Page 29 of A Spell of Heart & Havoc

The family ate the dish in awkward silence, and soon the plates were whisked away and replaced with a golden bean soup sprinkled with bright green minced chives.

Lord Mosomo cleared his throat. “Well! How was your day, my darling?” he asked Dove, who was mechanically eating her soup in slow, careful bites. “Your mother tells me you missed lunch. Wrapped up in your painting again, I expect?”

Dove ate another sip of soup, then set her spoon down.

“I had quite an interesting day, actually. In the village,” she said.

Her mother’s head whipped up. “What on earth were you doing in the village? There’s nothing in that collection of hovels that we can’t get for you in Talon.”

“I fancied a ride. And their general store has paint supplies.”

“Well, next time, just let us know, darling, and I can have my valet pick up whatever you need from your regular store,” Lord Mosomo said.

“Or perhaps I’ll ride into the city and take care of it myself.” I could see Dove’s fists underneath the table, clenching tightly.

Lady Iris laughed. “Oh Dovey, why would you? That’s what we pay these people for. You can stay here, where it’s safe.”

“But I have a bodyguard now,” Dove said lightly. “I figure it’s safe for me to travel anywhere. Don’t you think?”

I felt her mother’s eyes on me and kept my attention on the far wall. “That’s not exactly the—”

“You know, I heard something unusual while I was in the village,” Dove said, taking another swig of wine. “Something quite disturbing, in fact. Did you know there was a raid nearby some months ago? Homes destroyed, at least a dozen killed. Just a handful of children escaped.”

“Oh, how gruesome,” Lady Iris said.

Dove nodded slowly. “Indeed. It sounded quite gruesome. I saw a couple of the orphans in the village.”

“I seem to recall something about that tragedy. Such a shame.” Lord Mosomo shook his head.

Hanc carried in a massive silver platter and placed it on the table. The largest roast pheasant I’d ever seen filled its length, surrounded by vegetables and currant-studded rice. Its aroma tantalized me, particularly as Hanc began cutting thick slices and serving them to the family, but my attention remained snagged on Dove. The deep flush had risen in her neck again, thin corded muscles strained by her grinding jaw.

“I know that you knew.” Her voice cut low and clear across the table to her parents. Hanc froze, pausing mid-cut as the mood in the room shifted.

“Dovey, watch your tone,” her mother chided. “This is a pleasant family meal, and you will act appropriately.”

“You knew about the raid. They told me, in the village. And at the priory.”

“Now, when were you at the priory?!” Her father threw up his hands.

Dove slammed hers on the table, a crack that made everyone in the room jump. Hanc scurried back into the safety of the kitchens.

“How could you know about that and do nothing?? Nothing to help?” Her voice rose.

Lady Iris sighed, then hissed back as if she didn’t want the help to overhear, “And what should we do, then, give away our livelihood after we finally got back to solid financial ground? For people we don’t know and have nothing to do with?”

“Are you hearing yourself? We have so much. More than we could ever need. Giving some to destitute neighbors wouldn’t beggar us again. That’s absurd!”

The lord focused on his overflowing plate, cutting a bite of pheasant. “That’s how it starts, darling. But you give these people an inch, and they’ll take a mile. It would never stop. Trust us—we’ve been around the world much longer than you. We know how these things work.”

“YOU are the ones who bankrupted us in the first place.” Dove shot up from her seat, chair screeching on the marble floor. “And I know much more about how the world works than you think I do.”

She threw her napkin down on the table, visibly shaking. “I WILL be making a donation to the priory for the orphans’ care. A large one. And I plan to volunteer there three times a week. With or without your approval. Because, frankly, I don’t need it.” Storming toward the open doors, she paused and threw back over her shoulder, “Have a pleasant rest of your evening, Mother, Father.” And strode out.

I took one last look at the lord and lady, savoring their flabbergasted faces, before I raced to catch up with Dove. That was… surprising. This woman had more of a backbone than I thought.

15

DOVE