She glanced at Declan, but his face was earnestly polite and about as transparent as a cement block.
"Then Rose flashed white. You must understand, my lord, it's been over a century since an Edger flashed white. She was just a child, barely eighteen, and not at all equipped to either anticipate or deal with the consequences. Due to her mother's loose behavior, it was assumed that Rose was the child of an out-of-wedlock liaison. Overnight she became a valuable commodity. First, her flash made her desirable as a powerful addition to any family; second, her magic hinted at the possibility of blueblood ancestry; and third . . . my granddaughter is lovely, as I'm sure you haven't failed to notice."
"Indeed, Madame."
His tone was perfectly neutral and pleasant. If he Madame 'd her one more time, she would have to throw something at him.
"Rose had a terrible life," ElEonore said bluntly. "For almost a year, she was literally hunted. The Edger families wanted her for her power, the borderland blueblood families wanted her for breeding, and those who didn't want her, hated her. Envy can be a terrible thing. Her mother's exploits already made her a pariah, and her flash only exacerbated the problem. What few friends she had abandoned her. Her boyfriend - who is a terrible creature - betrayed her. We had weathered a siege and arson and being shunned. The slaver was by far the worst. He had arrived under the pretense of courting Rose, promised her the security and acceptance she so desperately wanted, and nearly won, if not her heart, then at least her mind. Fortunately his identity was discovered, but the damage was done. She has learned the lesson again and again: people, men in particular, cannot be trusted. I watched this damage happen, and I was powerless to stop it. Finally after a year of this chaos, things have calmed. My son was there for her during that year. Even he understood that his family couldn't survive this storm without him. That is the longest he had ever spent with his family. However, as soon as pressure lessened, he escaped. He ran away from his own children in the middle of the night, once again abandoning the boys to Rose's care."
She took a deep breath. "It was the final betrayal, my lord. It wounded Rose very badly, and she's determined to spare her brothers this hurt at all costs. She put her life on hold, so her brothers would never know what it's like to be abandoned. A young girl is a creature of dreams, my lord. A woman with one foot in the world of fantasy, searching for the face of true love in every handsome boy she sees. Rose has no fantasies. One would expect a woman who has gone through her trials to be bitter and angry, but she isn't. She's kind, sweet, selfless, and generous, and I thank my lucky stars for this every day."
ElEonore rose, buoyed by her anger. He got up as well.
"I'm sure that you're successful in your pursuits of female attention," she said. "I'm sure that there is a trail of broken hearts in your wake, and you probably look at it fondly, remembering your past conquests. For some young women, being swept off her feet by a man such as you might be thrilling. It might even be a good lesson in the nature of the male species. However, Rose has no illusions to soothe her and no parents to reassure her. If you break her heart, it will shatter my granddaughter. It will destroy her utterly, turning her into a bitter wreck. So I implore you, my lord, to leave her in peace. You don't need her as your trophy. And if you won't, I swear to you that I'll curse you with my dying breath. We both know the power such a curse carries."
Declan bowed. "I'll take it under advisement."
She growled under her breath and stomped into the depths of the house, not sure if she had accomplished more harm than good.
ROSE stuck her head into the kitchen. Declan sat at the table, his eyes lost in thought. A smile curved his lips.
"Come outside," she said. "We need to be in the yard for the next challenge."
He followed her to the porch, where she sat in a chair and he leaned against the rail. She stared at the trees shrouded in morning fog.
Declan cleared his throat. They had managed to keep from saying a single word to each other during breakfast, but now he looked as if he had something to say.
"I lost my temper yesterday," he said. "My sincerest apologies. It won't happen in the future."
"I'm also sorry. I shouldn't have been quite so . . . dramatic."
They looked at each other.
"My behavior aside," he continued, "I meant everything I said."
She stuck her chin in the air. "So did I."
"Very well."
"Indeed."
He sat back down, and she picked a spot as far from him as the porch steps would allow.
"Also," he said after a small pause, "your funeral cake was delicious."
"Funnel. Funnel cake. I'll get you the recipe. It's similar to pancakes."
"Thank you."
They sat in silence. She broke it first. "Don't you think it's dangerous to do this challenge, with Casshorn waiting for the right opportunity?"
"We've destroyed a large number of his hounds," Declan said. "Since I'm his primary target, he'll need to build up his forces before he attacks again. We're safe for two days, maybe three."
Probably longer than that, Rose thought with a small sense of satisfaction. Yesterday, after the fight with Declan, she'd spent nearly all of the minutes remaining on her cell phone. Her words didn't carry much weight in the Edge, but Grandma's did, and now they knew the name of their menace and what he wanted. It would be difficult for Casshorn to find prey in East Laporte come nightfall.
"So he's vulnerable now," she said. "Why don't we go after him?"
Icy green eyes fixed her. "I would go after him. But I have no idea where he is, and your brother was unable to find the scent trail during our last excursion."
"Of course. Blame the child for your failure."
"I blame no one. How would you feel about a side bet on this challenge?"
"No more deals, Lord Camarine. You can't be trusted."
He seemed unfazed by her snippy remark. "If I win this challenge, I'll remain in your house and your family will assist me in my efforts to dispatch Casshorn. If I lose, I'll sign writs of citizenship for the three of you. The writs would make you legal citizens of the Weird. You could seek employment there. The children could attend school."
She clamped her mouth shut, biting a caustic reply. Her mind spun through the possibilities. "That will just put us in a place where you have the most power."
"On the contrary. First, I have sworn to leave you alone if I fail. Second, the laws of the Weird will protect you, given that you'll be a citizen, and you can have me arrested on stalking charges if I show up on your doorstep. Think about it, Rose. You've lost your job, and you aren't likely to find another. And no matter how much you force the boys to pretend that they have no magic, they do. They can't live in the Broken; they would slowly suffocate without magic. Look behind you." He raised his arms, encompassing the house. "This is what you've settled for. Do you actually want to make something of yourself?"