Page 7 of Ghost Broker (Mercury Raine #1)

“ M r. Raine, you simply must go to Town for the Season,” Mrs. Huddleston said as they all sat in the drawing room that evening. “With so many ghosts, you would take London by storm.”

Ten of his ghosts were in the room at the moment, something she had breathlessly commented on at least a dozen times at that point. Bringing his ethereal entourage to London would be exhausting, though that wasn’t the reason he refused to do so.

“I suspect the Prince Regent would grow unbearably jealous,” Mercury said with a laughing grin. “For the sake of Royal Harmony, I think I’ll remain at Aventine Manor.”

His usual approach of humor-as-misdirection worked as it always did.

Mrs. Huddleston smiled and playfully waved off his teasing.

Lord Garston chuckled a little. Miss Huddleston’s characteristic show of neutrality gave way to the tiniest hint of a smile.

But Granny Grey, who hovered near the wall, watched him a little too knowingly.

He had to find out what she knew. He had to.

“If the Prince is so easily upset, one can only assume he is hiding something,” Testy Tolver said. “Likely an Invisible attachment. ”

Mercury glanced at Lord Garston. The comment was undeniably judgmental, but accusing anyone of having an Invisible attachment was a shocking thing. To toss such a scandalous accusation at the heir to the throne risked being charged with treason.

“Does Testy Tolver often comment on the royal family?” Lord Garston asked.

“While I haven’t heard him do so before,” Mercury said, “he has not shown himself overly concerned with people’s ranks or influence.”

“And does he regularly accuse someone of…” Lord Garston could hardly say the words. When they did emerge, it was in a whisper. “Invisible attachments?”

“This is the first time I have heard him lob such a thing at anyone.”

“Even if such an accusation were true”—Mrs. Huddleston pushed out a whoosh of air—“to say it out loud is a risky thing. An Invisible attachment is not something to be taken lightly.”

It certainly wasn’t. Having a ghostly attachment that couldn’t be seen rendered a person suspect and untrustworthy. While no person could choose to have an Originary that was invisible, they were still held in contempt for it, and anyone who traded for one was a fool.

Lord Garston sat a little taller. “Society would enjoy the judgmentalness Tolver has just demonstrated, but I might find myself uninvited to more sophisticated gatherings if he insults people of rank.”

“That is a possibility.” Mercury could sense that a decision was an instant away.

“I am decided, then.” Lord Garston rose as if about to address Parliament. “I choose Vernon the Vain.”

Mrs. Huddleston applauded. Miss Huddleston turned her attention to Testy Tolver, her mouth bunched in concern .

“I have not yet encountered a ghost who was offended by not being selected for a swap,” Mercury told her.

That she looked immediately relieved told him he’d guessed correctly what she’d been wondering. And it was to her credit that she’d been concerned for Testy Tolver’s feelings.

“We should celebrate.” Mrs. Huddleston jumped to her feet. “And I know the perfect way to do so: dancing!”

“Dancing?” Signora Bellona was clearly unimpressed by the suggestion.

The Quiet Queen wove her ghostly hands together and rested them on her lap, looking every bit as unamazed as the Signora sounded.

“I do enjoy an evening of dancing,” Lord Garston said. “What an excellent idea.”

“I’ll play the pianoforte so everyone can dance.

” Mrs. Huddleston’s gaze darted from Lord Garston to Miss Huddleston.

Those two, Mercury would wager, constituted “everyone” for the purposes of the scheming mother’s plans.

She would discover soon enough that most of Mercury’s ghosts enjoyed dancing as well.

Mrs. Huddleston suggested a jaunty country dance.

Zizzy joined one of the two lines of dancers, so Mercury stood opposite her.

She would feel less nervous about Lord Garston and Miss Huddleston being part of the dance if he was as well.

Not not nervous, but less , Integral Traits being what they were .

The swirl of the dance really was something spectacular to see when undertaken mostly by ghosts.

