Page 64 of The Nanny’s Handbook to Magic and Managing Difficult Dukes

In Which Vermin Disappear; Knives and Dust Are Deployed; a Troglodyte Takes Action; And Dawn Makes an Appearance…

Curse Sir Randolph and Algernon Mason to Hades.

That was the thought running through Emmeline’s mind as she watched the jib door close behind the lowest and vilest gutter-dwelling vermin she’d ever encountered. And that was an insult to all vermin.

“I’m sorry we’re in this frightful pickle, Xavier,” she called into the smoky darkness as she tested the strength of her bonds.

“Believe me, I wanted to pull a pistol from my nanny’s pocket, but when Sir Randolph ordered us to put up our hands, I thought it was too risky to try.

Especially with Algernon pointing a weapon at us too. ”

“You are not to blame yourself for any of this. It was far too dangerous a prospect to take on two armed and ruthless men,” returned Xavier, his deep voice a soothing and welcome balm to Emmeline’s tauter-than-piano-wire nerves.

“And I’m sure everything will be all right.

Hopefully, I can loosen the knots on this rope.

Failing that, I trust someone will mount a search. ”

“I don’t wish to sound cynical, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Sir Bottom and Algie tell everyone that they’ve seen both you and me outside in the square,” said Emmeline as she tested the knots around her wrists.

Her eyes and the back of her throat were stinging from all the smoke in the room and in the distance, she could detect the sound of something rather large—some substantial structural part of the house—cracking and splintering and crashing.

Had the chandelier in the entry hall come down?

The gaslights guttered ominously and then they were plunged into suffocating darkness.

Damn. She wished she could catch Xavier’s gaze—he was only a handful of yards away—but she would attempt to reassure him anyway.

“I’m going to get us out of here, my darling Xavier,” she stated with a firmness that belied her racing pulse.

“Remember, I’m a Parasol nanny. I have skills… and a knife.”

“By Jove. I forgot about that,” said Xavier, hope flickering in his voice. “Do you think you can reach it?”

“I’m sure I can.” Emmeline had already shimmied the rope down the marble pillar toward her feet.

She slid to her bottom, pulled her knees up, then twisted her body so she could grasp the dagger strapped to her right ankle.

It was rather awkward (and she might have sworn in an unladylike fashion a few times when her blasted skirts got in the way and her fingers slipped) but after a minute, her wickedly sharp little knife was firmly in her hand, and she was slicing her wrists free.

As soon as they were, she scrambled to her feet then rushed over to Xavier. Her eyes had adjusted to the dark and there was enough pale gray light falling through the casement windows for her to see what she was doing as she swiftly severed Xavier’s bonds.

“You’re amazing, did you know that?” Xavier murmured as he dropped a kiss on her forehead.

“Thank you.” Emmeline’s cheeks grew warm and it had nothing to do with the encroaching fire.

She quickly resheathed her knife and then reached into her pocket and wrapped her fingers around her leyport key.

“You’re going to be even more amazed when I teleport us both to safety.

Like you, I have no desire to be turned into toast.”

Somewhere close by, something made of glass exploded, and Emmeline swore she could hear the crackle of flames. It was definitely getting hotter and smokier by the moment. There was no time to lose.

Except… what if she could nip this entire disaster in the bud, right here, right now?

Xavier must have sensed her indecision as he murmured, “My love, is something wrong?”

“I’ve changed my mind. I don’t think we should teleport outside yet,” she said. “I have a better idea.”

“You have a better idea than whisking us away from this flaming death trap?”

She gave a decided nod. “I do. What if I told you that I might be able to put out the fire and restore everything to how it was?”

Xavier scratched his jaw. “I would say that would be brilliant. But how?” He frowned down at her, his features half cast in shadow, half cast in veiled moonlight. “Don’t tell me that you can turn back the hands of time.”

“Of course not. But I do have a trick up my sleeve.” Emmeline tried to smile reassuringly even though her pulse was racing like quicksilver. “Or rather, in my pocket.”

She held her breath as she did just that, reached into her nanny’s pocket for the only thing that could reverse this impending catastrophe: decalamitifying dust. Though, by employing such a powerful magical tool, she would be breaking one of the Parasol Academy’s most important rules yet again.

By rights, she really shouldn’t be performing another Fae spell in front of Xavier.

