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Tom was admiring himself in a truly silly Renaissance cap, bright purple complete with a dyed ostrich feather, when Zayan tapped him on the shoulder and asked, “How about this one?” With a flourish, he did the big reveal, pulling the hat out from behind his back. Supple leather with beautiful earth tones and a woven hatband. As he expected, Tom’s eyes lit up.

“This is perfect!” Tom gushed as he slipped it on, and truly, it was. Zayan melted the slightest bit, seeing him so happy as he modeled in front of the mirror with his signature smile. The hat fit Tom’s understated exuberance to a T, functional but laced with a dash of bravado.

“My friend Tom will take this one,” Zayan said, then he slipped a flat gaucho off the rack, inky black and mysterious. “And this one for me.”

CHAPTER 15

Tom stole glances at Zayan as they headed down the street in search of the Cardinal Pub. He suspected they were already late, but it had been so easy to lose track of time with him and his easy charm. And he said they were friends, there in the hat shop, twice. Tom hoped it was true, and judging from the way Zayan had been looking at him all morning, and all the touching, maybe their friendship was heading toward something more. Or maybe it was all wishful thinking. He simply didn’t know.

He loved his new hat without reservation, not in small part because Zayan had chosen it for him. It was comfortable, and he thought it was stylish with its wide brim and beautiful rusty brown leather. He felt powerful in it, like an adventurer or a cowboy, someone who grabbed life by the horns. Maybe it would give him some strength for the rest of his inexplicable life at the castle. Maybe he didn’t need to wait for Zayan to make the first move.

As the sign for the pub came into view—a red bird sporting a pointed miter hat—he surprised himself and casually put a hand on the back of Zayan’s neck, giving him a friendly squeeze.

“Thanks Zayan. I had so much fun this morning, and I love my new hat. You look amazing in yours, like the baddest bad boy. Very sexy.”

An odd look flashed across Zayan’s face, maybe surprise. Tom was never very good at reading people’s faces, hard as he tried, but Zayan immediately smiled his radiant smile and said, “Thanks, big guy. You look rather heroic in yours. I’m glad we found something you like.”

A large deck flanked the pub, and Charlie waved to them, already seated with Beatrice on the far side in the shade of an ancient oak tree.

“Don’t you two look handsome in your new chapeaux?” Beatrice said, smirking. “We were wondering when our dates were going to arrive.”

Tom had never worn a hat before, but he was determined not to be embarrassed about it. Did he need to take it off while they were dining? Zayan was keeping his new black hat on, as were Charlie and Beatrice. Maybe it was okay since it was sunny today and they were outdoors.

“Thanks!” he said. “Zayan picked it out for me and I love it. Doesn’t he look great in his? He’s like Zorro, the outlaw hero sweeping in to save the oppressed.”

“That he does,” Charlie said. “Shall we start with an ale?”

After they had drinks in hand and ordered their lunch, Beatrice asked, “So how are you fellows settling in? I imagine it’s been a busy week.”

“All good,” Tom said, and it was completely true. “Almost all of my laboratory equipment has arrived, and Thierry says the rest will be here soon. It’s been fun putting a brand new lab together! You know, once you get past his stiff attitude, Thierry is a dream come true. He took care of everything I wanted, no questions asked, so I’m up and running. I’m still waiting for the fume hood. That’s going to be essential.”

Beatrice laughed at this and said, “So I’ve been hearing. Is it true what my husband tells me, that you’re working on a scent that evokes a full, well, response?”

“Afraid so. It’s how the Mage tempted me out here, if truth be told. One sniff and full-on over-the-top, um, response. It’s beyond belief. It mystified my entire lab, and I can’t wait to get started on it.”

“Is that going to be your main subject of study?” Beatrice asked. Tom realized that he’d been yammering on, as he often did when the subject turned to science. He didn’t want to bore her with details, but she was clearly warming to the subject, so he soldiered on.

“For now, certainly. I think Bluebeard is keen to find a way to commercialize it. Hoyle tells me the pitcher plants are hard to keep alive and don’t make much of the pheromone, if that’s even what it is, so we’ll need to figure out a synthetic version. If it’s going to be part of a new product line, his company is going to need a lot of it.”

“Remarkable,” Beatrice said. “I imagine it will be popular. How about this for marketing? J’adohhhhre. Or Black Ohhhhpium.”

Charlie said, “Maybe Oil of Ohhhhlay.”

“Too many trademark issues, but you could offer an Ohhhh de toilette,” Zayan suggested.

“Be serious,” Tom scolded, but not too seriously. The whole project was laced with silly sexy improbabilities. “In any case, the Mage made it clear I won’t have a hand in the marketing. I get to focus on the science, and he’ll take care of the rest, which is perfectly fine with me.”

As the server brought out their lunch, Tom noticed two heavyset men in dirty overalls entering the deck. They gave the table a disapproving glare as they took their seats on the other side. Perhaps he and the others were being too raucous, laughing about his saucy subject of study. But probably not, since the entire patio was engaged in boisterous conversation.

“This is delicious,” Beatrice said, taking the first bite of her croque madame. Tom agreed. He’d taken Charlie’s suggestion and ordered the shepherd’s pie, and it was the perfect complement to the pub’s rich ale.

“So, Zayan, what has my husband been having you do?” Beatrice asked this question with breezy informality, but Tom noticed that she waited expectantly for the answer, fork and knife poised over her sandwich.

“I’m just getting started, I’m afraid. I’m working in an alchemy lab, a real alchemy lab, down in the basement. I’m doing simple distillations right now, so I should have some homemade rum in the next day or two. I’ll be looking for taste-testers.”

She gushed, “Alchemy! You’re joking.” Odd. Beatrice didn’t seem like the type to gush about anything.

Zayan answered, “Not at all. Bluebeard has all the classic equipment, and from the look of it, some of it may be original, from back in the day. It’s been a steep learning curve so far, but I’m getting the hang of it.”