Read Encante for Free Online Page A

not allowed the encante serving wine to pour for him.
    Interesting.
    “She finds your adventurous streak stupid?” Drusilla smirked. “Would she rather you stayed at home and did needlepoint with her?”
    I blinked, astonished at the coincidence in her question and my earlier musings about what Cecelie might be doing. “I don’t know that she’d find my stitching appealing, but she certainly doesn’t approve of my travels.” And that’s without knowing they take me to parallel worlds . “In fact,”—I hesitated—“I’ll be retiring once this little sortie comes to an end and we’re married.”
    Another point upon which Cecelie had insisted. I sensed Cane wasn’t too happy about this, but more because Cecelie was attempting to dictate to him than because he valued my expertise. The truth was, I could be just as useful to him at home, perhaps more so, and he had commented on several occasions that he did not like the prospect of anything ill befalling me while I was away. Or the thought of me getting caught. To be a known member of the rebellion meant certain death. Cane knew this better than most; Oswald Deryn had been his mentor, as Cane was mine.
    “Retiring?” Drew sounded genuinely surprised. “On the whim of some wench? You’re hardly older than our Axel here.” He nodded at his son. “You’re most certainly not ready for the shore just yet, lad.”
    “I don’t mean to say I won’t work, merely that I will be doing work of a different kind.”
    “Such as what?” Drusilla smirked again. “If not stitching, then what? Writing? Or accounts perhaps? Would you be good with numbers, Mister Escher?”
    “Simeon,” I stuttered, gaping at her slightly, for Cecelie had indeed proposed I take up accounting, or writing something for public purview, or in fact . . .
    “Law, perhaps?” Drusilla asked innocently.
    . . . law.
    That was disturbing .
    “You’re to be a lawyer upon your return!” she declared.
    “I assure you, my lady, I cannot imagine anything more contemptible.”
    As I said it, I realised it was the truth. For the first time it occurred to me that perhaps it was unfair of Cecelie to expect me to give up my career in such a manner, even if she didn’t know what that career truly was. Especially, in fact, if she didn’t know what it was. She had no idea how important our work was; how could I possibly expect her to understand I had to continue? I’d have to tell her, I realised with a sinking heart, knowing the reaction I would get. I’d simply have to, it was the only way to get her to understand I could not do as she asked. But the moment the thought occurred to me, my heart sank further, as I realised it would be impossible. Even if Cane were to allow it—which he would not—it would only make her more determined to keep me at home.
    “The captain had the right of it.” Drew shook his head. “The sea’s in your blood, boy, near as damn as it’s in my Drusilla’s; you don’t give up your blood without a fight.”
    “Forgive my father, Mister Escher, you should of course do as you please. If you love this Cecelie with all your heart then you should do whatever it takes to make her happy, as I’m sure she does for you.”
    Drusilla watched me carefully, and I had the disconcerting notion that she knew. She spoke fair, but she knew . As I stared into her eyes, I sensed that she knew I feared Cecelie did not truly love me at heart. That I suspected Cane had encouraged her in our match as he wished for me as a son-in-law. That she had gone along with it to please him, and that she herself was woefully unhappy about our coupling. Perhaps most disturbing of all was that Drusilla also knew that it hadn’t been until that very instant, as I looked into her face and saw my own feelings staring back at me, that I’d understood I didn’t truly love Cecelie at all. In all the time I had known her, I had never once felt anything close to what I was feeling in that moment, as