The Stars Over Bittergate Bay

Chapter 35

35

A s long as Sidney didn’t look in the direction of the garden cottage, he might be able to survive this. Leo followed the driveway around to the garage near the back of the house, and when they’d gotten out, a butler took the keys with narrowed eyes, his gaze darting between Leo and Sidney. And then to Jonas’s cottage.

“You can take it back,” Sidney said, gesturing vaguely eastward. The man nodded, climbing into the driver’s seat in Leo’s place, while another staff member came up to take Leo’s umbrella and bag. The rain was tapering off, but it didn’t matter. Before they could get too wet they were shuttled into a rear foyer, where a maid held a wide leather ledger.

“Leo Quince,” Leo said, and the woman began turning pages in the book. “And my brother Sidney Quince. He’ll be rooming with me, and he might not be on your list, but?—”

“No, sir. You’re both here. Mr. Quince wasn’t down for a room,” she added, glancing at Sidney. “But plenty of guests elect to share. If you’ll follow me, sirs, I’ll see you up.” Ellery had come through for Delilah, it seemed. Leo gave Sidney a quizzical look, but Sidney only shrugged and started after the maid.

The house was all dark wood and thick carpets, warm orange light from wall-sconces cut the dark from the pressing clouds outside. It would have suited Jonas; the colors, the lighting. Knowing it had been his house, that it was still his house, made him feel present. Sidney tried to shake it off, glancing out a window as raindrops began to patter against it. Another terrible night for stars. It was good Sidney wasn’t going to be staying in Hindry much longer. It would have been impossible to keep up with his charting.

Not that Sidney had any use for his star cluster now, of course. He was going to have to put the whole business of it behind him and come up with a better dissertation topic. And, if he changed topics, he wouldn’t have to go back to the cottage for his charts.

Their room was comfortable, both in size and furnishings. Sidney collapsed into an armchair by the north facing window, ignoring the view of the backyard, the trees and the path that led to the chapel. Leo had followed the maid to Paul’s room and returned in short order with not just a pair of trousers, but a long, charcoal grey suit that was at least the right height for Sidney, if not the right width.

“There’s a cocktail hour in a little bit,” Leo said as he hung the suit in the armoire. “I wanted you to have something to wear, if you felt up to joining us. Paul’s always got a spare. He’s the best dressed man I know.” Which Sidney supposed was saying something, coming from the best dressed man he knew. Sidney thanked his brother, then watched Leo unpack in silence.

Once Leo’s bag was stowed under the brass frame of the double bed in the corner, Leo sat back onto the mattress and began to toe off his shoes. He glanced at Sidney briefly, and Sidney knew Leo had finally calculated a question that was precise enough that Sidney wouldn’t be able to worm out of it.

“I broke up with someone,” Sidney said, before Leo could ask. “This morning.”

“I didn’t know you were seeing anyone.” Leo braced his palms on the mattress, his shoulders broader and squarer than Sidney remembered.

“Are you still boxing?”

“Why?” Leo arched an eyebrow. “Do you need me to kick someone’s ass?” Sidney smirked at the thought.

“He’s bigger than you.”

“I’m quick,” Leo smirked. “And mean.”

“You’re a kitten.”

“Not when it comes to you,” Leo said. Sidney tried to smile, but he couldn’t manage it. Instead, he shook his head, hoping Leo would know it meant he didn’t want to be babied. Now that he stopped crying, it was fine. It wasn’t fine, but it was over. And that meant it was fine. No more wasting time.

“It’s alright, Leo. It wasn’t even really… It wasn’t real.”

“Whatever you say, Sidney,” Leo said, raising his hands and leaning back on the bed. “He’s not going to be here tonight, is he?”

“No.” At least that Sidney could be sure of.

“Good. Then I think we should get dressed and go get very blitzed on company time.”

By the time Leo and Sidney made it down to the foyer an hour later, there were already fifty people milling about. Gone were the wings Sidney had seen as the fae paraded into the house the night before. Some still had the colorful hair, though. Or a sort of ethereal glow that might have been able to be chalked up to wealth and good hydration if he didn’t know better.

The drinks were good. Strong and pretty, too. A waiter handed Sidney a coupe filled with liquid that shimmered like gold and tasted like oranges and honey. Leo hung close, mentioning the names of people he knew and keeping a running commentary on people he thought they needed to meet. Sidney hadn’t been to many of his father’s campaign events, but he recognized the behavior immediately.

“Leo. I’m not running for office,” Sidney told him firmly after Leo speculated that the tall blonde man in the corner was either called Ellis or Elias or Silas or Sullivan. “I don’t need to know what his name is before I talk to him. And also, I’m not going to talk to him.”

