“I cannot abide this.” He slammed down his wine glass. Leaning forward, he pinned Becka with his glare. “Can we not have her removed? Her presence is unnerving.”
“Alain, compose yourself,” Maura replied. “As you know, Becka is our esteemed guest for the week of remembrance.”
“Her face is the mirror of my betrothed, and it wounds my soul to behold. Tesse’s memory is besmirched further by such poor presentation and a lack of adherence to our traditions.” He shielded his face behind his hand.
Touched by the genuine nature of his grief, Becka held her tongue, instead focusing on finishing off her glass of wine. From what she’d heard, he was one of the least likely to be named a suspect. Besides, Tesse had thought well of him, even if their interactions had been limited.
“Perhaps you need to take a moment?” Vott replied.
“My love’s twin has clearly gone native, consumed by the corruption of the cities. She’s not even presentable.” He made a grand sweeping gesture towards Becka, head to toe, and then shook his head in disgust. “Tesse herself would have reprimanded her!”
If she hadn’t been fending off much more creative insults from humans for years, Becka might have taken his critique personally. Becka looked at herself, noted nothing amiss, and then back at him.
“My sister loved to hear about my fashion adventures. I doubt she’d care one whit what I’m wearing now.”
“You spoke to Tesse? How appalling! And now you arrive covered in cat fur!” he groaned.
Sure enough, she was. “Good news though, I located Oriani and he’s doing okay.”
He growled pure angst. “I cannot sit here and grieve in silence with my heart’s shadow here.” Alain rose and fled the room.
This is the emo drama I’ve been missing out on! Not exactly missing it now. Becka motioned to a server to refill her wine glass.
After a few beats of silence, Maura spoke softly. “Please excuse Alain. His grief is difficult to bear.”
She’d never had a close relationship with her mother. Maura had an entire house and guild to run, and as such, she’d spent most of her free time on promising new students. When her eldest had been deemed ungifted by the testers, Becka had had the impression Maura perceived the fateful turn of events as a loss of resources more than the loss of a child.
“Everyone here is grieving,” Becka replied. “It’s an often unpalatable and unpredictable process.”
Another server came around with a platter of sliced, roasted yams drizzled with pomegranate syrup. Becka took a couple of slices, refusing to miss out on the delicacies of the feast due to the scene. The food had been the best part of her visit so far. The company...not so much.
Maura regarded her afresh, and Becka wondered which daughter she mourned tonight. She preferred to think it was both, and not just her twin.
“So it is. I had had such high hopes for you both. I am sure you have heard Tesse had an unparalleled gift. Her ability to emulate lifelike creatures was unmatched.”
“I saw her lavender rose gown. It’s impeccable in style and perfectly lifelike. The loss of Tesse’s magic leaves the world less remarkable.”
Maura smiled a sad, half-hearted smile. “That dress was one of my favorites. Perhaps after the remembrance ceremony tomorrow you would like to see a few of her more impressive creations?”
This was not the unapproachable and distant mother she remembered. This woman was vulnerable and open to dialogue. Could Maura’s willingness to talk be an opportunity to get more information to help the Enforcer’s investigation?
“I’d appreciate that, Maura. Thanks.”
Maura raised a brow, and her brother Calder’s face flushed red.
Uh oh...
“I know you have been away for some time, but you will refer to the Duchess of Rowan as befits her station,” Calder said, scolding her like she was an unruly child.
Becka arched a brow. She’d been free from fae sensibilities too long to put up with this crap.
Maura placed a hand on Calder’s arm. “Becka no longer lives in our world and is not bound by our customs.”
“That much is obvious. But it would not kill her to display appropriate respect, my Lady,” Calder replied.
“Perhaps then you could lead by example,” Maura said.
Yowza! Maura didn’t let anything slide, did she?
Calder sank back in his chair, cheeks flushed red. “Yes, my Lady. My apologies.” Calder stared daggers at Becka, but she ignored his ire.
No doubt he’d blame the public chastisement on Becka. When she’d been outcast Calder had been fourteen, two years her junior. Even back then he’d been a hothead, first to charge into the middle of the fray, wee dagger drawn, begging for excitement. Becka had thought of it as status-seeking behavior even back then. With his temperament, they’d never been close.
Now, with Tesse gone, Calder was the heir apparent. Could he have played a role in Tesse’s death? Becka’s gaze flitted to Quinn, who watched her and the entire head table like a hawk. He frowned, no doubt noticing the gears churning in her mind, as the humans would say.
“Calder, I left the manor before your gift surfaced. Did your talents favor our mother or father?”
Calder puffed up, running his fingers along the stem of his wine glass. “I displayed the illusionist gifts of Rowan shortly after you left. Before I turned seventeen, I also demonstrated the prophetic gifts of Alder.”
A rooster would have been envious of his preening skills. No wonder he was so uppity. Fae houses had been trying to pull off cross-gifted offspring for generations. There had been occasional successes, but generally, children favored one or the other houses, not both. And rarely were both gifts of much merit.
“What a fortuitous blessing for the Houses of Rowan and Alder.”
“Indeed,” Maura replied. “His gifts are not as spectacularly powerful as others, but Guild Rowan hopes the combination affords us gains previously unattained.”
Calder held his tongue and drank more wine. It must suck knowing you’re not the preferred heir, but the family would
