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Jesper has never yet had the pleasure of visiting the Van Eck residence. The Marquis was not known for being social and seldom attended parties, let alone hosted them. Jesper was right to suspect that tonight's ball was an idea from Van Eck's young wife. Alys - was her name? Jesper did not associate her very well, but he remembered that she was rather good-looking, not very intelligent and young. Not much older than himself. Her marriage to the Marquis Van Eck the previous season had been quite a surprise but not big enough to cause a sensation.
Despite this, the ton had been eagerly anticipating tonight's ball for months. It was widely acknowledged that this initial event set the standard for the entire season. Jesper had to admit that the excitement was getting to him as well. Not that he was particularly curious how the "newlyweds" were living or how the mansion looked after years of being closed for the ton.
Even Van Eck's mysterious son was moderately interesting to him. However, the rumours circulating about him and his absence from the court became more and more intriguing every year. Some said he had been seriously ill since childhood and practically bedridden. Others claimed the boy was ugly and hunchbacked, and he was ashamed to show himself in public. There was also a rumour that after the death of his wife, Van Eck feared for his son's life so much that he locked him up at home, like some princess in a tower, wanting to protect him from all danger. Personally, Jesper thought that the young lord was probably a spoilt lad with frail health and an over-exuberant ego, considering himself too good to participate in the usual entertainments of the English ton. In other words, someone Jesper would rather not have to deal with. What Jesper had hoped for tonight was dancing till he dropped, drinking till he dropped, and maybe playing cards till he dropped. All in some pleasant and attractive company.
"Jesper! There you are, friend."
Jordie approached him with a smile, extending his hand in greeting. Behind him, visibly disgruntled, with his typical grim face, followed Kaz. Even after years of knowing each other, Jesper still marvelled that brothers so similar in appearance could have such different characters.
"Gentlemen," Jesper shook Jordie's hand and tipped his hat to Kaz. "I see that you too have not resisted the attractions of the First Ball."
Jordie grinned. "Well, of course. We couldn't miss the first big evening of the season. And I don't know a better way to spend a Friday night than a little socializing."
"Speak for yourself, brother." Kaz gave Jordie the side eye. "I'm here purely for business reasons. Discovering Van Eck's dirty secrets won't hurt either."
"Sounds fun!" exclaimed Jesper exchanging with Jordie an amused glance.
Music and laughter could be heard from the foyer, indicating that the ball had begun. Jesper couldn't help but notice the stares they were receiving as they passed by. As the ladies smiled and blushed, the young gentlemen smirked and bowed their heads. However, some husbands pulled their wives away in the opposite direction, casting jealous or unhappy glares. Saints, he loved the social season! As he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror, he felt pleased to see that his new clothes suited him more than well. A purple waistcoat with gold embroidery, a green cravat, and a jacket a shade darker than the waistcoat was perhaps a bold outfit choice, but how striking.
"Where do we start? Drinks, gossip, new acquaintances?" he asked his companions. Kaz shook his head.
"I guess it's best to begin by greeting the hosts, even though it's a lousy task."
Jordie snorted with laughter. "I'm sure Van Eck is as delighted with the vision of getting to know us as we are with meeting him. But, no such thing as a bad thing! Leave the chatter to me, and soon we'll get to the enjoyable part of the evening and throw ourselves into the fun."
***
Jesper bowed to his partner, hoping he had managed to hide the relief on his face with which he greeted the end of the dance. He felt sorry for her next victim, that is, her partner. I need a drink after this nightmare, he thought. He quickly found the servant serving champagne. He reached for a glass, but accidentally brushed hands with someone also reaching for it.
"My sincerest apologies, sir!", "Oh, pardon me", they said in unison.
Jesper looked at the boy, and when their gazes met, a shy smile appeared on the other man's face. "Oh. Hi! I wasn't expecting you here," he said.
Jesper furrowed his brows. "And you are, sir?"
