LTSV - Lost & Found 25 (Patreon)

Randall was sitting tensely upright when Mira joined him in the sitting room with his hands braced on his knees. Colvin went in ahead of her to break the news that Delia had been by with a tea service and a tray of crustless sandwiches for him that he had yet to touch.

This love interest had the least fantastic coloration of the five. Randall had light brown hair and eyes the color of new spring leaves. He wore his hair a bit on the long side, but not long enough to pull back into a tail as Colvin did. He stood as soon as he caught sight of Mira.

“Senior Priestly,” he greeted her formally, although not with any warmth. “Thank you for allowing me the use of your drawing room.”

“It is no trouble,” she assured him and gestured for him to sit so she could too. The one bad thing about the inscription was that it made her tired all the time and would until she’d acclimated to it. Then, later, she’d get to do this all over again with the permanent version. “I am given to understand that you and Cece have been friendly since you were little.”

Randall blinked at her casual use of Cecily’s nickname, but he also relaxed a bit. “Our families are–or were historically close. I was alarmed by yesterday’s article in the Gazette and came to check on her. If you don’t mind a question, Senior, how long has she been living outside of her fa–away from Sir Rousseau’s house? It’s just that I’ve sent several letters to her since the beginning of the break and they were all returned.”

“I’m not entirely sure,” Mira admitted. “I do know that there was an altercation at some point between Cecily and her former guardian. He threw her out and it was around the time that the Temple of Eyes released their proclamation about the switched girls. She went to do her civic duty and it was discovered in the process that she belongs to the Coventry family. My older sister collected her from the Temple and we’ve all been sharing living space since the week before last.” She paused and, after a bit of thought,  added, “I overheard the fourth prince tell her that he has also been having his messages returned to him. Cece also said that she requested for her letters to be held at the post office, but hasn’t received anything all summer. I’m beginning to think that the Baronet may have stopped her mail at the beginning of the break with the central post office.”

A brief flash of outrage rippled across Randall’s usually bland expression. He was the kind who always had a mild smile on his face, no matter what was going on, and so even his closest people sometimes forgot his capacity for violence. Mira hadn’t, though.

“You have my condolences,” Randall said unexpectedly. Maybe mentioning Andrei had reminded Randall of what happened and that he probably ought to say something polite about it. “Regarding the incident outside the Royal Hospital and the matter of your marriage. I am glad to see you are doing better now.”

“I’m still easily fatigued, but recovering,” Mira replied because Randall struck her a bit like Greer in that he probably liked it when people freely admitted to their problems and didn’t try to be secretive. “Or else I’d be out too.”

“My mother and father were appalled to learn of Sir Fenby’s behavior,” Randall replied. “They also send their regrets. They condemn the Fenbys’ behavior and will remember it in the future.”

“Thank you,” Mira said, feeling touched. It wasn’t a promise of retribution, but she did understand the sympathy they were offering her. “Your parents are very kind.”

“The same could be said for you, Senior Priestly,” Randall observed with a slow blink. “My family was very surprised to hear that you have accepted Cecily into your home, given everything that happened during the school year. I’m aware that you told the Gazette that you said that you have no personal grievances with her, but the fourth prince has placed you both in an untenable situation with his behavior.”

Mira wondered for a moment where Randall was going with this, but was enlightened almost immediately.

“My mother has always been fond of Cece…” Randall started, straightening up again before Mira held up a hand to make him stop.

“Thank you, Mister Zorander,” she said. “However, she’s only just gotten settled and your family’s home is too close to Rousseau House. Our elder sister would never permit it. My father has acknowledged her and that makes Vesper her primary guardian. It’s for the best that she remains here with us.”

There was some noise just then in the front hall and Cecily popped around the corner a few seconds later with Randall’s card in hand. She brightened at the sight of him and hurried in. “Randall! You came! Did you get my letter already? I sent it out with the morning post.”

“No, I’m afraid I haven’t received it yet,” Randall said as he rose to greet her. They clasped forearms in a very fraternal gesture. “I found your new address through my father so I came to visit. Senior Priestly was kind enough to keep me company.”

“Colvin, would you mind asking for refreshments for one more and a cool cloth?” Mira asked, eyeing Cecily’s glowing expression. She made it look pretty, but Mira could tell that glow was the beginning of a sunburn. Had she been walking? Why hadn’t she taken the coupe?

“Of course, miss,” Colvin said and bowed himself out.

“Mi–Violet, have you met Randall before?” Cecily asked, plopping herself down next to Mira on the settee. She placed a subtle hand on Mira’s back and a brief ripple of magic flowed across Mira’s skin before Cecily relaxed fully.

“No, we have never been formally introduced,” Mira said. “However, I am aware of him.”

“Then let me,” Cecily said with a sunny smile. “This is my dear friend, Randall Zorander. We played together as children. Randall, this is Miss Violet Priestly, my second oldest sister. I hope we can all get along?” That last was said with such blatant hope directed at Randall that Mira didn’t even try to resist a smug smile. She wasn’t the one being asked to play nice. 