“Well, you could,” Leo waggled his eyebrows. “You look sharp in that suit. And you’re newly single.”

“Oh, Christ,” Sidney chuckled. “Please don’t wing-man for me. I’m your embarrassing little brother.”

“We share the same good genes.”

“I make an eighth of what the least paid person in this room makes.”

“You’re a passionate young academic with a world full of possibilities ahead of him.” Leo made a grand gesture, sloshing his gold drink over the edge of his cup. A tall man with dark brown skin and close-cropped hair, strode over to them from the stairs, smiling widely.

“Is he drunk already?”

“Shut up, Paul.” Leo gave the man a crooked smile before he turned to Sidney. “Sidney, this is Paul. Paul, my brother Sidney.”

“Pleasure to meet you.” Paul’s handshake was firm and warm, and he had a very handsome smile.

“Thanks for the suit.”

“No trouble,” Paul said. “I hate when the trains lose luggage, it’s?—”

“Where’s Evie?” Leo interrupted, looking around Paul toward the stairs.

“Still unpacking. Some of the pieces of her headdress got crushed in the suitcase.”

“Headdress?” Sidney asked. He didn’t know much about women’s fashion, but it sounded a bit extreme for a lawyer’s wife.

“For the costume party,” Paul said. At Sidney’s look of confusion, he continued. “Tomorrow night. It’s the big event of the weekend, so I’m told.” Ah. That made more sense. Sidney’s stomach tightened. Maybe he was going to have to explain about magic to Leo after all. “Leo, it’s Maude Hoffman and her husband. We’d better go shake hands.”

“You’ll be alright, Sidney?” Leo asked, squeezing his arm. It was kind of Leo to be checking on him. But it was hard for Sidney to pretend that nothing was wrong with Leo constantly reminding him that nothing was wrong. It would be nice to have a few minutes to himself.

“I’m fine,” Sidney nodded. “Go ahead. I’m going to explore a bit.” Leo nodded, shooting Sidney one last, overly sympathetic smile before he and Paul were off into the crowd.

Sidney wandered on his own, thinking about what Leo had said. ‘A promising young academic with a world full of possibilities ahead of him.’ But it could have been realms full of possibilities. Universes. A hundred new celestial skies. But Sidney’s doorway into all that had closed. He supposed maybe there could have been other ways to keep studying it. To make his charts useful still. He was in a room full of glamoured magical creatures, after all. But the thought of venturing forth without Jonas made his stomach clench uncomfortably. Better to just leave it all behind. Wasn’t it?

As he walked, the crowd began to thicken somehow. People were coming in, more and more of them, but from where Sidney was standing, the front door had only opened a couple of times. There must have been a portal somewhere.

He thought about looking for it, as he backed out of the crowd and went down the first hallway. There were still people milling around, but with more breathing room between them. On Sidney’s left was an open parlor door, where several small groups were listening to someone play a jaunty tune on a piano. A buffet table was set out in the hall, and Sidney picked off a few petit fours as he walked past. And then walked past again for a few more because they were delicious and he hadn’t eaten anything all day.

Sidney stood in the hallway eating petit fours until three women sauntered up to the table talking loudly. Sidney drained his drink, and started off to find a waiter with more drinks, but before he could take two steps, there was a collective gasp from the women. A man being swarmed by an extensive coterie stepped into the hallway, and Sidney bit his tongue.

Asterion, Jonas’s prince, wore a sapphire suit with ornate silver embroidery on the lapels and waistcoat. His cobalt hair was brushed back away from his face, and long emerald earrings trailed his collar. Sidney’s first, bitter thought, was that Asterion hadn’t looked so put together when he was on top of Jonas in the parlor.

Unfortunately, Sidney had stopped directly in the path of the prince and his coterie. Stepping to the side would have been the polite thing to do. Sidney didn’t want to engage with him, no matter how much the citrus honey drink seeping into his bloodstream said otherwise. Before Sidney could move or speak, Asterion was in front of him.

The expression on Asterion’s face wasn’t a smile. It looked like one on the surface, but there was a sharpness to it, like Sidney expected to see fangs among his teeth.

“Mr. Quince.” Asterion’s voice was cold. “What a surprise.”

“I was on the guest list.”

“You’re welcome for that.”

“I suspect you didn’t do it for me,” Sidney said. Asterion arched an eyebrow and looked Sidney over, head to toe.

“Would you join me in the study for a moment?” Asterion asked. A murmur went through the crowd behind him. “In private.” Like a spell had been cast, the crowd dispersed. Or rather, had taken a collective step back. Sidney could feel them watching him and he knew he didn’t have a choice.

“Of course,” he nodded. “I’d be happy to.”