"We've-" The smile slowly disappeared from the boy's face, and a gentle blush came to his cheeks- "Uh, Wy-Wylan." He said with a silent question visible in his eyes. Jesper gazed at the young man in front of him for a moment, but he couldn't place him or remember ever having met him before.
"You must forgive me, sir. But I don't think we've had the pleasure of meeting before. And I am afraid I didn't catch your last name."
"Oh, um-" The boy seemed to sink into himself. He lowered his gaze, pursed his lips, and swirled his champagne glass. The gesture made Jesper look at him again, this time more carefully. Ruddy gold curls, a handsome triangular face, pale skin covered with freckles, and big blue eyes with long eyelashes. Where has he seen those eyes before?
"I am-"
"Wylan!"
Suddenly, a young lady materialised by their side. She just appeared out of nowhere, giving Jesper a mini heart attack. She was petite, wearing a shiny turquoise dress embroidered with delicate gold and white flowers, and she had her black hair pinned up in a high bun. Large dark brown eyes highlighted with Kohl gazed pleadingly at the redhead.
"How lucky I am to have found you-" she grabbed Wylan's wrist- "Please dance with me. I've already run out of excuses to say no to all these so-called gentlemen. Please, write yourself into my ticket and spare me the torture of dancing with these dimwits."
"But, of course. It will be my pleasure."
"I'd be delighted to help as well, miss," Jesper interjected. They both looked at him in surprise. He grinned in response and added in a theatrical whisper, "I know perfectly well how troublesome it is to avoid trodden toes and intrusive admirers. Therefore, I gladly offer my outstanding dancing skills to your service, Miss-"
"Ghafa. Inej Ghafa."
"Ah!" Jesper raised an eyebrow. "So you're that mysterious friend of Miss Nina Zenik. She told me a lot about you! I heard that you came to London having received a Royal Academic Scholarship. I am honoured to finally meet you," he bowed and kissed her hand, giving her a wink. The corner of her mouth quirked up.
"And you must be the infamous Jesper Fahey. I have heard of you too, sir. You have quite a reputation. Something to do with getting into trouble, shooting guns, and breaking hearts."
"Best all at once," he laughed but then heard a grunt from the side. Right, there was still that boy with them. He looked quite annoyed, Jesper noticed.
"Miss Inej, I think the next dance will start in a moment. We should be heading to the dance floor by now."
"Oh, you're right, Wylan. We should get going. But I hope I have the next dance reserved for you, Mr Fahey?"
"Please, call me by my first name. And of course, I will come to you, miss. Nina's friend is my friend."
Wylan offered Inej his arm, casting Jesper a glance over his shoulder as they walked away. Was there a disappointment in his eyes, or did Jesper imagine it? He shrugged, drank his champagne, and nodded to the servants to serve him another. That's when he spotted an overjoyed Nina heading toward him. Smiling, slightly flushed from dancing, she looked simply phenomenal in her dark pink dress with an outrageously deep neckline, and curls framing her face. He told her so as she approached him and offered her a glass of champagne. Nina hummed, pleased with both the compliment and the drink.
"I met your friend, Miss Inej Ghafa," he recalled. "She seemed to me a charming and dangerously witty person. I already adore her."
"I knew you would like her," Nina laughed. "Oh, I just can't wait for us to start hanging out altogether. Where is she, by the way?"
Jesper pointed with his head to the dancing couples on the dance floor. "She asked that cute redhead to dance, and off they went."
Nina furrowed her brow, searching for her friend among the swirling people. As soon as she spotted her, she immediately smiled in relief.
"Ah, she's dancing with Wylan Van Eck!"
Jesper nearly spat out his champagne. "That's Wylan Van Eck?!"
***
Matthias didn't enjoy himself. He always felt uneasy in the company of the nobles. However, with time, he had become accustomed to their presence and learned to navigate his way through their gatherings with ease. But English ton was worse than anything he had experienced so far. So loud and colourful and energetic. And they were nosy. He felt like a pigeon among peacocks. Matthias had expected that, as foreign visitors, they would attract interest. But he did not expect such an- enthusiastic reaction from the ton. Matthias felt their stares and heard their whispers and gossip.