Mira could see the fight drain out of Randall as Cecily radiated sunny joy at him.

“I have long admired you among the upperclassmen, Senior Priestly,” Randall lied, once he gave up in the face of Cecily’s hope. 

Mira was well aware that Randall thought she was a stuck up bitch, although that largely had to do with the fact that he thought she was trying to drive Cecily away from her man rather than have an honest confrontation with her about it. He was more sympathetic to Mira once the real culprit was revealed, but not by much. “I’m glad to properly make your acquaintance.”

“I am as well, but for now I will take my leave and let you two have your visit in private,” Mira agreed as Delia appeared with a glass of cold fruit tea for Cecily and a rolled up towel laid on a small bed of ice. 

She stood up and patted Cecily’s shoulder as she left to cover up the fact that she deliberately let her skirt catch on the airy sleeves of her younger sister’s day dress. She’d noticed that Cecily’s dress for the day lacked her usual prim cuffs that extended onto the back of her hands and instead cinched about mid-forearm with longer ruffles that extended down past her wrist.

The marks the Baronet left on her were fading, but still present and Mira’s calculated maneuver caused Cecily’s sleeves to slide back and reveal all the green-yellow-brown dots still lingering on her skin.

Mira saw Randall stiffen even as Cecily smoothly covered her arm again in an attempt to pretend it hadn’t happened. Mira caught the boy’s eye over her sister’s head, gave him a hard look to make it clear she’d done that on purpose, and then left. 

Colvin was waiting just outside the drawing room, which was open to the hall so he’d seen everything. Fortunately, he didn’t comment until they were back upstairs in the study. 

“The baron’s work?” he asked quietly as Mira fetched her book to go sit back down and resume her readings. 

“Or that of his awful spawn,” Mira confirmed, not looking up. 

“I saw more marks on her back when I fed her power the other day,” Colvin volunteered, contrary to Mira’s expectations. “No one else noticed. They were covered by my spellwork. Miss Cecily has resisted my attempts to broach the subject.”

“Vesper and I are aware,” Mira told him. She was surprised Colvin had asked, but she could believe that Cecily didn’t want to discuss her stepfather with him. “You don’t need to interfere. we have the matter in hand.”

Colvin nodded thoughtfully. He picked up a letter opener from his desk and turned it this way and that in his hands for a few seconds. “Would you like anything to be done regarding the baronet?” he asked in a casual tone that Mira found very suspicious.

“What do you think I just did?” Mira asked, putting her book down at last and propping her hand up on her chin.

“Zorander is very young and hampered by a lack of resources. He isn’t the family’s heir,” Colvin said and put the letter opener down. “You might have to wait years for any results and who knows what he’ll get up to in the interim.”

“I don’t think so,” Mira said with a nonchalant shrug. “But when you plant seeds, you have to make peace with the possibility that some of them might not sprout. At the very least, he’ll work to destroy whatever goodwill remains between the Zorander and Rousseau family. That’s not nothing. Sir Rousseau is the type who will bring about his own bad end. I won’t need to do much to ensure he does a thorough job so he can never recover afterwards.”

That was one thing she knew about that type that never, ever changed in all her lives. The people who needed a living whipping post to function always started to unravel as soon as they lost control of that person. Sometimes they could replace their previous victim, but it was never quite the same. He would start to make mistakes soon, lash out at people he shouldn’t, and the connections that had sustained him until now would begin to fray.

The cruelest thing Cecily could do to him was to stay away and be happily successful elsewhere. Mira didn’t need to exert herself just yet; encouraging an ember that was already starting to catch was good enough.

Colvin thought about that. “How concerned are you about Sir Rousseau?”

“I recall that he’s a nasty little toady.” Mira opened the book on her lap, but didn’t really see the words as she stared down at the page. “However, he’s also an ambitious little toady and Cecily’s mother is still in his power.” For now.

“He is known to have a reach that exceeds his grasp,” Colvin agreed with a sigh.

Randall stayed for most of the afternoon, until the dinner hour approached and Mira felt compelled to extend him an invitation to dine with them. Either he’d stay or he’d take the hint to leave already.

“...sure you’re happy here?” Mira overhead him asking Cecily as she stepped out onto the landing. Randall and Cecily were standing in the foyer so it appeared that their guest would not be staying for a meal. 

“I am! I really am and I want to stay here,” Cecily insisted. “Please don’t judge her from what Andrei says. She’s different.”

“People don’t change for no reason, Cece,” Randall warned her quietly and Mira felt her cheeks heat. What had Violet actually done to anyone?

“I told you, I never believed that was her,” Cecily said. Her back was facing Mira, but Mira thought she might have her hands fisted in the material of her skirts. “Archibald and Ferdinand were always such… such…”

“Pricks?” Randall offered languidly.