14. Darian
Chapter fourteen
Darian
Darian let his fingers brush against Celia's as they walked through town. He didn't want to force her to hold his hand if she wasn't ready for that, but her fingers laced through his and he couldn't keep the smile off his face.
He noticed people noticing them, and knew that before long, he would be the talk of the town. It was only a matter of time before somebody told Eugenia, the town librarian, and she spread the news to everyone else that Darian Emberlin was no longer available.
While he’d never had as many girls chasing after him as Conrad, there had been more than a few girls he suspected of doing the shopping for their family in an attempt to catch his eye.
But he hadn't wanted any of them.
Of course, he hadn't known until recently that it was because he was looking for a grumpy woman with a house full of baby dragons, but now that he knew, there was no going back.
Celia had spoiled every other woman for him, and he couldn't be happier with the arrangement.
They approached the Cozy Cat Café, and Darian opened the door to let Celia go in first. The smell of cinnamon and baked goods filled the air, and you could feel the warmth and love in the room the moment you walked in.
It was a special place.
He walked in to find Conrad, the schoolteacher, sitting at a table and making eyes at Linnea, who was working behind the counter. The two of them were an item and had been since they'd apparently pretended to date to keep a few of the particularly effusive girls away from Conrad.
Darian admired them for thinking up such a plot, and for the fact that it had turned into something more.
He glanced down at Celia. She might be willing to hold his hand, but he wasn't sure if she would be willing for anything more than that yet. Perhaps he should tell her about all the girls chasing after him and see if she would volunteer like Linnea had.
“How are you?” Conrad said when he looked up from the papers he was grading and noticed Darian.
“I’m well,” Darian said, clasping his friend's hand. “And you?”
“Just waiting for Linnea to have her break,” he said, “so I can spend a few minutes with her before I have to get back to school.”
“Did you give everyone a long lunch break again?” Darian teased, enjoying how Conrad's face flushed.
“You know it,” he said.
Darian grinned. “I’m not at all surprised,” he said. “Conrad, may I introduce my friend, Celia?”
He chose the word carefully. Either Celia would contradict him and claim they were something more, or she wouldn't. Either way, it was up to her.
“It's a pleasure to meet you,” Celia said, reaching out to shake Conrad's hand.
Darian only smiled. She wasn't ready yet. That was fine. He had no reason to rush her.
“I hope you will try the cinnamon rolls,” Conrad said. “They’re amazing.”
“You're just saying that because I made them,” Linnea said, plopping down next to him with a smile.
“I'm saying it because it's true,” Conrad pointed out as he leaned over to give her a kiss, even though they were standing right there.
They were too cute. “He's allowed to say it if you made them,” Celia told Linnea. “That's how it works.”
“See, she agrees with me,” Conrad said, tucking a strand of Linnea’s coppery hair behind her ear.
Linnea smiled indulgently. “If that's what you want. I need to get back to work.”
“But you just got here,” Conrad said, wrapping his arm around her waist and holding her closer.
“And I was just coming to say goodbye before you have to head back,” she said. “I have more muffins to make.”
“Linnea!” Thea called from behind the counter.
Linnea smirked. “Told you,” she said, kissing Conrad on the cheek once more before hurrying off.
The door opened and Lord Kellan appeared. Conrad grimaced, and Darian tried to remember why Conrad didn't like Lord Kellan. If he remembered correctly, it had something to do with him also trying to court Linnea.
“Hello,” Lord Kellan said as he spotted them and made his way over. “Darian, right?”
Darian raised his eyebrows, surprised that a member of the nobility remembered his name. “That's me,” he said. “What can I do for you, my lord?”
“You have a trader that goes back to Riyel, right?” Lord Kellan asked. “Do you know when he's due to leave next?”
“I believe he leaves tonight,” Darian said, “but he won't be there for two days.”
“That's fine,” Kellan said, pulling a letter out of his pocket. “I have something that I need sent before the next mail run, and I'd rather not send one of my father's messengers.”
Beside him, Celia raised an eyebrow.
Lord Kellan, noticing her, smiled. “I'm sorry. I don't believe we've been introduced. I am Kellan Rendon.”
“I'm Celia Carrington,” Celia said, bobbing into a slight curtsy. “How do you do, my lord?”
“Please, Kellan is fine. I am well, and you?” he asked.
“As am I,” Celia replied politely.