Everyone wanted to talk to them or get to know them or find out what issues brought them to England. And just as he suspected, as soon as they confirmed that he and Hanne were unmarried, and Brum was making acquaintances for Norwegian Royalty, the lords encircled Brum and Hanne was snatched onto the dance floor. He managed to dance with her once before he was presented with maiden after maiden.
"Are you enjoying your time in London, sir?", "What is Norway like, Mr Helvar?", "Is it true that it snows all year round in your country?", "Is the Norwegian army different from the British one?", "What about the parties? Which are more lavish?"
Questions were never-ending, and at first, he tried to answer them as comprehensively as he could. But soon, Matthias realised that the girls were asking him out of politeness rather than curiosity and were hardly listening to him. So he began to talk less and less until finally, his answers became concise. None of his partners seemed to notice. They remained smiling and nodding and fluttering. After his fourth quadrille, Matthias decided he wouldn't stand another one. He spotted Hanne in the crowd and was relieved to stand by her side. The girl greeted him with a knowing smile.
"How are you feeling?"
"Exhausted," he replied. "How are you?"
"Tired as well. My shoes are too small, so my feet are killing me. And- It's all quite overwhelming, isn't it? But at the same time-" Hanne's mouth curved into a smile- "it's wonderful!"
Matthias looked at her, surprised. "Do you think so? I find it all rather flashy."
Hanne tilted her head. "They have their quirks, it's true-"
"Like drinking tea with milk," he interrupted her, and Hanne crushed him with a stare in response. "As I was saying," she continued, "despite etiquette and rules, they are so- casual. They talk, joke, gossip, flirt, and dance all together. Unlike at home, where emotions are only shown at home or among the family. Which is also rare, by the way."
Matthias couldn't argue with that. He wasn't very good at showing feelings, himself. Even among his colleagues in the regiment, he was considered silent and a loner.
Hanne looked at him and gently nudged his arm. "Try not to be so prejudiced, Matthias. You may find it quite nice here."
"Good, there you are, you two!"
Matthias automatically stood to attention when he saw his general coming. Brum put his hand on Matthias's shoulder and smiled at Hanne contentedly. "You're both doing well. The ton is charmed, especially by you, Matthias."
"Thank you, sir."
"None of this is my doing. English girls simply love soldiers. Just as moths fly to the fire, so they cling to uniforms. After all, who can take better care of a woman, than an officer."
Behind them, someone suddenly coughed as if suffocating. Matthias wanted to turn around and help if necessary, but at the same time, Brum frowned and muttered Drusje with such disdain, that it caught his attention. But all he saw was a black-haired woman wearing a cobalt blue dress. She was exceptionally beautiful, indeed. But what made her a witch in Brum's eyes?
"Who is she, sir?"
"Zoya Nazyalensy" Brum kept his eyes on the woman. "She is an adopted daughter of a deceased Russian ambassador. Absolutely nobody. Despite having no hereditary title, she exudes an air of nobility. She lives outside of traditional societal norms, managing her inheritance alone and rejecting the notion that a woman cannot be self-sufficient. Another individual, Nina Zenik, was also under the ambassador's care but has no personal assets and relies on the support of Nazyalnesky. The idea of her being involved in a court case seems absurd. Best to stay away from them, Matthias. We don't want them to get the idea to try and be courted by you."
Matthias nodded with understatement and looked at Zoya Nazyalensky one last time. Their eyes met for a second, and Matthias shivered at the force of her gaze. He quickly turned away, unable to shake the feeling his soul had been seen through. Zoya Nazyalenky was terrifying.
Brum left Hanne and Matthias alone, continuing his acquaintance with the English lords.
"I think it's impressive," Hanne said in a low voice.
