Children Of The Sky (The Scripts Of Neptune, Book 2)

Chapter 52

Lady Eldin's study was oddly peaceful without her there, Darcy found. It was lined by bookshelves stacked full with volumes and uncharacteristically unorganized odds and ends; Darcy recognized some of them as anniversary gifts from her father. The smell of parchment, ink, and books hung thickly in the air, and Darcy thought about opening a window despite the cold to clear some of the stuffiness.

It'd been nearly a week since Ely's fall, half that since he'd finally woken. She hadn't been there--it'd been the middle of the night--but she'd gone to see him the following morning. He'd still been groggy, partially because they'd given him a potentially unhealthy dose of wine for the pain; there'd been a great deal of strange things said before he fell asleep and she left him. After her mother's lecture when she returned, Darcy hadn't dared visit him again. It hurt him, she knew, but she could explain when she found a way to see him in private. To overstep once more now would do nothing but make her mother's grip tighten.

Leaning her head back and stretching like a cat in the chair across from her mother's desk, Darcy glanced at the clock. A little over half past two--Lady Eldin was late by nearly fifteen minutes. That was unusual, but not unwelcome. It gave Darcy at least a few moments to collect herself before facing her mother. With her birthday approaching, her mother had made a point to demand that they discuss the continuation of her betrothal to Nickoli.

She sat up straight and stiff when the door inched open, steeling herself for the conversation she knew was coming. Her eyes went wide when instead of her mother, a boy with white-blond hair and bandages on his head slipped in and grinned at her. They'd cut his hair close to his skull to make it easier to tend his wounds; he looked odd without the shaggy locks she'd grown used to. Older, almost, and far more serious.

"Ely!" she hissed, shooting out of her seat. "What the hell are you doing? You should be in bed."

Putting a finger to his lips and furrowing his brow for her to be quiet, Ely put a hand across his chest with a wince and came over to lean against the desk. He had a slight limp--the doctor had said he'd bruised a bone in his leg, but thankfully avoided a fracture.

"I feel a lot better," he made excuse, picking up a pen and tapping it on the desk without meeting her eyes. "Besides, I haven't seen you in a week."

Rubbing her cheek and trying to swallow her guilt, Darcy sat back down in her chair. "I know. I'm sorry, I couldn't. Mother's been watching me like a hawk."

Ely frowned and arched a brow at her. "Why? Did you do something?"

Laughing quietly, Darcy sank further in her seat, rubbing her face with both hands. "Yes. I said too much."

"About what?" Ely asked, and Darcy lowered her hands to look at him. His expression changed, and he swore. "You and me?"

Nodding, Darcy leaned her head back and shut her eyes. "She cornered me the day you fell, when I was with you at the infirmary. I didn't mean to give away so much, but...she knows about the night you stayed with me in the mountains."

Ely swore again, under his breath this time, and rubbed his eyes with the hand that wasn't braced against his ribs. "What'd she say? I'm surprised I'm not out in the street already."

"She wanted to throw you out," Darcy said, turning her head to look at him sideways. "But she's got enough decency to let you stay until you've paid your debt because you're facing execution otherwise."

"How considerate," Ely said dryly, limping over to stand beside where she was seated and run his fingers through her hair. "Did she say anything about catching the Wraith?"

"No," Darcy replied with a sigh, pushing herself out of the chair and to her feet. "But she's livid about everything else. You shouldn't be here, Ely. She'll be coming in any minute to lecture me again."