On the Edge te-1 Page 13

  “I’m quite handsome, actually,” he said.

  Handsome was for ordinary mortals. She rolled her eyes. “And so modest, too. Why are you here trying to get me to marry you?”

  “I’ll tell you, if you let me in.”

  “How much are you willing to pay?” she asked.

  “Our standard rate. A doubloon a day.”

  It was generous. More than generous—some families would put him up for a week for a single coin.

  “Half a doubloon a day,” she said.

  “No, you see, the idea behind bargaining is that you ask for a larger amount.”

  Apparently, he understood sarcasm just fine. He just chose not to notice it, when it failed to suit him. “I know that you in the Weird think that all Edgers are swindlers. We aren’t. I won’t take more than what’s fair, because I don’t want to feel indebted to you. For your half-doubloon, you’ll get the use of the bedroom and three decent meals a day, and your laundry done, should you need it. You’ll get nothing else. I’m letting you under my roof, and I expect you to behave with respect toward me and my brothers. Should you breach this agreement, you’ll immediately leave. Should I breach it, I’ll refund all related money. Am I making myself clear?”

  “Perfectly. Should I swear a blood oath?”

  “No. Your word’s sufficient.”

  He rose, picking up his sword. “You have it.”

  Rose removed the ward stones. He stepped inside.

  “Suppose I offered you a carte blanche,” he said.

  “What does that mean?”

  “You leave with me. I’ll support you in a respectable style. I’ll pay for the education of the boys. In return we’ll share a bedroom.”

  “Respectable style?” She chewed on those words. Here was a contradiction if she ever saw one.

  “Two, three hundred doubloons a month. Enough for a modest but comfortable life. Obviously, I would take care of your rent, tuition for the children, and extraordinary expenses.”

  “Obviously.” She shook her head.

  “Is that a yes or a no?”

  She simply looked at him.

  “I take it by your frigid countenance that it’s a no,” he said. “And more, you believe me to be an idiot for offering it to you.”

  “Even if you’re not lying, even if you intend to do everything exactly the way you suggest, you asked me to become your whore. I don’t have anything against women who chose that sort of life. But I’m not, nor will I ever be, one of those women. If you were to offer me a job, the type of job where I didn’t have to earn the roof above my head by spreading my legs, I would consider it. But I don’t really trust you farther than I can throw you, and since you’re large and muscular, that wouldn’t be very far. And I’m not positive it would be a good idea to depend on you for my livelihood anyway. I don’t want your money, Declan. I’m not a beggar or a free-loader.”

  He was studying her, and she wondered if he really had meant the offer or if it was some sort of a test. Either way, he had her answer, and she meant every word.

  “My money would let you leave this place.”

  “This place is my home. Would you do it if you were me?”

  “No,” he said immediately.

  “Why do you think I would?”

  A hint of a mordant smile tugged on the corners of his mouth. “I didn’t think you would.”

  “Then why did you offer?”

  “I wanted to know what you would say. I’m trying to learn more about you.”

  She spread her arms. “What you see is what you get.”

  His eyes sparked with green. “Is that a promise?”

  God damn him. “I meant that I have no big secrets. Unlike you. Why are you shopping for a bride in the Edge?”

  “I’ll be thirty in a month. The covenant of our title requires me to marry before I turn thirty, or I won’t inherit the domain.”

  “That’s a bit ridiculous.”

  He nodded. “On that we’re in complete agreement.”

  “So what prevented you from getting married in the Weird?”

  “I’m afraid my reputation among my peers has been somewhat tarnished.” He walked up the porch and held the door open for her.

  “Why?”

  “It became known that I had a rather fertile imagination, when it came to private activities.”

  She stared at him. “What sort of private activities?”

  This time he did smile, and it turned his face wicked. “Disrobe, and I’ll be happy to demonstrate.”