Matthias raised his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"
"It's just- They are two young women from a foreign country who reside among the British ton, managing their assets and living on their terms. They are independent, free, and in many ways, equal to men..."
"It's not natural for women to be like that."
"It's not natural for someone to be as small-minded as he is tall, and yet there you stand, sir!"
Matthias turned around to see who dared to speak to him in such an impertinent manner. The first thing he saw was the greenest eyes he had ever seen. Then he noticed these eyes belonged to a lady. She was tall and- curvaceous. Her dress, even though loose, hugged her figure and the pink fabric complimented her pale skin. Her hair, coiled into tight ringlets, bounced around her face. She is beautiful, he thought absently, but then he felt her angry stare like she was shooting daggers at him.
"Excuse me?." he managed to ask, and the lady blew out an exasperated breath.
"Do you really think a woman can't take care of herself? That all you need is uniform, and the ladies will fall at your feet with adoration?", she snapped. "Well, I am sorry to disappoint you, sir, but I can make decisions on my own. And please, do not worry, neither Zoya Nazyalensky nor I have any intentions of trying to seduce you." She lifted her chin proudly and went towards the balconies.
Matthias stood there feeling foolish and rebuked. And he was irritated that she made him feel that way.
"I guess that was-"
"Yes, I believe that was Miss Nina Zenik," Hanne gave him a stern look. She also seemed upset for some reason. "You should go and apologize to her."
"Yes, I probably should."
***
Nina was furious. It had been a while since she had been so bothered by anyone. Such a disappointment! She tried to approach him the whole evening. She was so curious about him, that handsome foreign soldier. She hoped for an interesting conversation, maybe a little flirt. And he turns out to be such a boor. Imbecile! Prejudiced dunce! Slab of-
"Miss Zenik!"
Nina stopped and put on a polite smile. She was a good actress and knew her face didn't show her true emotions. She couldn't say that about that Norwegian. Nina was pleased to find him agitated.
He bowed stiffly. "Miss Zenik, I am afraid our first meeting was quite unfortunate. Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Matthias Helvar, and I ask for your forgiveness for my earlier behaviour. May I make it up to you and ask you to dance with me?"
"You may not."
He frowned with a stern look on his face. A muscle on his jaw twitched. It gave her great satisfaction to notice that.
"Miss Zenik," he tried again. "I-"
Nina took a step closer to him and looked straight into his eye. She half-closed her eyelids, put a hand on his chest and smiled sweetly. "I'd rather not dance tonight any more than have one dance with you, Mr Helvar," she whispered, and his eyes grew bigger. She could feel his heart beating fast in his chest. "Don't trouble yourself with my companion. There are plenty of young fillies dying for you to waltz them into a stupor."
She bowed and turned away, letting herself smile. She felt victorious.
***
Inej saw her friend walking away from the tall blonde gentleman, who clenched his fists and muttered something under his breath. She shook her head. There will be trouble with these two, she could feel it. There was too much intensity in the air for a simple quarrel. Also, the boy might have been angry, but his eyes followed Nina down to the balcony. Inej sighed and left the ballroom, looking for an exit to the garden.
It was a warm and cloudless night, perfect for a walk. It was quiet and peaceful. Inej felt herself relaxing. The party was actually pretty good. Spending time with Nina was enjoyable, and meeting Wylan outside the university was a pleasant experience, as usual. Jesper Fahey proved to be amusing and amiable, causing her to laugh throughout their conversation and dance. But enough is enough, and she needed a moment for herself. She strolled between magnolias and lilacs, drawing in their sweet scent, and stopped by the fountain. It took her a moment to realize she wasn't alone. The man on her left was wearing a black suit, making him blend in with the surroundings. Even his gloves were black, she noticed. He was leaning on a cane and staring at something beyond her sight. She took a step closer, and that was when he noticed her. Surprise appeared on his face for a split second and disappeared just as quickly.
Inej curtsied. "I hope you don't mind me, sir. I am just walking by."
