Phoenix and Ashes

She had awakened feeling no less angry, but by midmorning, her temper had cooled sufficiently to allow her to think clearly.

The girls knew better than to trifle with her in her current mood; when she summoned them to her room after Howse had finished her work, they came immediately and quietly.

"We have a problem," she told them, grimly. "That woman that arrived last night is an Air Master, and Reggie's godmother."

The girls exchanged a look of apprehension. "Does that mean no magic around her?" Carolyn asked.

"Nothing directed at Reggie, at least," Alison said sourly. "Alderscroft knows I'm an Earth Master—after all, he was the one who sent me!"

"But mother, I thought you said your job here was to be kept secret," Lauralee protested. "Why should Lord Alderscroft have told Lady Virginia about you?"

Of all of the things that had been running through her mind this morning, that hadn't been one of them. She sucked on her lower lip a moment. "In fact, he probably didn't, come to think of it. She's not on his Council as far as I know, and I can't believe he would have told an outsider War Office business."

"So it's not as bad as you thought!" Carolyn said, brightening.

"No, Carolyn, it is as bad as I thought," Alison corrected caustically. "It is simply not as dire as it could be. She's gotten rid of my revenants, and she will certainly be able to trace any active Earth magic used against her godson straight back to me—or to you. Which means we can do nothing directly. . . hmm."

"Mother, we can still use charms against our rivals," Lauralee pointed out shrewdly. "As long as we do so away from Longacre Park. She won't bother to look for magics being worked in that way."

Alison turned a surprised—and pleased—gaze on her elder. That was two good thoughts in as many minutes. "Now that is certainly a plan," she agreed. "And a good one. I approve. And as for me—you know, I do think it unlikely that Lady Virginia will even consider watching over Lady Devlin. I will redouble my efforts, and become Lady Devlin's best, most trusted friend. . . ." She felt her lips curving into a slight smile. "Yes. I could do that. It's the sort of exercise of Earth magic that an Air Master is usually blind to—slow, deliberate, and subtle, playing on the emotions. Then, I can play on her fears. Reggie will certainly have to go back to the Front. He's the only male left in the Fenyx line. He must marry and do his duty for the Fenyx name before he goes off again."

"And who better to wed than one of the daughters of her very good friend?" Carolyn put in coquettishly.

Lauralee laughed. "Pretty, polite, presentable . . . we're no worse than any of the other girls she's been trying to interest him in. Perhaps not as blue-blooded, but if she's growing desperate, she may overlook that." She cocked her head to one side. "Do you think we could get away with some small seductive magics, if we were careful to make them look—accidental?"

"Possibly, possibly." Alison thought hard. "It suddenly occurs to me that the reason Lady Virginia might be here is to urge Reggie back into the practice of magic. He has been walled against your charms until now—but if she succeeds, he'll be vulnerable to such things again." Her smile widened a trifle. "Now, there's a fine thought! If that is indeed the case, Lady Virginia might be doing us a favor! A delicious irony, though I doubt she would appreciate it herself."

"All I care about is that she not interfere," Lauralee countered. "Nothing else matters."

"Quite right," her mother declared, with satisfaction for her daughter's practicality. "So, we need to put together our new plans. I want you two to decide what magic you are going to use on your rivals. When you have your course of action, come to me so I can be sure it is something that won't alert Lady Virginia. I will intensify my campaign to win Lady Devlin. And the three of us will work out what sort of seductions you can use against Reggie and how to make them look like the innocent work of untrained sensitives."

"Yes, Mother," they chorused, looking maliciously cheerful as she shooed them out.

Alison went to the window of her bedroom, and looked down onto the garden below. Ellie was hanging out bedlinen, and it occurred to her that there was yet another loose end that needed tidying. She still had not made up her mind what to do about the girl. For all that her emotional self enjoyed the idea of putting Locke's plan into motion, her logical self warned that there were far too many loopholes in it—not to mention pitfalls.

The problem with adding outsiders into a plan was that you could never be sure of their loyalty—nor their discretion.

No, the more she thought of Locke's plan, the less she liked it. Still, the basic notion, of driving the girl mad—that was a good one.

She resolved to put more thought into it. Time was not on her side in this.

But there must be a better answer. And she was just the person to find it.

23

July 10, 1917