And of course, the children were not in the immediate vicinity of St Lawrence House, but miles away in Kent.

So strictly speaking, she wasn’t really going to use the dust in direct service to them.

Then again, this was their home. And surely the Fae wouldn’t grant her the use of the dust if it wasn’t all right to do so. She had to try. It was an emergency after all.

Closing her eyes, her heart in her mouth, Emmeline prayed to the Fae and Good Queen Maeve herself to grant her the use of the magical dust to save St Lawrence House and everything in it.

For a heartbeat, nothing happened, and ice-cold dread shivered through Emmeline.

Perhaps the Fae wouldn’t bestow this gift…

Perhaps they didn’t believe this was a worthy cause?

And then she felt a familiar tingling sensation in her fingertips and all at once her whole hand was filled with powder; it was clearly a much larger amount than she’d been gifted to repair the library after the ginger beer explosion. Thank the Fae.

Withdrawing her hand, Emmeline showed Xavier the decalamitifying dust. It glimmered like silver in the pale moonlight. “I’m going to use this to put everything to rights.”

Xavier’s frown grew deeper. “Dust?”

“It’s not just any old dust. It’s decalamitifying dust. It’s how I cleaned up the mess after the ginger beer explosion. Actually, I could have decalamitified the whole library, including the broken glass, but then I thought you might think that odd.”

Xavier shook his head. “Good God. I had no idea. If you’re not a witch, you must be some sort of goddess. Venus perhaps?”

Emmeline laughed. “I assure you I’m not. Even though we’ve established that I cannot manipulate time and I cannot fly, let’s see if I can put out a house fire. The only problem is, I might need to be in view of the flames for this to work.”

Xavier dragged a hand down his face. “Very well. We can check the hall outside my study. You can glimpse the main staircase from there. That seems to be where the fire is centered.”

Emmeline nodded. “That should do the trick.”

In no time at all, they were back in Xavier’s study.

Sir Randolph and Algernon had left the main door wide open, and a thick pall of smoke had enveloped everything.

Although perhaps the roar of the fire was the most awful part—the crackle and spit of hungry flames and the distressing sound of random crashes and shatters sent icy chills racing down Emmeline’s spine.

Coughing and gasping, she covered her nose and mouth with her pinafore as she dashed along the hallway with Xavier.

The central staircase ahead now resembled a giant furnace.

Heat blasted her cheeks, and she could barely see a thing beyond the roiling miasma of smoke.

Well, nothing except for a fierce orange glow.

She needed to be quick before she and Xavier were both suffocated or worse…

Holding out her hand toward the raging, ravening blaze like she was about to feed it, Emmeline uncurled her fingers to reveal the magical dust in her palm. “ Decalamitify fire,” she whispered on a barely there breath, then blew.

The silvery dust immediately took flight, sparkling and twinkling and billowing upwards and outwards until it melded with the existing plumes of thick smoke.

In a matter of moments, the whole interior of the townhouse was engulfed by swirling clouds of brilliant starlight.

Indeed, Emmeline was completely dazzled.

It felt like tiny glittering sequins had been thrown into her eyes.

When the shimmering brightness dissipated, the chandelier above the entry hall and wall sconces flickered back on, revealing that the fire had been completely extinguished.

Everything was sparkling and gleaming and in perfect order.

There wasn’t even a wisp of smoke or a floating ember, or a trace of ash or soot.

It was as though the fire that had threatened to destroy St Lawrence House had never been lit.

“Well, skewer me with a toasting fork and call me a crumpet,” murmured Xavier, his expression the epitome of awestruck as he wandered over to the railing and his gaze swept over the staircase and hall below.

“It worked. Your dust worked!” He strode back to Emmeline and enveloped her in a huge hug.

“I’ll never be able to thank you enough. ”

Satisfaction and happiness hummed through Emmeline.

“No thanks are required. Your smile is all I need. Now”—she withdrew her leyport key—“while we could walk out the front door, or even one of the servants’ entrances, I rather think we should teleport into Belgrave Square as we’d planned.

My instincts tell me that Algie and Sir Bottom might still be lurking about, waiting to make sure we’ve met a fiery end.

No doubt there’s considerable consternation and confusion now the fire has gone out.

We might be able to take the pair by surprise and apprehend them. ”