Midlife Blues - Victoria Danann Page 0,29

quality of my client’s work. She has a reputation to maintain. The lines between personal affront and manifestation should not be blurred by careless speech.”

“I tend to agree, Mr. Bogdan.” To Nightingale, I said, “Has this case expanded to include dissatisfaction with the queen’s work? It’s not my place to guide your answer, but from my vantage point, I can see a clutch of her very capable-looking kinsman, no doubt ready to defend her professionalism.”

“I didn’t besmirch her reputation, Your Honor. I said she did an adequate job.”

“Mr. Nightingale, I’d like you to turn around and face this gathering of your peers.”

He hesitated, the smirk leaving his face for the first time, but did as instructed.

To the room, I said, “Everybody who would hire a queen based on a review that she’d done an ‘adequate’ job, raise your hand.”

Out of perhaps eight hundred people in attendance, five or six raised their hands.

“Thank you,” I said to the room. “Count Nightingale.” He turned to face me. “Would you like to amend your critique?”

“Yes, Your Honor. No offense was intended. I meant to say that I got exactly what I asked for. The queen did a fine job.”

“So she finished the work, did a fine job, and was it at this point that she appeared to be hysterical? To you?”

Nightingale was thrown off by the question. “Ah, no, Your Honor. She did not appear hysterical at that point. It was later that I realized she must’ve been.”

“You surmised at a later time that she must’ve been hysterical. I see. Go on.”

“After she’d done the work and been paid, I was left there alone only to discover that the house had been cursed, that I realized I was trapped, living the same day over and over, with no hope of escape.”

“I see. And this situation persisted for how long? In human years?”

“One year. About.”

“Since you’re here, it seems that there was, after all, some hope of escape. How did you come to be freed?”

“Two of my cousins eventually noticed that no one had seen or heard from me. They’re here today if the court would like to address them directly.” He paused. “So, they recalled me saying something about the Highlands. When they arrived at my lodge, they sensed a barrier ward and brought in a dowser to determine the nature and origin of it.

“When Queen Enya…” He turned to look at her briefly. She responded with a bright smile, which appeared to unnerve him further. “When Queen Enya sensed that someone might be investigating her spell, she appeared and acknowledged her role in my imprisonment. My cousins asked her to remove the spell. She laughed and said, “Not for a fafgaelon.”

“What is a fafgaelon?”

“Around a hundred and fifty years.” With no follow up on my part, he continued, “My cousins went to the bureau and they, in turn, formally requested that the queen release me, stating that the civilized way of addressing grievances is to exercise her rights by bringing suit.”

“Is that all?”

“You asked about damages and remedy. I was held captive in solitary because a former lover was in a vindictive snit.”

I heard gasps resound throughout the room. Undoubtedly the fae weren’t used to hearing their queens publicly critiqued in that manner.

“My suggestion is that she suffer a similar fate. Solitary confinement for a fafgaelon.”

After a few beats, I said, “Is that all, Count?”

“Indeed, it is, Your Honor.” He appeared to be gaining confidence.

“Very well. You may sit.”

“Mr. Bogdan, I’d very much like to hear your client’s version of this story and I’d like to hear it from her. Personally. Do you have any objection?”

He whispered to her briefly, and said, “No, Your Honor. The queen will speak for herself, but reserves the privilege of asking my advice.”

“I will allow it.”

Looking as regal as a fairy tale, Queen Enya stood as Bogdan sat down. I took the opportunity to whisper behind my hand to Lochlan, “How should I address her?”

“Your Highness,” he said.

I straightened and looked down at Enya. No doubt it was a power dynamic she wasn’t accustomed to, but she handled it well.

“Your Highness. Do you have additional information the court may consider while deciding this case? Is there any part of the count’s recount that needs correction, in your view?”

“Yes, Your Honor. He left the impression that at the time, we were both seasoned adults who offhandedly entered into casual, temporary relationships with a prior understanding that neither feeling nor meaning plays any part. That is not true.