Free Illicit Magic by Camilla Chafer Page A

would feel more comfortable if Étoile was with me. My feelings towards her were based on only a few hours, but I felt I could trust her, given that, I wasn’t, well, deep fried.
    Robert pondered the idea and after a moment, nodded. “Yes, Étoile is not a member of the council but she will be a friendly face for you.”
    I looked over my shoulder. Étoile had stopped playing with her phone and sat with her ankles crossed and hands in her lap. She smiled at me and I thought there was a real hint of warmness there. I smiled back and meant it.
    “We will let you retire. I’m sure you are exhausted,” said Eleanor, every bit the hostess and clearly dismissing us. “Marc, would you take our guests to their rooms?”
    Marc was up and at my side in an instant and I stood. I was sandwiched between him and Étoile as we left the room, and she took care to close the heavy doors behind her. We moved across the hallway and Marc guided us down the hall and around a bend. “Mom has given you rooms across from each other. I’m right down the hall so just call if you need anything.” He pointed several closed doors further down. They were all identical so I wasn’t sure which one he meant. I would just have to find Étoile if I needed anything. He opened a door to his right and ushered me in first. Étoile leant against the doorframe as I took in the room.
    It was a small room, dominated by a big mahogany bed with a cover the colour of bitter chocolate, trimmed in brilliant white ribbons and stacked with pillows. A dressing table sat against the wall at the foot of the bed, near the door. On the other wall there was a closet and a door that was open a fraction so that I could see it led to a small bathroom. Opposite that, the window, framed in matching dark brown curtains with thick tassels, looked out over the city. The curtains alone probably cost more than a month’s temping. It had the appearance of a very smart hotel room and the bed looked particularly inviting, even though I slept for several bone-aching hours on the plane. Marc seemed to be waiting for a reaction so I tipped the corners of my mouth into a smile and thanked him.
    “Mom likes things to be quite formal,” Marc was saying and it took me a moment to realise that he wasn’t talking about the bedroom decor, but was instead referring to their council. He probably took the grandeur as standard, I assumed. “She prefers we dress up so she left a dress for you, assuming you mightn’t have brought anything formal.”
    Of course I hadn’t, I thought, looking around for my bag.
    “Your bag is in the closet,” said Marc, following my eyes and guessing what I was looking for. He indicated with his hand, “The dress is in there too. She guessed your size so I hope it fits. Can you be ready for eight?”
    I had no idea what time it was – my watch was obviously on the wrong time zone – but there was a clock on the dresser so I nodded and Marc seemed satisfied. He ran a hand through his thick blonde hair and grinned again. “Hopefully it won’t be too boring tonight. Signal me if you need rescuing.”
    I frowned, not sure if he was serious or being funny. I decided to play along either way. “What sort of signal should I give you?”
    “Um, nothing too obvious ... maybe ... brush something off your shoulder,” suggested Marc, making the same sweeping gesture to show me exactly what he meant. “It won’t look out of place and I will get you out of there. The council can be a bit overbearing at the best of times. They’re particularly excited about tonight.”
    I nodded as if I knew exactly what he meant and looked over to Étoile who stood in the doorway, leaning slightly against the doorframe. “I will watch out for any frantic shoulder-brushing,” she winked and backed out of the room.
    Marc followed her and swept a hand towards the doorway across the hall, but she’d already brushed past and opened the door. She seemed very familiar with the