Page 49 of Twelfth Night Sorcery (The Cambion Club #2)

The first thing Honora did after learning of Belmont’s flight to France was write to Dora, telling her sister it was now safe for her to return to London.

There would be no need to maintain her disguise as “Cora Hart” now.

Honora looked forward happily to launching Dora in London society.

At eighteen, Dora was certainly ready to make a London debut.

When Valance questioned whether London society would be ready for Dora, Honora laughed.

To her surprise, Dora promptly wrote back to say she wished to stay in Surrey until the middle of April.

Peregrine wanted her help testing his meteorite trap during the annual Lyrid meteor shower.

His spell, being complicated, required a sorcerer as well as a wizard to work.

Dora did not want to miss seeing the spell in action.

When, Honora wondered, had Mr. Carrington become “Peregrine” to Dora? “Valance,” she said at breakfast, “You don’t think there could be something romantic brewing between Mr. Carrington and Dora, do you?”

Valance choked on his toast. “Um. Maybe?”

“Really?” Honora stared at him. She had not meant the question seriously. “What makes you say that?”

“Er. Just a hunch.” He took a large gulp of his coffee. “When I was at the Abbey in February, Peregrine told her she would look good in Hessian boots. And he offered to take her to a boxing match. While she was disguised as a boy.”

“Boxing? Ugh.” Honora shuddered. She did not care for violent sports. Truth be told, she did not understand why her husband was so fond of sparring with his friends at Gentleman Jackson’s. But Dora was both more adventurous and less conventional than Honora.

“That does sound like something Dora would want to do. I suppose if Mr. Carrington went with her, she would come to no harm.” It would certainly be better than Dora trying to attend a boxing match on her own.

Valance stared at her for a moment, then shook his head.

“Yes, if all they did was watch a boxing match, there would be no harm. But what if it didn’t stop there?

Can you imagine what would happen if they married?

He would set fire to their furniture with his magical experiments and she would gallivant about the country garbed as a gentleman.

Think of the trouble they would get into! ”

Honora laughed at that picture of domestic felicity. “But it might be ideal,” she pointed out. “Dora would not mind about Mr. Carrington’s magic, since she is a sorceress herself. And he would not mind about the gallivanting. He does not strike me as particularly strait-laced.”

Mr. Carrington had accepted his sister’s romantic relationship with Miss Taylor.

He would probably accept Dora no matter how she dressed.

And would they really get in so much trouble if they married?

Mr. Carrington was a grown man and a respected gentleman scholar.

He seemed perfectly capable of looking after himself, and Dora was perfectly capable of following social rules when she chose to do so.

All the couple would need was a good housekeeper and a reliable man of business to tend to their financial affairs.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Valance grumbled.

But Honora did not share Valance’s concern.

On the contrary, she spent the rest of the meal trying to imagine what kind of magic Dora’s children would inherit if she married into the Carrington family.

The Grantlys tended to be either mages or sorcerers, but as far as she knew, all of the Carrington magicians were witches or wizards.

That meant their children might inherit almost any kind of magical talent. She chuckled at the thought.

“I am glad you are so amused.” Valance shook his head once more and went back to his toast.

Honora put Dora’s letter aside and thought no more of meteorites.

The mail contained weightier news: Mr. Watson had begun negotiations with Belmont’s attorney to arrange for the purchase of the Grantly Manor mortgage.

Belmont remained on the continent, and his attorney thought he might plan to take up his residence in Paris permanently.

Honora certainly hoped he would stay away from England. Or at least, from London.

At first, Valance would not tell her how he intended to raise the funds to purchase the mortgage. After she reminded him of Lord Markham’s advice about secrets, he reluctantly admitted he was going to sell a hunting box in Yorkshire that had been purchased in his grandfather’s day.

Since Valance did not care for hunting, the sale of the estate was no great loss.

Honora quit worrying so much about what his generosity might cost him.

Instead, she happily looked ahead to a time when Belmont would no longer have any leverage over the Grantly family.

Perhaps then, she thought wistfully, the work of reconciling with her family could begin.

She would not mind if she never saw her mother again, but she did want to see Belinda, Clarinda, and Jack.

*

One morning, Valance informed her that he had an errand that afternoon. “I don’t know how long it will take,” he warned Honora. “But I should be home in plenty of time for the dinner party.”

They were to dine with the Markhams at Sherborne Place. Honora looked forward to getting to know these friends in a quieter, less dramatic setting. At least, she hoped she would not have to fend off another attacker.

“What is your errand?” She had finished her breakfast, but she remained at the table reading a letter full of gossip from her friend Verena.

“I am going to talk to Miss Barbauld about the dog. I hope to convince her to let us keep him. I will buy him back from her if she agrees.”

“I see.” Honora stared at her husband, not sure how she felt about him visiting his old mistress. On the other hand, she very much wanted to keep Bishop Barkley, and she supposed it would not be right to do so without compensating his owner.

“I believe I may also owe her an apology.” Valance stared down at his empty plate, as if he wanted to memorize the pattern of bread crumbs left from his breakfast. “I was not particularly kind when I dismissed her. And—there may have been things I ought to have done differently.”

“I think that is a very good idea.” Honora left it at that. What Valance had done prior to his marriage was not any of her business. What mattered was that she trusted him not to strike up an affaire with anyone now that he was married.

Even so, she spent an anxious afternoon waiting for Valance to return from his errand. What if Miss Barbauld wanted Bishop Barkley back? Honora did not know if she could stand losing her dog again.

She spent the afternoon training Barkley, just in case this was her last day with him. He still remembered “sit,” but was not so good with “lie down.” Honora thought it best to work on that before trying to tackle “stay.”

So far, Barkley had not ruined any rugs since his return, but it was best not to think about all the furniture he had gnawed. They would have to pay hefty damages for the furniture if they ever moved out of this house.

But Honora wondered if they should simply offer to buy the little house from Lord Bloxom.

She and Valance would probably spend their summers and autumns in the country, but they would need a house in London for the Parliamentary session each year.

She did not particularly want to have to find a new townhouse when their lease ran out.

By now, this place had begun to feel like home.

Valance had been right all those weeks ago when he told her they would make a new home together. At the time, Honora had scarcely believed it possible, given how distant and unapproachable he had been. Somehow, though, her husband had become closer and dearer to her than anyone else in the world.

All she hoped for now was that she might fall pregnant at last. Her courses had just ended, and she quietly hoped she might not see them again for a good long time.

She was no longer driven merely by curiosity about pregnancy and childbirth.

Now, she wondered more specifically about the family she and Valance might make together.

She wanted to know what their children would be like.

And, not being a particularly patient woman, she did not want to have to wait years to find out.

But, of course, it was not up to her to choose when that might happen, just as it was not up to her whether Miss Barbauld would let them keep Barkley. The fate of her little family did not lie entirely with her. All she could do was wait and hope.