and Elise hugged her brother one last time before he walked out the door. “I might have been wrong about Greene,” Desmond murmured in her ear. “Stay safe, little sister, and keep your hopes up. We’re going to do this thing.”
“I know,” she whispered. As she watched them all leave the room, she almost believed it.
“Now all we have to do is wait,” Aidan said grimly. “And that might be the most difficult task of all.”
Elise nodded her agreement and took a moment to finally look around at the spacious living room. Here the level of ostentation was much more subtle than anywhere else she’d seen in the palace. The décor was simple—almost modern, but every piece was exquisitely made. Bookshelves lined one side-wall, while the wall opposite the foyer was covered in mullioned windows overlooking a garden. The dark woods and hunter green leather upholstery on the sofas suited Aidan’s personal style perfectly. A portrait over the fireplace showed a couple who could only be Aidan’s parents. The male elf’s face was nearly identical in structure to Aidan’s, though his hair was almost black and his eyes were dark, while the female was smaller and finer featured, but boasted Aidan’s reddish brown hair and vivid green eyes. Both were dressed in High Renaissance fashion.
“I don’t remember that from when I was here before.” She walked over to study it. “It’s lovely.”
“My parents, Ivy and Alleyne.” Aidan moved up beside her. “That painting was actually done by Meagan’s grandmother, Morag, Lady Rose. I moved it here from the estate, as I don’t spend much time there these days. I’d take it to Detroit, but the pointed ears would raise questions I’d rather not answer.”
“So your mother was the one related to Meagan’s father, I see.” The eyes were a dead giveaway. “How did they both end up with titles?”
Aidan smiled fondly at the portrait. “My mother was Ivy O’Dale and she married Lord Green Oak. Her brother Edwin—Meagan’s grandfather—married Lady Rose. Just like Ric was granted the masculine equivalent of Meagan’s title, my mother took on my father’s and her brother gained his wife’s. As the only children of either couple, Emery and I both inherited.”
Elise knew part of the story. Emery had been Meagan’s biological father, killed for marrying a human. “What happened to your parents? How old would they be right now?”
“About eighteen hundred for Da and sixteen for Mum. They were killed during a visit to the human realm.” The look on Aidan’s face told her he still missed them—even centuries later. “Meagan’s grandparents with them. Ever hear of the Great Fire of London?”
“Wasn’t that in the sixteen hundreds?”
Aidan nodded. “In 1666. One of the council members was throwing a party in the old medieval part of the city when it happened. Dozens of Fae died along with far more humans than the six officially recorded. No one bothered to catalog the missing among the poor or middle class.”
“That’s terrible.” Elise couldn’t resist wrapping her arm around his waist, surprising even herself with the instinctive gesture. “I’m sorry for your loss. Then Emery died, too, just before Meagan was born. I know you two were close.”
“One disadvantage of a long lifespan.” He leaned into her for a moment. “You outlive a lot of people you care about.”
Including her. Wyndewin tended to live a long time for humans—her great grandfather was one hundred and six. But they were still human and a century would be nothing to someone like Aidan, who was over a thousand years old now and just approaching middle age. Would he even remember her a couple hundred years from now? And if Dina had been his daughter, would he have had to watch her age and die as well? Elise wasn’t exactly sure about the longevity of halflings. Maybe they were all better off the way things stood now.
Time to change the subject. “When do we have to
“I know,” she whispered. As she watched them all leave the room, she almost believed it.
“Now all we have to do is wait,” Aidan said grimly. “And that might be the most difficult task of all.”
Elise nodded her agreement and took a moment to finally look around at the spacious living room. Here the level of ostentation was much more subtle than anywhere else she’d seen in the palace. The décor was simple—almost modern, but every piece was exquisitely made. Bookshelves lined one side-wall, while the wall opposite the foyer was covered in mullioned windows overlooking a garden. The dark woods and hunter green leather upholstery on the sofas suited Aidan’s personal style perfectly. A portrait over the fireplace showed a couple who could only be Aidan’s parents. The male elf’s face was nearly identical in structure to Aidan’s, though his hair was almost black and his eyes were dark, while the female was smaller and finer featured, but boasted Aidan’s reddish brown hair and vivid green eyes. Both were dressed in High Renaissance fashion.
“I don’t remember that from when I was here before.” She walked over to study it. “It’s lovely.”
“My parents, Ivy and Alleyne.” Aidan moved up beside her. “That painting was actually done by Meagan’s grandmother, Morag, Lady Rose. I moved it here from the estate, as I don’t spend much time there these days. I’d take it to Detroit, but the pointed ears would raise questions I’d rather not answer.”
“So your mother was the one related to Meagan’s father, I see.” The eyes were a dead giveaway. “How did they both end up with titles?”
Aidan smiled fondly at the portrait. “My mother was Ivy O’Dale and she married Lord Green Oak. Her brother Edwin—Meagan’s grandfather—married Lady Rose. Just like Ric was granted the masculine equivalent of Meagan’s title, my mother took on my father’s and her brother gained his wife’s. As the only children of either couple, Emery and I both inherited.”
Elise knew part of the story. Emery had been Meagan’s biological father, killed for marrying a human. “What happened to your parents? How old would they be right now?”
“About eighteen hundred for Da and sixteen for Mum. They were killed during a visit to the human realm.” The look on Aidan’s face told her he still missed them—even centuries later. “Meagan’s grandparents with them. Ever hear of the Great Fire of London?”
“Wasn’t that in the sixteen hundreds?”
Aidan nodded. “In 1666. One of the council members was throwing a party in the old medieval part of the city when it happened. Dozens of Fae died along with far more humans than the six officially recorded. No one bothered to catalog the missing among the poor or middle class.”
“That’s terrible.” Elise couldn’t resist wrapping her arm around his waist, surprising even herself with the instinctive gesture. “I’m sorry for your loss. Then Emery died, too, just before Meagan was born. I know you two were close.”
“One disadvantage of a long lifespan.” He leaned into her for a moment. “You outlive a lot of people you care about.”
Including her. Wyndewin tended to live a long time for humans—her great grandfather was one hundred and six. But they were still human and a century would be nothing to someone like Aidan, who was over a thousand years old now and just approaching middle age. Would he even remember her a couple hundred years from now? And if Dina had been his daughter, would he have had to watch her age and die as well? Elise wasn’t exactly sure about the longevity of halflings. Maybe they were all better off the way things stood now.
Time to change the subject. “When do we have to
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