It was wispy and gossamer, and he couldn’t blame Lord Garston and Miss Huddleston for watching it a little wide-eyed even as they attempted to continue the dance themselves.

He knew ghosts did participate, to some extent, in the dancing at Society balls, but to be entirely surrounded by them in a much smaller space was awe-inspiring.

He’d experienced it countless times, and he still found himself amazed by the sight.

The steps of the dance brought Zizzy and Miss Huddleston together, circling around each other.

“You are a very elegant dancer, Zizzy,” Miss Huddleston said with every indication of sincerity.

A little more of Zizzy’s distress melted away. Mercury didn’t at all know what to think of Miss Huddleston, but that one moment inched him toward a good opinion of the lady. He smiled and hoped she saw the gratitude underlying it.

The music abruptly ended.

Mrs. Huddleston looked almost frantic. “A quadrille. Lord Garston, I’m certain you know how to dance the quadrille.”

“I do.” Lord Garston dipped a bow.

“My daughter dances the quadrille quite gracefully.” Subtlety was not Mrs. Huddleston’s specialty.

“A four-person quadrille is my particular favorite.” Miss Huddleston wasn’t bothering with subtlety either.

“Signora Bellona,” Mrs. Huddleston said, “you likely dance quite gloriously.”

“I do.” The Signora floated into position.

“Vernon?” Mrs. Huddleston smiled broadly.

He accepted both the invitation and the implied compliment and took his position in the quartet.

With a quick look of relief that she didn’t entirely hide, Mrs. Huddleston sat at the pianoforte once more and trilled the opening notes of a quadrille.

Far from offended, Mercury took a seat on the sofa beside Baby, who was sleeping as he usually did at this time of night—something he’d not seen any of his other ghosts do—and prepared himself to be thoroughly entertained watching the dancers.

Zizzy “sat” on his other side. Granny Grey hovered behind him.

The movements of the dance brought Lord Garston and Miss Huddleston together.

He took her hand as they turned. When the time came to release hands and return to their positions, Lord Garston didn’t let go immediately.

Not even the tiniest bit of pleasure registered on Miss Huddleston’s face, though neither did she look uncomfortable or uneasy.

Lord Garston was playing his hand, but she didn’t seem interested in the cards he held.

“Miss Huddleston said I am an elegant dancer,” Zizzy said quietly. “I think she meant it.”

“You are an excellent dancer. It speaks well of her judgment that she noticed so quickly.”

“Miss Huddleston is kind and thoughtful,” Granny Grey said. “Her mother is overbearing, so not a lot of people get to know her well enough to realize how lovely she is.”

Mercury watched as Signora Bellona flitted through the moves of the dance, ghostly chin tipped at an arrogant angle.

“And her mother wishes to swap for a ghost that is also overbearing,” Granny Grey said.

Gads . He was going to have to decide how to approach this.

The Signora wouldn’t care one way or the other how well matched she was to her next attachment.

Neither would the Quiet Queen, if she proved the choice in the end.

But Miss Huddleston might be made unhappy by either choice.

Mercury would have to make absolutely certain everyone involved was truly of the same mind on the matter before anything was officially undertaken .

Miss Huddleston looked over at him, her gaze lingering. Mercury kept his eyes on her as well but leaned back and turned his head the tiniest bit toward Granny Grey.

“Miss Huddleston said that when she looks in my direction, as she’s doing now,” he said, “she’s not necessarily looking at me . Do you know what she means by that?”

“That is a question best asked of her.” A bit of a smile hung in the suggestion. He felt certain bashfulness was one of her Integral Traits, so he was grateful she was feeling at ease enough with him to tease a little.

“If I asked, would she actually tell me?” He looked back at the elderly ghost.

That bit of a smile he’d heard in her voice grew. “Probably not.”

It seemed there was to be no end to the mysteries that the Huddlestons’ arrival brought to his doorstep.