Rory didn’t react when Tyren puffed out his chest and leaned forward to press his knuckles atop the back of her chair, because she knew Benjamin would be on top of it. Though Tyren hadn’t touched her, Benjamin cleared the gap between the two and shoved the muscular man backward. “Too close,” he warned without apology. “You’ll not forget your place. She’s the Chancellor’s daughter, and you’re her tutor.”
Remus shoved Tyren’s books against his chest and held the door open to get rid of eighty percent of the tension in the room. When the door shut, he exhaled. “I nearly high-fived you when you threw in that bit about the Baron.”
Rory smiled, but went back to her rigid posture. “Anyone implying you’re not the best there is out there is what sets me off in a blind rage.”
Calvin stalked in, his walk its usual stilted, jerky gait, as if he moved with something perpetually lodged between his butt cheeks. His long nose and sharply angular features matched his father’s almost exactly. “I see you’ve managed to set Tyren off. That’s quite a gift. He’s usually unshakeable.”
“I thought you’d gone home,” Rory said by way of a greeting. She took in his haughty eyes and coifed black hair with a grimace. He’d started using even more product than the usual stickiness that kept his hair immoveable. He was only an inch taller than her, but she felt like he was far, far shorter when he was frustrated.
“I was waiting until your lessons were over to take you out.”
Rory stood and stacked her books, which Benjamin took from her. “I’m afraid I’m unavailable. Thank you for the offer, though.”
Calvin scoffed and glanced at Benjamin, who had twenty years on them both. “You’re not allowed to marry below your station. Bodyguards are far below us.”
Benjamin’s jaw tightened, but Remus laughed. “Oh, wow. Benjamin’s older than I am. You know how particular the Chancellor is concerning who comes sniffing around his only daughter. Do you really think Benjamin would still be standing if he was trying to make a move on Rory? He held her when she was born.”
Calvin tried to smooth over his misstep, recalling his highbrow manners. “Forgive me, but I couldn’t imagine any man being with you day in and day out and not falling head over heels for you, Roar. Your beauty is enough to make even those below our station entertain foolish ideas.”
She detested the nickname Calvin had given her when they’d been kids. It had been a joke – that she’d been too quiet, so the name was akin to dubbing a large man “Tiny”. “Everyone’s beneath you, Calvin. I’m not sure why you’re here. Clearly I’m not as accomplished as you. Why don’t you ask out Serena? She’s a far better match. I’m sure the Baron would prefer her on your arm rather than me.”
“You’re dismissed,” Calvin barked to Benjamin and Remus, neither of whom moved an inch. He huffed in exasperation when he realized his word wasn’t enough here. At his home, the servants scattered when they saw him coming. Here, he was somewhat of a joke, which made him more irritable than usual. “Walk with me.”
“How about I walk you to the door on your way out?” Rory offered with a lightness in her tone that suggested all memory of him would cease the moment he exited the mansion.
Calvin extended his elbow, as was customary when courting, but Rory didn’t take the bait. She kept a healthy three feet of space between them as they walked down the cobblestone hallway. The palace and Adam’s castle had mostly wood or marble flooring, and were decked with the most expensive rugs. Rory’s mother preferred the whimsy of shaved cobblestone on the main floor, and hardwood on the above floors.
Calvin kept his chin raised while he spoke. “You haven’t been to the new gallery downtown, have you?”
“I’m afraid I haven’t made the time. Is it nice?”
“More than nice. It’s exquisite. I’ll take you there this weekend. Saturday morning at ten?”
“I work late Friday nights, and have to study on Saturdays to prepare for the amazing new tutor your father arranged for me. Thank you, but no.” She knew no waffling would fly with Calvin. If he saw the tiniest hint of interest, he would never let up.
Calvin’s superior chortle made Rory’s skin crawl. “Work? You’re too funny. You know you don’t need a job, right? We have several fortunes between the two of us.”