  ELEVEN

  IT took Rose a good half hour to get rid of Declan. She’d keyed the ward to him, and finally he’d left to get the rest of his supplies. She waited for about five minutes, grabbed the wheelbarrow, and drove the body of the dead hound to Grandma’s. If they could figure out what it was or where it had come from, they could find a way to fight it.

  The wheel stuck on some random rock. The acrid stench rising from the carcass would’ve made even Grandpa Cletus vomit. Rose thought she would be used to it by now, but no, after a third of a mile, she could still smell the dead bugger.

  Rose cursed at the wheelbarrow, gritted her teeth, and forced it through the trellis shrouded in tiny pink roses into her grandmother’s yard. She took a deep breath and pushed it back behind the house, out of sight, and threw a tarp over it just in case.

  Grandma Éléonore was in the kitchen, drinking tea. “I heard you lost your job,” she said the second Rose stepped into the kitchen.

  Oh, for the love of God . . .

  “And I hear you have a fellow staying with you. According to Marlene, who heard it from Geraldine Asper, who heard it directly from Elsie Moore, he’s some sort of a looker.”

  “He’s just a boarder.” Rose went to the sink and scrubbed her hands with soap. The last thing she needed now was a lecture on the terrible dangers of letting bluebloods into the house. “Just a bit of money to tide us over.”

  She hoped and prayed that once the looker fetched his possessions, he’d stay at the house and not go searching for her. Having him turn up on Grandma’s doorstep would mean nothing but trouble.

  “According to the hooligans, this boarder has a huge sword.”

  Rose rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “What else did they tell you?”

  “Not much. They’ve been very closemouthed about it. Not at all like them. Is he handsome?”

  “He is.”

  “It isn’t William, is it?”

  “No,” Rose sighed, dropping into a chair and reaching for the spare cup.

  Above them the ceiling shook with quick thumps. The kids were playing in the attic again. “What did you learn at Adele’s?”

  “Oh, this and that. Lots of gossip. Paula’s expecting twins. They aren’t her husband’s, and when he finds out, there’ll be hell to pay. Some other things.” Grandma looked away.

  “What else?”

  Grandma heaved a sigh. “Dogs have been disappearing. Seth Hines has gone into the Broken. Took his wife and son with him and left pretty much everything behind. His sister got ahold of him, but he won’t talk. She got very little out of him. He’d told her they’d been attacked by something, some strange creatures. Oh, and he claims a blueblood rescued them. Because that’s just what we need, nobles from the Weird.”

  Yes, they definitely didn’t need any more of those. Rose wiped her hands on a towel. It had to be Declan, of course. Who else? “I think I’ve got one of those creatures in a wheelbarrow at the back porch.”

  Grandma Éléonore rose. “Let’s see it.”

  They stepped out onto the back porch. Rose drew the tarp aside. Éléonore brushed the tips of her fingers across the creature’s hide, leaned close, until her nose almost touched it, sniffed the charred hide, and straightened.

  “What is it?” Rose asked.

  Éléonore’s forehead wrinkled. “I don’t know,” she said softly. “Let’s brew some tea and find out.”

  * * *

  GRANDMA Éléon
ore picked up a piece of white chalk and drew a compass rose on the surface of the table with brisk practiced movements. Georgie stood by the table, transfixed. Jack scooted on his chair, holding his hands together, as if in prayer.

  Rose placed a fat candle at tramontane, the “north” point, and lit it. The tiny blade of the flame danced on the wick. A cube of ice graced levante, the “east.” Rose added a chunk of granite at the ostro, “south,” and looked at Jack.

  “Now?” he asked.

  “Now.”

  Jack opened his hands and dropped a fat green caterpillar onto the table. Rose nudged it onto ponente, the “west,” and spat on it. The caterpillar squirmed, but remained put, pinned by the small charge of magic.

  This was the old familiar Edge magic. Not flashy or scientific, but the simple earthy kind that worked. Declan would sneer at it, just like all of his lofty friends would sneer at her if she ever left with him. That was fine. She had nothing to prove to him and no intention to give up her freedom. No matter how he looked at her.

