I’m already part of it.”
Torquil gave a little hum.“You very nearly are.You haven’t met Roger’s father yet, but his son takes after him a great deal.Roger likes you.His father will too.Wyndham, Silas, and I all like you.You have ideas, enthusiasm, and determination.You’ve been living in a house with a mixture of fae, humans, and fae-humans—something that would have been practically unthinkable a few years ago—and you’ve gotten along with all of us.”
“You really think so?”
“I’m not one to give false hope.”
Conrad smiled at them.“I suppose that’s true.I’m still trying not to get carried away with my excitement until I’ve met Councilmember Barnes though.”
“That’s wise,” they replied with a grin.“I can also add, confidentially, that we’ve been having a hard time filling that final position.It’s been difficult finding someone who shares our vision for the future of the Council, who has fresh ideas, but is open to other suggestions.We had applications, but many of them were hoping to replace Williams or Gibbs in terms of their philosophies.A few even suggested we shouldn’t be focused on blending our societies so much.Iris, Williams, and Gibbs stepped down from their positions on the Council over six months ago.We need to have that position filled before we reconvene in the autumn.”
Conrad chuckled.“So what you’re saying is, I’m your last resort.”
“What I’m saying is that your timing is perfect and you are exactly the sort of person we’ve been looking for.We turned down any number of applications in the hopes of finding someone like you.And then you stepped into our lives in a way none of us could have expected.”
Warmth spread through Conrad’s chest.“That’s very nice to hear.”
“I understand why you’re trying to rein in your expectations,” they continued softly, “but I want you to know that when I, or any of the other councilmembers here say that you’re practically part of the Council already, we mean it.”
They walked in silence for a few minutes as Conrad let their words settle.
“What do you plan to do when you leave?”they asked, breaking the quiet.
“Go to London.I’ll need to find a place to stay.And I’ll probably need to find work in order to do that.”
“What sort of work do you have in mind?”
