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“You’re unlikely to be able to bring charges against them for all they’ve done,” the Quiet Queen said. “But I will make certain they regret having caused the two of you harm. At some point, they’ll trade me as well, but I will not agree to it until they’ve learned their lesson.”
“One way or another,” Tacey said, “we will know how the healing of the Rending Rock has changed the world of ghost-brokering.”
“I will go make a decree to the others involved.” The Quiet Queen floated toward the wall. “And we will await your assistance.” She floated through it with the tiniest hint of a laugh.
“That should be a very interesting pairing,” Tacey said, with a smile.
“Yes, it will.”
The Governor’s voice reached them from the corridor. “The law is clear on this matter: this man should be apprehended. He can go to court and argue his position afterward. I will not leave this house without that satisfaction.”
Mercury crossed back to the doorway and leaned against the doorframe, arms folded across his chest.
“I think you might have to go to Newgate, Mr. Raine,” the Runner said, holding his hands up in a show of helplessness. “The law is fairly clear on this. And you can argue it in court. But until then—”
Before Mercury could so much as open his mouth, a knock sounded on the front door. Everyone looked in that direction, surprised and baffled.
With utmost dignity, and quite as if absolutely nothing out of the ordinary had happened that day, Smythe floated past them all to the front door and pulled it open. And into Aventine Manor stepped the Prince of Wales.
He never traveled without a bevy of servants. He was also accompanied by his incredibly haughty and off-putting ghost. The two got along surprisingly well.
To say the gathering was shocked would be a tremendous understatement. Even Mercury, who was very seldom upended by anything, found himself too surprised to do much of anything for a moment. But he quickly recollected himself and offered the expected and appropriate bow.
“Your Royal Highness, welcome to Aventine Manor. I fear you have caught us on a rather unusual day.”
The prince looked around at them all, obviously unimpressed, before settling his gaze on Mercury. “My mother quite suddenly finds herself with a ghostly attachment, though she’s never had one in all her life. And this ghost has the audacity to say he has been with her always, but she previously couldn’t see or hear him. I need you to explain it.”
Interesting. Her Majesty had an impossible Invisible that could now be seen.
It seemed the ghosts the Forever Flame had snatched away over the nearly one thousand years that he had been doing so had been freed from their invisible and silent prisons, just as Baby Blue and the Reluctant Recluse had been. It meant there were a great many questions swirling around. Also a great many ghosts newly available for trading.
Very interesting.
“You know that I am always happy to visit with Her Majesty and do anything that I can for her,” Mercury said. “I will make the trip to London just as soon as I can.”
“I would be much indebted to you,” the prince said.
“There is actually a very easy way you could repay me for that,” Mercury said. He motioned to the Governor. “This man insists he is owed an absolute fortune by someone named Sidney Something-or-Other, and is under the baffling impression that that person is me.”
The prince’s brow pulled in consternation. “What utter nonsense. You are Mercury Raine.”
“Oh, but he isn’t,” the Governor said. “He’s lying. He was an orphan in my orphanage, and he owes me.”
“You would dare contradict your prince? Our future king?” Tacey infused her voice with just the right amount of shock and disapproval for it to hit home.
The prince’s eyes darted to the Runner. “You belong to Bow Street, do you?”
“Yes, Your Royal Highness.”
“I hope that you will inform your colleagues what a ridiculous thing it would be to believe such a thing about a man I hold in esteem.”
The Bow Street Runner dipped his head. “Yes, Your Royal Highness.” He looked over at the Governor. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll leave now before you find yourself guilty of treason.”
For the first time in perhaps his entire life, the Governor did something intelligent: he left.
The prince watched him go. Under his breath and directly to Mercury, the prince asked, “Is that pathetic little man correct in his accusations?”
“Does it matter?” Mercury asked.
