He’s sort of the law in this town. But five is an odd number for a dinner party, isn’t it? I suppose I could invite his sister, Gracie, too. She’s a friend of Emeranth’s, and I imagine someone you could very easily be friends with.”
“Sounds perfect. How about tomorrow night?”
“I wasn’t saying—” He sighed, but there was no real emotion in it. He was far too wrapped up in the feel of her hand in his to be frustrated about anything. “I suppose that would be all right. I’ll have to ask Mrs. Applestock if that’s enough time for her to organize and prepare everything for the meal.”
“I think Mrs. Applestock will explode with happiness if you tell her she’s going to get to cook for six people. And that the meal is actually going to be served in the dining room.”
He laughed. “You’re probably right.”
She inhaled suddenly, as if she’d just realized something.
“What is it?”
“This is going to be a fancy kind of gathering, isn’t it?”
“It doesn’t need to be. Why?”
She looked upset. “Because this is the fanciest outfit I have, and it’s not remotely fancy.”
“I’m sure we can do something about that.”
“You don’t understand. I don’t have money for clothes.” She frowned harder. “I don’t have money for anything.”
“I’m happy to give you the money for—”
“No. Please, I don’t want money from you.”
“And I don’t want you to worry about this. We’ll find a solution. I’ll speak to Amelia. I’m sure she’ll have an answer.” He hesitated. “We could always have a cookout. Those are casual, right?”
Theodora made a face. “And ruin Mrs. Applestock’s fun? As much as I detest hand-me-downs and previously worn things, I’m also used to them. Maybe there’s a charity shop in town. I do have a few dollars.”
“Like I said, we’ll figure something out.” He wasn’t about to let her fret over something like clothing. Not when he had more money than he needed and a deep desire to ease her worries. She shouldn’t be spending her money anyway, not when she was working as his companion. That felt like a job that ought to come with some kind of stipend. Especially for clothing.
“All right,” she said. “This is farther into the forest than I thought we’d manage.”
“What?” He immediately paid attention to where they were. They’d left the pavilion and the grounds of the house behind them a while ago and were now deep into the enchanted forest. Trees surrounded them to the point that he almost couldn’t see the house. He stopped dead. “This shouldn’t be possible.”
“It shouldn’t?”
He turned to look back at the house. “We’re past where I can usually—how are we so far? Why wasn’t I stopped? This is…” He shook his head. “I didn’t even feel anything.”
“How far should you have been able to go?”
“A few feet beyond the pavilion. Not more than that.” He glanced at her. “The only thing that’s different is you.”
“But I haven’t done anything. I don’t have any more magic than the average goblin.”
He suspected that wasn’t exactly true, but right now, he didn’t care. The fact that he’d gone beyond the confines of his prison for the first time in almost twenty years overshadowed all else.
He let go of her hand and tried moving a few feet in every direction. Nothing stopped him. He held his hand out to her again. “Come on. There’s something I want to try.”
Minutes later, he was behind the wheel of the Packard with Theodora in the passenger seat. He hadn’t driven the car in ages, but it wasn’t something he could ever forget how to do. He loved this car. He’d dreamed of driving it again someday. Really driving it. Not puttering to the end of the property and back.
Henry nodded at them. “Have fun, Your Lordship.”
“Thank you,” Robin said. “Oh, and no more of that lordship business. I’m not your king. I’m not anyone’s king.”
“As you wish, your—sir.”
Robin laughed, gave the man a big smile, and stepped lightly on the gas. The Packard rolled forward, and Robin hoped against all odds that what had happened in the forest was not a freak thing.
He made it out of the courtyard and down the drive. As he approached the end, he reached for Theodora’s hand again. “Just in case we have to be touching for it to work.”
She smiled and took his hand. “You already proved that wasn’t the case.”
“Humor me.”
The car rolled past the property lines and out onto the main road. A shot of joy