Page 9 of By Mistake

Outside, he rolled his shoulders and stretched out his neck before heaving another sigh and, despite the millions of tasks still before him, headed down the street to Andrus's home.

Looping around to the back as always, he knocked briskly on the kitchen door.

As the minutes ticked by, he knocked a second and then a third time, then sighed and turned away in disappointment.

Hopefully it was only that Andrus was not at home, and not that he was ignoring Oresti.

He'd just reached the overgrown grass when he heard the door open, and turned back just as Andrus called out, "Oresti!"

"I'm sorry if I woke you or interrupted something," Oresti said as he returned happily to the doorway. Andrus did look particularly disheveled, as though he'd been in the middle of something that had rumpled his clothes.

His thoughts tried to wander places they had no business going, and he shoved them back on track only with great effort. It was not his right to think such thoughts about Andrus, no matter how lovely he was and how absolutely beautiful he would look spread out—

No, bad, bad, bad. Stop it.

"You didn't interrupt me," Andrus said with one of his soft, shy smiles as he opened the door for Oresti to come inside.

"I was just down in the basement, uh, tidying up.

Didn't hear you knocking at first. What brings you to see me so early in the day?

I would have thought you'd be busy. Heard rumors at market this morning that a maid in the Pinry household had been killed. "

"No rumor, just simple truth, and I think I know who did it."

"Was it Tillory, because that wouldn't surprise me at all."

Oresti's gaze sharpened, and he pulled out his notebook and pen again. "Why do you say that?"

Andrus's eyes widened briefly, but then settled as he said, "Every single household staff on this street knows he's awful.

Before he knew I was a lord, he grabbed my ass at market once.

I'm pretty sure he did it again a few weeks after that, when he knew I was nobility, but he was off in the crowd when I turned to look.

Every woman and 'feminine' man on this street has been harassed by him at some point.

Complaints fall on deaf ears, unfortunately; his employers like him too much to care what he does to his underlings and other peasants. "

"I see. Can you suggest some other people I could talk to, to further corroborate this behavior? The more records I have, the stronger the case I have to arrest him on." Andrus rattled off several names as he went about making them tea, and Oresti quickly jotted them down.

Sitting down at the worktable in the middle of the kitchen, Oresti thanked him for the tea and then said, "I'm surprised you're not yelling at me. Greivs said you were livid."

"I am livid, but you can't take back the money you spent on my taxes. I wish you'd stop helping me, though. I have no desire to be anyone's little pity project or charitable deed."

Taking a chance, Oresti reached across the distance between them and took Andrus's hand in his own as he'd done on previous occasions, quietly thrilling when Andrus didn't fight it, and in fact gripped his hand in return, if only lightly.

"I do not help you out of pity or to pat myself on the back for being so charitable.

I help you simply because I like you and want to help, and it is well-ingrained in me to do good where I can.

Those that can help should help, and those of us with too much money can help far more than most. You don't deserve all that you've endured, and if I can relieve even a few of your burdens, I will do so happily.

As I swore to you before, I expect nothing in return.

If you ceased to talk to me this very moment and threw me out, I still would not be sorry that I helped you. "

"You're too kind," Andrus said, staring hard at their hands, looking remarkably sad.

Oresti squeezed his hand, then reached out to slowly tilt his chin up, withdrawing his touch when Andrus held his gaze.

"Not really. If there was not such a divide in power between us, and you were not already being harassed by someone, I would court you in a moment.

But I'll not leave you feeling forced into anything.

So I help." He withdrew the box from his pocket.

"Here, I saw this while out and about this morning and thought of you.

" He squeezed Andrus's hand one last time, fighting the urge to kiss the back of it, and departed while Andrus was still sputtering.

Back outside, he headed off to tackle the next item on his never-ending list, which was the tedious but simple job of reporting to various people on the status of their cases. By the time he was done going all over the damned city for that, he was utterly exhausted.

He'd just started heading back across town to headquarters when a sweating, red-faced patrolman who barely looked old enough to do the job came running up. "Investigator! This was delivered for you at headquarters, and the captain said I was to find you immediately. You don't make that easy, sir."

Oresti laughed. "Believe me, I wish it were otherwise.

Thank you for being so diligent." He sent the man off with orders to stop for food and drink before returning to duty, and broke the nondescript seal on the folded letter, the wax a color always used by Alina when she wanted to contact him but not risk everyone he worked with learning his real identity.

I have the information you want. See me before dinner if possible, otherwise before bed.

Tucking the note away, Oresti pulled out his watch.

If he grabbed a coach, he should arrive in plenty of time, as dinner was nearly an hour away yet.

Well, the start of dinner, which involved milling about in the grand parlor for at least an hour, enjoying drinks and music and gossip, a warmup for the real talking that would take place during and after dinner.

As ever, he was grateful his job was solving mysteries.

Going to one of the busy intersections, he flagged down a coach and gave them the palace for direction, then slumped in his seat, grateful to have a few minutes to rest his tired legs.

Though his job entailed quite a bit of walking, he didn't normally do this much.

Hopefully he'd be able to enjoy a good, long soak before bed, though there was never any telling when he would be called out to solve one problem or another.

Back home, he didn't bother to get washed and dressed properly before heading straight for his sister's room. Alina looked at him in amusement when he strode in. "Took you long enough."

"I think I walked the entire city twice today," Oresti replied. "I can barely feel my legs at this point."

"Poor baby." Alina motioned to one of her servants, and the man immediately slipped away, likely to bring something for him to eat.

