Any Other Name (The Split Worlds) - By Emma Newman Page 0,54

from a member of her family that had made her smile and it was a strangely pleasant feeling. She laid it on the bed and opened the small envelope from the Sorcerer, half expecting it to emit a puff of smoke and creepy music. But it was just a small card and a piece of paper folded twice.

I will be available to speak to you at 7pm tomorrow evening. When alone and free to converse with me, unfold the enclosed piece of paper and press on an interior door, formulae against the wood. Until then, keep the paper folded and out of sight.

She turned it over to see if there was anything else, but it was blank. So her uncle had passed on a note from the Sorcerer. Was that a good or a bad thing? It certainly suggested a great deal of trust between the two of them, but then the Sorcerer had engineered his rescue, which counted for something. Cathy grinned. That solved one of her biggest problems: how to get in touch with him. She tucked the folded piece of paper into her bodice, slipping it between her corset and the dress so it didn’t touch her skin.

As she was opening the other letter, a fine smoke wafted up from the Sorcerer’s card and in seconds it had crumbled into ash. “Show-off,” she muttered and read Lucy’s letter.

Dear Catherine,

I hope you are well and settling in your new home. I haven’t stopped thinking about you since the wedding day, I’m so sorry we didn’t have the opportunity to speak in private, so I thought I would write you instead.

I could see how hard it was for you and Tom was so upset when we got home. He misses you. I wanted you to know that I’m here for you, and to reassure you that married life can be better than you might think. The trick is to look for the best in him, and in doing that, he’ll find the best in you. This isn’t just Californian hokey, please believe me.

I would very much like to visit you as soon as you are receiving visitors – there’s so much for us to talk about. Let me know when it would be convenient. And I promise it will get easier.

With love,

Lucy x

Cathy laid it next to her uncle’s letter. Lucy was sweet but what on earth did they have to talk about? The only thing they had in common was being married off, and Lucy didn’t exactly share her feelings about that.

The door opened after a single knock and William came in with the bundle of letters still in his hand. She moved Lucy’s letter over the patch of ash.

“We’re having dinner at the Tulipas the night after tomorrow.” He held out the invitation.

She didn’t take it. “Who are they?”

“One of the most powerful families in Londinium. The man who has invited us is tipped to be the next Duke. No doubt there will be other important people there.”

“I’d prefer not to.”

William raised an eyebrow. “It wasn’t a request, Catherine, but a note for your diary.”

“I hate dinner parties.”

“Do you have something suitable to wear?”

“Didn’t you–”

He held up a hand. “Non-negotiable. We must attend as a couple, for goodness’ sake. It’s obvious.”

Cathy took a breath to argue, but where would it lead? “I’ll go if I can have tomorrow evening to myself.”

“There’s nothing planned for tomorrow,” he said irritably. “Though if you insist on negotiating every time an event comes up this simply won’t work.”

“My uncle tells me that lemon is strictly out of fashion,” she said with a sigh, knowing this wasn’t a fight to be won and looking back at the letter. “But ‘honeyed shades of gold’ are very popular. What’s that supposed to mean anyway? Honey isn’t a verb.”

William chuckled and she jumped at the unexpected noise. “It is if the Master of Ceremonies deems it to be so. That’s most useful, thank you.”

“It is? I thought it was drivel myself.”

William sighed and looked up as if hoping for divine intervention. “I’ll get a dressmaker onto it right away, shall I? Seeing as we have no one engaged here.”

“There’s no way they can make a dress in two days. Actually –” she held up her hands “– I don’t care. I’m sure your family has all kinds of clever ways to do stuff like that.”

“Indeed. Just don’t speak like that when we are in company, please,” William said. “And the chap from the Agency is