"You've sneaked up on me."
"I didn't mean to startle you, sir." Inej didn't understand what he meant.
The man raised an eyebrow. "You're wearing heavy bracelets-" he said, pointing to her jewellery, "-and yet I didn't hear you. You're wearing a bright, shiny dress and I didn't see you."
"Maybe you just weren't paying attention."
His lips twitched slightly. "I always pay attention, Miss Ghafa."
That surprised her. She would remember being introduced to him. He wasn't the kind of man one could forget about. Tall and dark, with a mysterious aura wrapped around him.
"How do you know my name, sir?" she asked, taking a step closer. He didn't move, but his eyes followed her every movement as if she were an enigma or a threat.
"Knowing things is my speciality. Secrets, mysteries, news. And your arrival to London was news, indeed."
Inej hummed and tilted her head. That's when she caught a glimpse of the head of his cane. A crow. She connected the dots.
"Good thing I like to know things, too," she said. "Mr Rietveld."
His eyes sparkled with amusement. He bowed his head and gestured the path with his cane. "Pleasure to meet you. Would you like to continue your walk with me, Miss Ghafa?"
"I don't mind at all. It's just-" she hesitated. "Are you sure that's all right? I don't want to accuse you of anything, but we are alone, in an empty garden, not observed by anyone-."
Mr. Rietveld didn't seem to be bothered. He looked a bit amused. "You don't need to worry. First of all, we are perfectly visible from that balcony other there," he pointed to the right, and there was indeed a balcony with several couples talking on it. "Secondly, the garden will be filled with guests in a moment. Marchioness has planned a big surprise for tonight's finale. I saw servants setting up boxes around here. That, plus the fact that an order from the Chinese quarter was delivered to the estate a few days ago, suggests it will be a fireworks display. Oh, I think I've just spoiled your surprise."
Inej laughed and shook her head. "That's all right. To be honest, you have impressed me. How do you know all that?"
He looked at her and the corner of his mouth quirked up. "I told you, Miss Inej. It's my speciality."
***
Wylan welcomed the impending end of the party with a mixture of relief and disappointment. On one hand, the evening had been very successful. He greatly enjoyed the chance to converse and dance with a larger number of individuals than he ever had before. But he could always feel his father's watchful gaze on him, leaving his nerves all in tatters. And then there was the unfortunate encounter with Jesper Fahey. The very memory of that conversation made him want to sink into the ground, but he knew all too well he would be replaying these scenes in his head all night.
The guests started to gather in the garden. Wanting to avoid the crowds, Wylan stood to the side, closer to the eastern wing of the estate. The plants grew more densely there, and among the trees stood a cast-iron bench. He knew he would have a perfect view from it but would remain hidden. Before he had passed the growing crowd, the first fireworks cut through the sky. Green light flooded the entire garden, shattering into golden stars. Purple and red explosions followed shortly afterwards, eliciting shouts of delight from the guests. Several people started clapping. Wylan watched the spectacle, quietly listing the chemical compounds that gave the colours to the subsequent firecrackers. The light show was fascinating, but he would prefer it to be much quieter.
Suddenly there was a hustle among the people. Women squealed, jumping up, and men looked around with trepidation, dodging something tangling between their legs. The voice of Alys Van Eck cut through the noise, "Rufus! Rufus, come to me! Come back!", followed by Jan Van Eck's, "Someone catches that dog, now!"
Wylan barely had time to notice the little terrier when it ran between his legs. He turned around, wanting to run after it, but the sudden cry of panic next to him startled him. He tripped and bumped into someone. Strong hands caught him around the waist, steadying him. Seconds later, he and someone holding him, were shoved by the running servant and fell to the ground.
"Oops, sorry. That's not how I planned to sweep you off your feet. Are you all right?"
Wylan opened his eyes, which he must have reflexively closed when he fell, and saw grey eyes staring down at him. He cursed under his breath. Of course, he had to bump into Jesper Fahey of all people. And he was lying underneath him, for Ghezen's sake!
