Page 123 of Consort's Glory
Margot watchedfrom her place beside the podium as the world changed.
Theodore’s speech lasted ten minutes and forty-eight seconds, but it was only the last handful of moments that really made a difference. It took approximately four seconds for him to swipe off the chalk keeping his glamour in place, and about ten seconds for the entire meeting hall to explode into a riot of furious debate.
It didn’t appear to matter much that she was a halfling. To all the world she was a Goode, a witch. Theodore’s detractors didn’t appear to have much interest in her personally at all. Rather, they balked at the precedent their relationship set for a younger generation of elves, as well as the message it sent to the world — that the Protectorate was not the bastion of elvish culture it once was, untouched and safe from the dangers of the world. That they were vulnerable. That they were dying. That they needed help from the Others they had shunned for so long if they wanted even the barest chance of survival.
Although there was a hardline faction within the Parliament that demanded Theodore be unseated, after two hours of furious debate and the assurance that the Solbournes had not only the Merced pack behind them, but the surprising support of Glory’s Temple and the du Soleils, as well as, through Margot, the Goodes — there was no contest. But even if Theodore didn’t have a shocking amount of outside support, there was a wave of internal agreement that ending the moratorium on outside interaction was the only sensible choice left to them.
Supporters came out of the woodwork to shout down the hardline believers. The air in the room was charged with a current of desperation. The expressions on the faces of the younger elves were drawn tight, the gleams in their eyes almost fanatical now that the seal on speaking of breaking free from a thousand years of tradition was broken. Margot got the impression that they were a generation starved for air, for food, for light, and now that they caught a hint of a life beyond deprivation on the breeze, there would be no stopping them.
Change had finally come for the Protectorate.
Margot watched Theodore field volleys of accusation and snarling challenges to his authority with cool, measured dominance, his confidence in his place unchanged. She wondered, as she stood beside him, what it would be like to be married to a man who would so easily take on his entire world for her.
Good, she decided. It will be good.
The press release that they’d already drafted, outlining their marriage in clear, impossible-to-misinterpret language, went out almost immediately after the opening meeting of the Summit ended — with a slight alteration.
At the bottom, Valen tactfully added, “This comes on the heels of the discovery that the presumed ‘bombing’ of the St. Francis Woods Healing House was, in fact, an accident related to defunct twenty-first century gas lines. Patrol has officially closed the case and will resume normal security after the Summit has concluded. However, the sovereign’s edict for enhanced protections for healers will remain until representatives meet with the Temple to discuss the changes.”
Margot knew that Theodore struggled with what his sister did. She wasn’t a huge fan of Delilah herself. But prosecuting the former sovereign, let alone Theodore’s own family, was out of the question. It would be a political disaster, a PR nightmare, and something a devoted little brother couldn’t stomach. They would simply have to deal with Delilah on their own terms, something the former sovereign seemed to expect when, after they all retired to the family floors, Theodore dragged her into his study.
They did not emerge for a long, long time.
Scanning the richly decorated living room scattered with tables of food, a surprising amount of which catered to her own tastes, Margot took in the people she now called family.
Andy and Valen were curled up together on a loveseat, their heads bent as they silently watched the sunset streaming through the windows. Cameron was engaged in low conversation with Kaz by a table of refreshments, cups in their hands. Camille appeared to be missing, as did Viktor. Petra had been invited up as well, her presence having been vital to calming some of the more overzealous, more religiously devoted elves during the meeting, but politely declined in favor of returning to the cathedral. The du Soleils also bowed out, claiming the need to consult with their allies about the state of things post-announcement before they left her with soft touches to Margot’s hair and cheeks.
Winnie sat on a couch beside a man Margot had yet to meet. Her stunning face was tired, but when she lifted a hand to smooth a lock of fiery hair out of the unfamiliar man’s eyes, her expression softened with motherly affection.
Margot stood by a bookcase, longing for Theodore and feeling awkward amongst so many people she was now related to but still unfamiliar with. She might have hovered forever, waiting for her husband to return and take the awkwardness away, if Winnie didn’t seek her out.
Ushering her over with a wave, Winnie’s expression was gentle, almost hesitant. Margot steeled herself and, clutching a glass of sparkling cider with white-knuckled fingers, made her way over to the couch.
“Margot.” Winnie’s voice was as soft as her eyes, the complete opposite of the steely countenance her father, Valen, projected. But Margot could see the lines of her father’s face in Winnie’s striking bone structure, the gentle curve of Andy’s mouth and big, catlike eyes. Somehow, the two opposing personalities had come together to create a woman so stunning, it almost hurt to look at her.
Smiling with sharp, beautifully white teeth, she reached out to take Margot’s free hand and give it a delicate squeeze. “It is so good to finally meet you. I feel like I already know you, of course, but it’s taken such a long time to come to this moment.”
Unable to help herself, Margot arched her brows. “You probably had more advanced notice than some.”
Winnie’s smile dimmed a bit. Fingers tightening, she reluctantly replied, “Yes, but only a little.” She shared a glance with the red-headed elf sitting beside her. “I promise you, though, I didn’t know anything about Delilah’s plan until we got on the jet to come here. If I’d known…”
Margot shook her head. “No, I’m glad it worked out the way it did. I could have gone without getting blown up, of course, and I feel awful about the Healing House, but it’s a lot better than being dead — which I might be right now, if not for her.”
That didn’t make it right. It certainly made Margot look at Delilah as the predator she was — a woman who would go to any lengths to get what she wanted, without regard for the collateral damage she willfully created — but it was also the truth. If the alternative was death or a life without Theodore, then Margot would take being blown up a thousand times over.
“Yes, I…” Winnie trailed off, her fingers sliding away from Margot’s to rest on her knees. “Lilah and I have been together since we were teenagers.” She slanted a look at Valen, who was whispering something in Andy’s ear with a small, barely perceptible smile quirking the corners of his hard mouth upward. “My father was the captain of Thaddeus’s guard, so we basically grew up together. When the pull hit, it seemed perfect. Meant to be.”
Winnie gave her a small, sad smile. “But even I struggle with her gifts sometimes. It’s not easy loving a woman who lives ten steps ahead of everyone around her.” She paused, the sadness in her eyes dimming to a kind of stubborn pride Margot admired. “But you should know that Lilah does everything — everything — for her family. I don’t always agree with her methods, but the fact remains that she would never willingly cause any one of us harm. Our happiness is everything to her.”
Margot considered her grandmother and the lengths she would go to protect her kin, her Coven. “I understand.”
“No, you don’t, but that’s okay. Hopefully you’ll never have to see the full extent of Delilah’s devotion.” Knowing what she did about how Thaddeus II died, Margot emphatically hoped she was right.
“Well, now that that’s out of the way!” Winnie’s smile brightened as she changed the subject. Twisting to curl one arm around the shoulders of her companion, she announced, “Forgive me for not introducing you to your other brother-in-law yet! Margot, this is Sam.”
She knew the name, but Margot was surprised to see him. Theodore mentioned that he lived an entirely secluded life somewhere in Nevada and barely ever ventured into the heart of the Protectorate. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t see you at the meeting.” She held out a hand. “It’s lovely to meet you.”
From a distance, she thought that she could be forgiven for not immediately picking up the fact that he was related to her husband. Sam, Margot decided, had the Solbourne handsomeness, the thickly muscled build and sultry eyes, but the coloring of the blazing sunset touching the choppy water of the Bay behind her.