  Grandma Éléonore snapped a small ziplock bag open and dropped a sliver of the beast’s flesh into the center of the rose. The stench nipped at the inside of Rose’s nostrils. She grimaced and turned away to gulp some untainted air.

  “Why does it stink so bad?” Jack clamped his nose shut.

  “We don’t know.” Grandma Éléonore motioned them to the table. “Hold hands.”

  They stood around the table, holding hands.

  “Concentrate on the flesh.” Grandma Éléonore took a deep breath and began to chant.

  “All that is from all that was, return to your root, obey my words. All that is from all that was, return to your root, obey my words . . .”

  The magic streamed from them, locking onto the odorous chunk. A thin puddle of water spread from under the ice cube, forming a perfect circle. The hunk of granite shuddered, little flecks of quartz glistening. The flame of the candle grew to two inches. The caterpillar writhed.

  The flesh in the center refused to move.

  They tried it again ten minutes later.

  Nothing.

  “It’s like it’s not of this earth,” Rose murmured.

  “There are other things we can do.” Grandma Éléonore pursed her lips.

  They could and they did. Four hours later, Rose could barely lift her head. Grandma Éléonore picked up a rolling pin, looked at the chunk of flesh—their third, the first two had been consumed by various spells—and hit it with the rolling pin.

  Rose frowned. “What for?”

  “To make me feel better.”

  Her cell phone rang. Rose jumped six inches in the air.

  “Who’s calling you?”

  “I don’t know!” She pulled the phone open. Maybe it was a job offer. “Hello?”

  “Hi, Rose,” a male voice said on the other end.

  “Hi. Hold on a minute.” She covered the phone with her hand and mouthed “William” at Grandma.

  “Go.” Grandma Éléonore nodded to the back porch.

  “I’ll just be a minute,” Rose promised.

  She went out the back porch, across the grass to the old wooden swing hanging from the massive limb of a gnarled oak. The night had fallen, the darkness cool and spiced with the delicate, slightly bitter scent of Poor Man’s Orchids dripping from the vines winding about the tree and the faint mimosa perfume of nightneedle flowers. The house windows cast off weak light onto the darkness-drenched lawn.

  “How did you get my number?” She scooted onto the swing.

  “One of your friends gave it to me. The one with green hair.”

  Latoya. “How do you know her?”

  “I came by your work. I thought maybe I could take you to dinner. They said you were fired.”

  She heard real concern in his voice. “Yes, I was.”

  “Sorry to hear that. How are the boys taking it?”

  “They don’t know yet.”

  “So you need a job? I could ask around . . .”

  But of course, they wouldn’t hire her. Not with her stellar Edge paperwork. Still, it was so thoughtful of him to offer. “That’s very nice of you, but I’m doing okay for now.”

  A faint edge appeared in William’s voice. “I heard there was a man involved.”

  Latoya and her big mouth. By now the whole Edge knew she was let go because of a man. Not that she gave a damn about what they thought or said about her. “I wasn’t fired because of him. You see, Emerson, my boss, and my father, they used to be friends. I don’t even know why I’m telling you this . . .”

  “Probably because you need someone to talk to. I’m here, and I’ve got time.”

  She sighed and pushed against the ground out of habit, starting the swing swaying back and forth. The chain protested quietly.

  “What is that creaking?” he asked.

  How in the world did he hear it through the phone? “I’m sitting on an old swing.”

  “Ah. So what about this Emerson?”

  “Like I said, he and my father used to be friends. Then my father left. He went on to . . . to adventure. Emerson stayed behind, married, got a job in the family business, and tried to live a quiet life. I think, though, he always wanted to go off with my father, but never got brave enough to break free. In the last year, Emerson’s life fell apart. He didn’t do so well as an insurance salesman, and his dad made him run Clean-n-Bright instead. His wife left him. He has money problems, and he’s skimming off the top of the business. It’s all crashing down around his ears. I think every time he saw me, he thought of my dad living the good life somewhere. He would’ve fired me anyway, sooner or later.”