“I love my job. Not everything in life is about money.” Rory shot him a controlled look, but a little of her exasperation shone through. “Calvin, you don’t like spending time with me. We have nothing in common. We don’t share the same ideals. Nothing that I am is anything you respect, other than my title. There’s no reason for you to keep coming by.”
His shoulders hunched inward conspiratorially as they walked. He lowered his voice to keep his true wishes away from Remus and Benjamin. “Just think of it. The Baron’s son and the Chancellor’s daughter? We could do absolutely anything. The world won’t have seen a more powerful union before us. Even if Prince Henry takes a wife someday, there’s no eligible woman who has as much political weight to throw around as you do. Our mansion would be bigger, our votes would be weightier. All of it, more.” A note of deviousness sneaked into his words. “We could be more powerful than even our fathers.”
Rory bristled, but tried to keep her sneer tucked away. “My father is the best thing that’s ever happened to the council. It’s fine that you don’t like your father; that’s to be expected. No one likes the Baron. But my household isn’t yours. I’m content being who I am, and my family likes that about me.”
“But who you are is so much more than running a charity. Your time is running out, Roar. You’ll be twenty-five in three months.”
She stopped walking, counting to three before speaking, to make sure she didn’t lose her temper. Her hand went into her pocket, her finger stroking the gray paperclip, which served to center her. “When I decide to marry, it won’t be with someone who assumes my passions are decidedly less.” She paused at the door and undid the latch. “I am not less, Calvin. And I’m also not so desperate as to settle for someone who assumes I am.”
Calvin stopped before crossing over the threshold, taking his black fur coat from the rack. “Know this: I am your only hope of staying on the council. Your father’s time in the sun is coming to an end. Soon his words won’t hold the weight they do now. Then where will you be? I could provide for you. I could guarantee you always have a vote, Deadpulse though you are. Look around! There is no other man lining up to court you. I’m literally your last chance at happiness.”
Remus knew Rory could handle herself, but he’d endured enough of Calvin’s needling. He shoved Calvin out the door, posturing as the bully faltered on the stoop. “She just said she was happy, and that’s got nothing to do with you.”
Remus slammed the door shut on Calvin’s indignant spluttering, leaning against it as he took in the heaviness that weighted his niece. Most people didn’t understand why a young woman of her status and wealth chose to work at a place that was fast-paced and occasionally high-stress on top of all her other responsibilities, but her parents, Remus and the staff got it. She was an utter failure at all things magic, but she’d found her niche in the humanitarian world. Instead of squashing that potential, her parents nurtured it, letting her be who she was without apology.
“I’ll make sure Calvin leaves,” Benjamin offered. Before he exited, he paused next to his charge. “If you marry him, I’ll quit, and then I’ll turn all your clothes pink.”
Rory chuckled, and then reached up to peck her guard’s cheek. “Well, then it’s settled. No matrimonial bliss for Calvin and me.”
“Go be blissful with that Cordray guy. He appreciates you. Don’t settle for that sniveling weasel.” Benjamin had made his peace with Cordray, but still called him “that Cordray guy”, just in case things went south.
“Thanks, Benjamin.” She watched him leave, holding a handful of gratitude in her heart for his devotion to her family that never ran dry.
Remus didn’t know how to comfort his niece after her grueling tutoring lessons, so he opted for shtick. “You look a little stressed. Maybe you should go to the movies with Calvin, get married and pop out a few kids. That sounds like a recipe for happiness if I ever heard one. I mean, with a condescending offer like that, who could say no?”
Rory let out a sarcastic snort. “Do me a favor? If I’m ever considering his offer, haul me off into the woods and shoot me.”
“I’ll even let you pick the gun. Come on. I know a certain someone who’s been waiting for your lessons to end. Enchanting though your father is, I’m sure Cordray would much prefer your company.”
Rory took him up on the offer of an escort, walking down the hallway with her uncle’s protective arm tight around her shoulders.