37. Conrad
CONRAD
The morning of the not-so-secret secret party, Conrad stayed in bed longer than usual, reluctant to lose the weight of Sage beside him. Sage seemed to notice.
“Aren’t you going to breakfast?” he asked sleepily.
“In a minute,” Conrad assured him.
Sage hummed and nuzzled against his neck. “I’ve finally won you over to the idea of morning leisure, have I?”
Conrad laughed and turned his head to kiss him. “If I understand correctly, tonight marks the official end of our house party. Which means this idyllic experience will soon be over.”
Sage went still. “But we’ll still see each other in London.”
“Yes, of course. But we won’t be able to wander down to breakfast with the others like we do now. There won’t be any more picnics or swimming in the lake. I’ll miss it, that’s all.”
“I can’t say I’ll miss all of that ,” Sage muttered. “And there’s still plenty of entertainment to be had in London. Arguably more entertainment to be had.”
“Really?”
“Oh, yes. I quite hate the country.”
“What do I have to look forward to in London, then?”
“I’ll show you the opera, of course. And we can go riding in Hyde Park now that you know how to ride.
And there will be garden parties and dinner parties.
You now have a number of people to call on for tea whenever you feel like pestering people—or visiting them, depending on your point of view. I’d love to show you Vauxhall Gardens.”
“I’ve heard about that one,” Conrad said, excited. “Is it true they have fairy lights in the trees?”
“Mmhmm,” Sage said, bussing his lips over Conrad’s skin. “And lanterns over the dance floor. Fireworks sometimes. And a number of little nooks and crannies for salacious goings on.”
“Sounds exciting.”
Sage kissed him. Conrad wanted dearly to ask if they would still be pretending when they were in London, but he didn’t quite dare. The whole scheme had been Sage’s idea from the start. He was determined to let him be the one to change the rules when he was ready.
“So you see, nothing to mourn at the end of this party. I’d say your fun has just begun,” Sage said when he pulled away.
“Quite right,” Conrad replied with a grin. “Thank you for pulling me out of my brief spell of melancholy.”
“You do melancholy very poorly.”
He laughed. “Very true. Shall we go down to breakfast?”
Sage groaned. “I shouldn’t have said anything at all.”
Conrad traced his cheek with a fingertip. “I’ll miss waking up with you beside me.”
Sage sobered and then he nipped at Conrad’s finger with his teeth before sitting up. “If you think I won’t sneak into whatever bed you’re renting, you’re woefully mistaken. You won’t get rid of me that easily.”
Conrad beamed and hopped out of bed. “I’m delighted to hear it.”
When they reached the breakfast room, they found Roger in an evident state of nerves and everyone else in an evident state of trying to soothe Roger’s nerves while simultaneously pretending like they didn’t know why he was so nervous.
It would have been amusing if it wasn’t so difficult to see Roger anxious.
Conrad and Sage took their usual seats and contributed to forcing an air of cheerfulness.
Conrad was almost surprised by Sage’s efforts until he remembered that the man had been helping Roger with the planning.
He’d likely gained a great deal of experience in soothing the man’s nerves in the past month.
When Roger’s valet entered the room and leaned down to whisper in Roger’s ear, Roger brightened, glanced at Conrad, and then left the room. He came back less than ten minutes later and said, “Conrad, there’s someone here to see you.”
Bemused, Conrad followed him down the hall and into a small sitting room.
“Just be yourself,” Roger whispered, before ushering him inside.
Then he straightened and said in a more formal voice, “Father, I’d like you to meet Mr. Conrad Moore.
Mr. Moore, please allow me to introduce my father, Mr. Norman Barnes.
He’s the Head of the Council for the human side. ”
Mr. Barnes stood, beamed, and held out his hand for Conrad to shake.
It was more along the lines of how Conrad met people in his own station, which put him instantly at ease.
When it occurred to him that this was likely the gentleman’s intention, he relaxed even more.
Roger excused himself and bustled out of the room, closing the door behind him with a quiet snap.
They both sat and Mr. Barnes turned his smile fully to Conrad.
He looked very much like his son—the same light brown skin, the same dark eyes and dark hair, the same roundness of face and figure, and the same gentleness of spirit.
Conrad recognized that this was what Torquil had been trying to tell him the previous day.
If he could get along with Roger, he would likely get along just fine with Mr. Barnes.
“I’m told you wish to apply for the vacant position on the Council,” Mr. Barnes prompted him.
“Yes, sir.”
“Everything I’ve heard about you is very promising. Why don’t you tell me a bit about yourself?”
Conrad launched into a brief summary of coming from Bristol, his work on the docks, his dream of doing more, how learning about the new rubrics gave him hope for families like his own, and how he had developed his plan to come and apply for the position on the human side of the Council.