Darian fought the urge to cheer at the fact that Celia didn’t seem charmed by the lord standing in front of them.
“I'll be sure to bring your letter to the trader,” Darian said, tucking it into his pocket. “We should get one of those cinnamon rolls,” he said, placing his hand on Celia's waist and ushering her toward the counter.
What was Lord Kellan mailing out that he didn't want to send with one of his father's messengers?
Not that it was any of his business.
“I need a muffin,” Lord Kellan said, following them. “There is sensitive information in the letter,” he said quietly, “so please be certain that no one else hears of it.”
“Trying to make magic legal again?” Darian joked with a laugh.
Kellan froze, looking at him in surprise.
The three of them looked at each other, nobody willing to say anything.
“Nothing quite as silly as that,” Kellan said after a moment, with a very fake laugh. “Only a letter to my potential bride.”
“A letter to your bride that can't go with your father's messenger?” Celia asked before clapping her hand over her own mouth.
Kellan at least looked amused. “I would prefer that my parents not know that I am arranging my own marriage,” he admitted. “I hope you will help me to maintain that privacy.”
“Of course,” Celia said, as the line moved forward and so did they.
“Though I can't promise Montgomery won't read it or stay silent,” Darian warned. “He doesn’t have the best morals. Perhaps you’d prefer your father’s messenger?”
Kellan relaxed. “I’m not worried about Montgomery. I've heard of him. I don't think he can harm me.”
At Celia’s questioning look, he continued, “Montgomery's daughter is one of my sister-in-law's best friends, and I grew up with her husband. If Montgomery tries to say anything about me or my family, I'm sure Beatrice and Alexander will stop him.”
It must be nice having noble connections. If only he had a way to pressure Montgomery to do as he wanted. But maybe the nobility lived by separate rules. For all he knew, maybe magic wasn't illegal for them—given the way Kellan had reacted when Darian joked about it.
Or maybe he knew more about it than he was letting on.
Darian’s mind flashed back to the moment in the meadow with Guinevere and Kellan's brother Gideon. Most people didn't go so close to the Gloaming Mountains to forage, and yet Gideon had known about the dragons, and Guinevere had seemed perfectly at home there.
So perhaps Kellan knew far more than he was letting on, but Darian was not going to be the one to inquire further.
Lord Kellan knew where to find him if he had more questions.
It wasn’t as if they’d be able to make magic legal again.
They made their way to the front of the line and Darian paid for four of the cinnamon rolls. Linnea smiled at them as she put them into a box, and Thea hurried over and pressed his coin back into his hands.
“Keep it,” she said. “I meant to bring some the last time I came to the store and I forgot. Your uncles deserve a treat every now and then.”
“I can pay for it,” Darian protested.
But Thea shook her head and motioned for Linnea to serve the next customer in line.
Lord Kellan ordered a dozen muffins, and Linnea didn't even seem surprised.
“A dozen muffins,” Celia murmured.
“They make the best muffins,” Kellan told her.
“That’s what Darian told me,” she said, reaching for his hand.
“We’ll make sure to send your letter off right away,” Darian said, squeezing Celia’s hand as he gently began to pull her toward the door.
He didn't want to share this time with her with Kellan.
He had more cheering up to do.
“Thank you,” Lord Kellan called after them.
“My pleasure, my lord,” Darian said, nodding his head as he towed Celia into the sunshine.
Celia relaxed as the sun hit her face, and they began walking toward the general store, where his uncles exclaimed in delight.
“You brought a cinnamon roll!” Uncle Bram said with glee.
“I did,” Darian said with a smile.
“You see? You do love us,” Uncle Amos said as he dug in.
“Thea wouldn't take money for them,” Darian said instead, and his uncle grunted.
“Of course she wouldn't. Stubborn woman. We'll slip some extra coins into the bag next time.”
Celia looked up at him in surprise, and Darian grinned. His uncles were good people.
They stayed at the shop until the afternoon light grew heavy in the sky.
“I should get her home,” he told his uncles.
Celia no longer looked pathetic—a cinnamon roll and some good company had brought the light back to her eyes. And as much as he hated to bring her home to where she would be lonely, he knew she wouldn't want to stay in town with him.
While she didn't mind visiting town, she had told him before she would much rather be near the mountains. If that was where she wanted to be, that was where he would bring her. And maybe someday, stay with her.
But for now, he would settle for bringing the smile back to her face.