touched the flat of an axeblade hanging behind him. ‘I wish you had not seen me like this, young lady. I have . . . spells where it all comes back to me, the fighting and the war, and then I must leave them all. I am not safe company in those moments. I see the enemy, then . . .’
She eyed the two savages. ‘I wonder that you keep such company, my lord, if you do not wish to be reminded.’
He laughed weakly. ‘I need no help in the reminding. I keep my friends here because they understand. They know what I have gone through . . . what I am still going through. They make sure that I do no harm. Please, young lady, you have strayed onto a sight you should not have seen, and I am sorry for that.’
*
Early the next morning, Grant was waiting for them with the carriage when the time came to leave. Alice was being secretive and mysterious, but Emily understood that she had not attracted the King’s attention. For her own part, Emily had seen no further sign of either Giles Scavian or Mr Northway.
No sooner had his name crossed her mind than Alice’s prattle moved on. ‘And I shall tell Mary that you danced with that loathsome creature Northway, and no doubt she will have a lot to say about that.’
‘Let her say what she will,’ Emily retorted sternly.
‘I do not understand how you could do that.’
‘You do not understand a great many things, Alice.’
The buggy shifted forward a little, then stopped as Grant reined in the horses.
‘Is there a problem, Grant?’ asked Emily, peering into the pre-dawn gloom.
‘I need to wait for the road ahead to clear, ma’am. Also there’s a gentleman here I think wishes to speak to you.’
Emily leant out, caught her breath in surprise, and opened the door as quickly as she could. The hand that helped her down was that of Giles Scavian.
‘Miss Marshwic,’ he said, ‘I had hoped to speak to you before you left.’
She almost told him then and there how she had gone in search of him, but it would not have been seemly. She confined herself to, ‘Mr Scavian, you seem well recovered from your ordeal.’
‘To be touched by the King’s fires is something not lightly undertaken.’ He looked about him awkwardly. There were a few lines on his face that she thought had not been there when they last spoke. ‘Miss Marshwic, I. . . in truth I found our talk together refreshing. You are quite unlike other ladies I have met here.’ He stopped then, colouring slightly. ‘I did not quite mean to . . . I hope you understand me.’
‘I do,’ she said, very conscious of Alice eavesdropping close behind her. ‘I enjoyed our conversation, Mr Scavian – very much so.’
His face lit up. ‘Miss Marshwic, I . . . I suppose you head now for your family home.’
‘Grammaine, yes. You are welcome to visit us there at any time. It would be good to have guests, especially one as eminent as a wizard of the King.’
Behind his eyes, something dropped, locking her out. ‘Alas, I . . . go to the war tomorrow. The King bestows no gifts idly, but would see them used. I just wanted . . . In truth I wanted to say goodbye. I would that we had met before, Miss Marshwic.’ He bit his lip. ‘May I take some message, or do some favour for you? Have you friends or relatives at the fighting?’
‘Where do you travel?’
‘The Levant front. The swamp country.’
Without thinking, Emily took his hand in hers and held it there, hot and dry from the King’s fire. ‘My brother Rodric serves there. Please see that he is safe. He is very young.’
‘I shall do all I can.’
‘And I have a brother-in-law, Lieutenant Tubal Salander. Perhaps he can help you there when you arrive. It will all be unfamiliar to you.’
‘It will,’ he agreed. ‘I had never thought there would be war during my lifetime. I had not looked for it, in truth.’
‘Will you do a third favour for me?’ she asked.
‘Only name it, Miss Marshwic.’
‘Will you keep yourself safe, Mr Scavian?’
He gave a little laugh at that. ‘I must needs do my duty but, beyond that, I shall protect myself as best I can – for you, since you ask it.’
‘Please do.’ She saw that the path away from Deerlings was clear now for them to travel, and he