"No harm done. I'm fine," he said trying not to think how little space there was between their bodies.
Jesper smiled and started to rise. Suddenly he froze and looked at Wylan with new recognition.
"Wait. We have met before, haven't we? At a party at the old tannery."
Wylan opened his mouth in disbelief.
"You remember that now?"
Jesper laughed, got to his feet, and helped Wylan up. "Well, something felt familiar."
Wylan felt his cheeks flush and quickly turned his head, unable to meet Jesper's eyes.
"I- um, I guess I should go find that dog." he stammered and cleared his throat. "He probably got scared of the explosions and ran away. Alys is quite fond of him, so she must be worried."
"I'll go with you. If I may."
"Really? That's- Thank you, that's kind of you."
They moved in the direction in which the dog ran away. Wylan didn't know what to think about what had just happened. He wasn't sure what was appropriate to say in such a situation. So he kept silent. He surreptitiously glanced at Jesper and saw that Jesper was watching him the whole time. Wylan quickly looked away and started looking around for a dog. He whistled and then checked underneath the bench before leaning out to glance behind the bushes. Jesper leaned against a tree.
"You could have told me, you know. Earlier."
Wylan looked behind another bush, stalling for time. "Tell you what?"
„That we'd met before," Jesper said and Wylan could feel his focused gaze on him. Wylan slowly shook his head, quiet „ay ay ay" slipping under his breath.
„You didn't remember me," he sighed, still avoiding Jesper's gaze. The tall boy furrowed his brows and took a few steps toward Wylan.
„In my defence, it was dark," he replied in a deep tone, continuing to come closer. „And when I woke up, you were gone." He added, a smirk dancing on his lips, just a brief of space left between them.
Wylan raised his head and met Jesper's eyes. He didn't find mockery in them. Just curiosity and playfulness. A challenge maybe. Wylan felt a flush coming to his cheeks.
"Well, I-"
The barking of a dog interrupted his reply. He also heard the rustling of branches and someone's wheezing.
"Oh, go away you stupid dog. Leave me alone."
Jesper and Wylan looked at each other and, without a word, ran in the direction from which the voice came. Under a spreading tree stood Rufus, Alis's terrier. He was leaning against the trunk and barking fiercely at something in the tree. Wylan looked up and found that something turned out to be someone - Nina Zenik. The girl was sitting on a branch, one hand embracing the tree trunk, waving the other as if to chase the dog away. For some reason, she was also barefoot, and her shoes were lying on the grass nearby.
Jesper raised an eyebrow. "Nina, dearest, what are you doing on that tree?"
Nina finally noticed them. She pressed her lips together and shrugged her shoulders. "Oh, I just decided to enjoy the views from the top. What do you think, Jesper? That dog appeared out of nowhere and started chasing me!"
"And you thought climbing a tree was a good idea?"
"It seemed reasonable at the time."
"I'm impressed that she managed to climb that high in a dress," Wylan whispered, and Jesper snorted with laughter. Nina made an offended face.
"Sure, laugh at a damsel in distress."
Suddenly, Rufus looked to his left and ran up to the two people who had come out of the corner. Wylan recognised that it was Inej, and the man accompanying her was Kaz Rietveld, whom he knew by hearsay. Inej kneeled to pet the dog, and Kaz wrapped his gaze around the whole situation. He smiled barely noticeably at the sight of Nina.
"Are you looking for some additional excitement, Miss Zenik?"
Nina groaned in exasperation. "Great, so now I've become an attraction for Kaz Rietveld. I guess you're going to tease me about it for a week, right?"
"I think for two."
Inej stood up and tilted her head, looking at her friend with consternation. "I can more or less guess what happened and how you got into this situation. But why aren't you wearing shoes?"
"I tried to chase the dog away. I thought that when I threw them, the dog would take an interest in the shoes instead of me and start playing with them. And that I would then have time to come down. As you can see, it didn't work."