She thanked the woman who'd just finished braiding and winding her hair, finished the drink she was holding, then leaned back in her low-backed seat and said, "Lord Grell Farthing, Earl of Hashne, bane of pretty much everyone around him, even those who endure him for reasons of greed and ambition.

To be perfectly honest, I never paid him much mind.

His social abilities are sufficient, but nothing to remark on.

He's wealthy but only middling by the standards of the court, and he prefers to skulk about the edge of the board rather than play the game properly like the rest of us. Not worth my attention."

"But…"

"But it's well-known, apparently, that's he's obsessed with magic.

I mean obsessed . The man spends that fortune of his expanding his collection of tomes, talismans, relics, whatever else have you.

According to my little spies, the last three or so years he's been especially set on books of summoning. "

"Summoning? He doesn't have anywhere near the skills for that.

" Summoning was one of the most difficult and dangerous magics out there.

Pretty much anything was easier than summoning even the most basic being, like a brownie.

Someone like Farthing? Was probably more interested in summoning higher beings, like demons and elementals.

Oresti could count on one hand the number of people competent and powerful enough to summon a demon, and he wasn't one of them, never mind someone like Farthing.

Even amongst those summoners, none could safely summon more than a class three demon, and that would be pushing it.

The greatest summoner in the kingdom, possibly the continent, had been…

"Oh," Oresti breathed. "Oh, no." The greatest summoner the kingdom had ever known was Lord Sendrus Bothwell. Andrus's great grandfather. "Fuck."

"Indeed," Alina replied. "I don't like it one bit."

"No, no, it's quite unlikeable." Farthing was trying to get that house to pry out any old family secrets it might have.

In the aftermath of the murder and summary execution, the house had been torn apart to remove anything even slightly to do with magic.

But no one had ever been able to find the significant stuff, the books and tools of the trade that the Bothwell family had acquired over several generations, a collection worthy of the royal archive.

They'd all but taken the house down to its foundation and found nothing.

Clearly Farthing wanted to have a go himself, or knew something the rest of them didn't. "He absolutely cannot get to that house."

Alina smirked, which sent a prickle of alarm down his spine. "Yes, I agree. Good thing somebody is so smitten with poor little Lord Bothwell that he paid off the taxes, those in arrears and for the next ten years."

"I just want to help him," Oresti said, face going hot. "He's been beaten and neglected and isolated his entire life. Who wouldn't want to help him?"

"Apparently everyone but you." Alina's eyes glittered in that way he'd learned to fear at the ripe old age of five. "He'll be receiving an invitation to the ball at the end of the month. Make certain you'll be there."

As if he'd leave Andrus to swim in those shark-infested waters all alone. "Why would you do that to him?"

Alina pushed to her feet, crossing her arms over her chest, that dangerous glitter still lingering in her vivid green eyes.

"Oresti, you are thirty-one, nearly thirty-two, and in all those years, I have never seen you show interest in a single person.

People ask me daily how they could draw your attention and court you.

Father has received truly obscene offers of marriage.

You have no idea how badly people want you.

Want you to even look at them. The number of broken hearts that trail behind you is truly concerning, and you've never noticed a single one of them.

Now along comes this poor, broken little waif without a sel to his name and you're falling over yourself to do every little thing for him.

Of course I'm making him come to the palace.

You're lucky I merely sent an invitation to a party, and didn't have him formally summoned. "

"You are the worst ," Oresti said. "You're going to scare him off, and he's barely tolerating me as is."

"So you finally admit you're smitten?"

"Yes, fine!" Oresti threw up his hands. "He's sweet and charming and beautiful. He also doesn't know I'm Prince Oresti, because then he absolutely would want nothing to do with me, or worse, feel even more obligated to endure me."

Alina sighed. "Oh, Oresti. You know that kind of secret keeping never ends well. You'll have to tell him the truth and push onward in that stubborn way of yours. Better he learns from you than finds out in the worst way when he comes to the ball."

"I hate you," Oresti muttered, and stormed out of the room, ignoring when she bellowed for him to get his ass back here .

In his own room, he slammed the door before going to slump in his favorite chair, which overlooked the inner courtyard of the palace, currently filled with people chatting, servants bustling to and fro, nobles up to some political game or another.

Damn it, why did Alina have to interfere? Andrus was going to hate him. He was already uncomfortable with Oresti as it was, and now…

Now he'd probably hate Oresti even more than he hated Farthing.

For lying. For being the reason Alina was forcing him to attend court with little warning and preparation.

Had he already received the invitation? Was he currently making himself sick stressing about it?

He wouldn't have the right clothes, the jewelry, the shoes…

He was probably sitting in his room crying, or pacing the kitchen…

Oresti couldn't abide it. This was exactly why he hadn't shared his true identity.

Well, one of the reasons. He hadn't wanted Andrus to get dragged into this mess because of him, but of course, Alina had seen too much like always and made one of the ruthless moves she was so well known for.

It made her a fantastic crown princess, but a damned annoying big sister.

Fuck. He scrubbed at his face. He needed to go see Andrus.

First, though, he needed to wash up, put on clothes other than his uniform.

Ringing for his staff, he sent Greivs off to tell his father he wouldn't be around tonight due to an emergency in the city.

After that, he got washed and dressed, lingering entirely too long over what to wear.

When he'd finally settled, ignoring Greivs' smirking, he headed out, fetching his horse from the stables and riding off.

Please, please let him be able to fix this.