“I have a number of ideas. I’ve talked about them at length with Roger, Wyndham, Torquil, and Silas.
I’d love to be a part of launching the rubric.
I realize the Council is in a stage of change at the moment, what with a number of members leaving and another group joining; I’d very much like to be a part of that change and help to mold what we make of the future. ”
Mr. Barnes’ smile grew. “That’s exactly the sort of thing I wanted to hear. Anything else I need to know?”
Conrad hesitated. “I confess that my magic is not as strong as I’d like it to be.
I was educated at home by my parents, so I had no formal training.
My Hastings score was quite low, but there was nothing for us to inherit anyway, and the jobs we work don’t require any particular score.
When working with raw materials, my magic is stronger.
And I’ve been experimenting with another fae in residence here—under Roger and Wyndham’s supervision and guidance of course—and my magic is significantly stronger when I do that.
But I don’t wish you to be under any illusions as to my magical prowess.
Though I cannot sense magic like Roger, I am eager to learn whatever I can. ”
Mr. Barnes’ expression sharpened at the mention of raw materials and the experiments with Sage, but he chuckled at the end of Conrad’s speech.
“I cannot sense magic either. And I would prefer to have someone of the right temperament and vision than simply picking someone with a certain level of magical power. Besides, having someone from a humble background is a good thing. You would provide a much needed perspective in terms of what ideas might be feasible for people in different financial situations. It didn’t occur to me what a lack of inheritance might mean for a family with an informal education or low scores.
We would need to take that sort of thing into account when we prepare the rubrics. ”
Conrad breathed out in relief. “I am glad I’m not alone in not being able to sense magic.”
“Not at all,” the other man said. “Truth be told, I’d be relieved to have another member on the Council who cannot. I am now decidedly in the minority where that skill is concerned.”
Conrad beamed in response. “Is there anything else you wish to know?”
“I would like to hear more about your work with raw materials and this experiment with another fae, but that can wait. I’ve been impressed with you since my son wrote of how you traveled all the way from Bristol to inquire about the position.
I was pleased to hear of your amiable disposition and how you seemed to get along with everyone you met.
He is far more complimentary when discussing your magical skills, though I won’t deny that humility is a good trait,” he added with a wink.
“I had honestly all but made up my mind before my arrival.”
Conrad clasped his hands together in his lap, barely daring to breathe. “You had?”
“Oh, yes. A determined, intelligent, amiable, kind, and skilled young person such as yourself? One with a vision for a better future, who’s willing to work for it? I couldn’t ask for a better applicant.” He held out his hand, “Welcome to the Council for Fae and Human Magical Relations, Mr. Moore.”
Conrad grasped Mr. Barnes’ hand with both of his own. “Thank you,” he breathed. “I cannot tell you what this means to me.”
Mr. Barnes gave a kindly chuckle. “After hearing what you went through to get here, I can imagine. As I understand it, you’ve been staying here until we could talk. So if you need an advance on your salary to tide you over in London, let me know.”
“Thank you,” Conrad repeated. “I may take you up on that. Torquil has offered for me to use their townhouse when I go, so that will help considerably.”
“I imagine so. I’m glad to hear it.” He stood. “I certainly don’t want you struggling before you’ve even had a chance to start. And it’s good to know that you have Torquil’s good opinion. They are an excellent judge of character.”
“They are quite wonderful,” Conrad said.
“Indeed.” Mr. Barnes flashed him a smile. “Now, unless you have any questions for me, I should sneak back out. Roger has been adamant that my arrival be a secret.”
Conrad laughed. “Nothing comes to mind.”
“I’ll be at the…” He lowered his voice to a whisper for the next word, “... party tonight,” he resumed at normal volume. “So if you think of anything, don’t hesitate to ask.” He shook Conrad’s hand again. “It was a pleasure meeting you.”
Conrad thanked him again. Mr. Barnes opened the door, greeted someone on the other side of it, and then left. Conrad stood in the center of the room, feeling dazed by how swiftly and easily his dream had come true.
“Conrad?” Sage’s voice stirred him out of his thoughts.
“Hm?”
“How did it go?” Sage poked his head in the door, frowning with concern.
Conrad broke into a grin so broad it almost hurt. Sage was at his side in a moment, arms wrapping around his waist. “I knew you could do it,” he whispered against Conrad’s neck.
Conrad wrapped his arms around Sage’s neck with another bright laugh, bouncing on his toes as he did so. “I can hardly believe it. It happened so quickly.”
“You were the only one who doubted it would happen,” Sage reminded him. His voice lowered as he said, “I’m proud of you.”
Conrad blinked away tears as he pulled away enough to frame Sage’s face with his hands and kiss him.