"But it's all right now," Wylan noted. "You can come down. If you're scared, I'll hold Rufus, he won't hurt you."
Nina suddenly looked away and muttered something unintelligible under her breath.
"What are you saying?" asked Jesper. Nina muttered something quietly again. Kaz smirked.
"You're stuck, aren't you?"
"I'm not stuck!" exclaimed Nina. "It's just... I don't know how to get down."
Out of nowhere, they heard the loud footsteps behind them. A tall blonde man dressed in uniform emerged from behind the bushes.
"I heard raised voices. Is everything all right?" he asked and froze at the sight of them. Nina let out something between a growl and a groan. "Saints have mercy."
"Perfect timing, Mr Helvar," Kaz spoke up, snapping them all out of their numbness.
Stranger furrowed his brow. "How do you know my-"
"We have a damsel in distress here, as you can see." Kaz continued. "You're the tallest and strongest of us, so I'm sure you can manage to pull Miss Zenik down from the tree."
Nina crossed her arms over her chest defiantly.
"I don't need help. And especially from him."
Mr Helvar approached the tree. "Miss Zenik, please let me help you."
"No, thank you."
"Nina," Inej admonished her friend.
"Oh, all right," she sighed with resignation. "But we're still no good, Mr Helvar."
The man nodded and started providing instructions to Nina on how to position her feet and grip with her hands to safely slide down the trunk from the branch. Once the girl was within his reach, he told her to jump down. Nina hesitated but let go of the tree. Mr Helvar caught her without difficulty and set her down on the ground. Jesper applauded him, at which both he and Nina blushed and turned their backs to each other.
Wylan was surprised to realise that although he found himself in a bizarre situation, with people he doesn't know for the most part, he felt surprisingly comfortable among them. What's more, though, he would like to see them again someday.
"I think we're probably not all introduced to each other. And given the situation-"
Jesper smiled broadly. "Good point, Lord Van Eck." Wylan squirmed upon hearing his official title, which brought an even bigger smile to Jesper's face. "Let me do the honours. We already know that the gentleman on my right is Lord Wylan Van Eck. The gentleman in black is Mr Kaz Rietveld. The hero of this evening is probably our guest from the far north, Mr Matthias Helvar. Miss Nina Zenik, we probably all know, and the other lady is Miss Inej Ghafa. And my name is Jesper Fahey, at your service."
"Wonderful, are we done? Great." Nina put on her shoes and took Inej's arm. "Inej, darling, I think it's time for us to go. Thank you all for the rescue, et cetera, et cetera. Hope to not see you soon!"
Inej bowed. "It was nice to meet you gentlemen!", but Nina pulled her along, cutting the courtesy. Wylan noticed that Matthias wanted to say something more to them, but Nina did not even honour him with a glance. Instead, he bowed to them and said he would also be heading back to the estate now.
Jesper picked up Rufus, who had been sitting surprisingly quiet for a long time and handed him to Wylan. "Don't forget the provocateur of all the fuss."
"I wouldn't dare. Alys is probably panicking by now, so- I'll be heading home too," he said and looked at Jesper. "It was nice to see you again."
Jesper smiled and took his hand to place a kiss on his knuckles.
"I hope we won't run out of opportunities to see each other."
Wylan smiled, feeling both a tightness in his stomach and a lightness in his heart.
"I hope so too."
***
Jordie watched his brother all the way home. He was as silent as ever, tired from an entire evening on his feet. But for some reason, he didn't seem annoyed or weary, which was his usual condition after social gatherings. He looked out of the window of the carriage, and something very much like a smile wandered across his face.
"I think you were right," he spoke up suddenly. Jordie opened his eyes in astonishment. Words like that didn't come from Kaz's mouth very often. Kaz looked at him and leaned back against the seat with his back straight. There was a gleam in his eyes. "I think I am going to have a lot of fun this season."