  “He sounds like a real prize, this Emerson.”

  “He’s just an unhappy, angry man. I don’t have to put up with him anymore, and I’m glad. It’s in the past now.”

  “You know, you could’ve told me about this other guy,” William said softly. “I’m not afraid of a little competition.”

  She hesitated. “William, I thought we had settled this.” Please, don’t make me hurt your feelings again.

  He laughed quietly. It was an odd laugh, deep and bitter. “Don’t worry. I remember where we stand. Since you told me something private about yourself, I’ll tell you something private about me. I never had a family like you do, Rose. That’s why I like you so much. You’re kind and smart, and pretty, and you take care of your brothers. Nobody ever took care of me like that. I think I always wanted to find someone like you to settle down with. To have a real family. I don’t know if I would be good at it, but I’d like to try. I would keep you and the kids safe. Nobody would ever hurt you. Sorry, but I can’t just let you get away without a fight.”

  A heavy weight settled on her chest. There was sincerity in his voice that was impossible to fake. He just laid it all out for her.

  “William,” she said as gently as she could. “I’m sorry that you’re alone. But I don’t think I—I don’t think we, me and the boys, are the right family for you. I know that you think of me as Rose, the big sister to the boys, but I’m my own person. I want to be happy, just like everyone else. When a man joins our family like that, it will be because I love him. I don’t think I would ever fall in love with you. There is no spark between us, and you know it as well as I do.”

  She listened to the long silence.

  “You’re an odd woman, Rose,” he said finally. “Most women would enjoy all the attention.”

  “I have enough attention as it is,” she murmured.

  “From that man who got you fired?”

  Rose sighed. “He’s an arrogant ass who thinks I’m lower than dirt. If I could get rid of him, I would.”

  “I could run him off for you.”

  “No, I think it’s best I handle it myself. I—”

  She raised her eyes and saw Declan standing two feet away, his sword on his back.

  “Rose?” William asked. “Hello?”

  Declan’s eyes blazed like two white stars. He held out his hand. �
��Give me the phone, Rose.”

  “Who’s that?” William asked. His voice lost all warmth.

  “Let me speak to him.” Declan reached for the phone.

  “I have to go,” she told William. “Talk to you later.” She snapped the phone closed.

  “Damn it,” Declan snarled. “I told you to give me the phone!”

  She jumped off the swing. “How long have you been standing there?”

  “Long enough. Was that William?”

  She ignored him and headed to the house.

  “Answer me,” he demanded.

  “I don’t have to,” she said, struggling to keep her calm. “You have no right to order me around.” Rose marched to the back porch.

  “You stubborn fool, you have no idea who you’re dealing with.”

  “I have a very good idea.” She stopped and looked at him. “Let’s get this one thing completely clear. You don’t own me. I’m not your slave or your servant, and I don’t give a damn what color your blood is, how old your family is, or how much money and power you have. I let you stay in my house because you pay me and I’m backed into a corner. Don’t think for a moment that I’ll let you give me orders and run my life.”

  She turned on her heel and went into the house. Declan was only a step behind.

  Grandmother sat at the kitchen table. Her face was very pale. Her gaze fixed on Declan, as if he were a murderous maniac. Rose didn’t blame her. His eyes were completely frosted over and his face promised a storm.

  “Where are the boys?” Rose asked, noticing Declan’s cloak, draped over a chair. So he’d come here first, and then tracked her down to the back.

  “Asleep,” Grandma said, her voice carefully neutral.

  “No need to wake them, then. Declan and I’ll go up to the house. I’ll come back for the boys in the morning.”

  Declan swiped his cloak, hanging it on his left arm, bowed, and gently picked up Grandma’s hand, brushing his lips across her knuckles. “Je vous remercie avec tout mon coeur pour votre accueil si chaleureux et de votre gentillesse. Bonne nuit, Madame Éléonore.”