"You're right, I remember hardly any names from the receiving line. Thank you for the reminder," Meg said. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"No, I'l be all right soon. My particular magical talent is accompanied by the inability to drink wine or beer. Usually I don't mind, but sometimes I succ.u.mb to temptation when there is champagne being served." She rubbed her forehead sadly. "It tastes so good."

"I'l leave and let you rest, then."

Meg was heading for the door when Lady Arden said, "If you don't mind, I have a question for you. Simon is wonderfully handsome, of course, but how can you bear to be married to him? Aren't you frightened?"

Meg stared at her. "Frightened? My lord Falconer has been kindness itself."

"I don't remember ever seeing him unkind, but that doesn't mean he isn't frightening." Lady Arden's eyes closed.

"You seem to know him very well," Meg said, curious even though she knew it was improper to gossip about Simon behind his back.

The other woman's eyes flickered open, sadness in the blue depths. "He once asked me to marry him."

"You could have married him and didn't?" Meg exclaimed.

Lady Arden sighed. "The great mages are very alarming men and women. I didn't think I could ever be comfortable as Simon's wife. In fact, he terrified me. Because I was young and not good at saying what I meant, I fear I hurt him with my rejection. I shouldn't have mentioned his . . . his family history."

Meg was fascinated but unsure how to reply. So Simon had wanted to marry this woman. She was very lovely, and Meg guessed that she had a fair amount of power. She would have made a proper Guardian wife. "Do you regret refusing him?"

"Arden and I are better suited." She sighed again, as if being better suited was not, perhaps, enough. "The work Simon does is necessary but difficult, and not always fully appreciated. I am glad for his sake that he has found a wife who is his equal."

"I am not his equal. Not at all." Meg bit her lip. "This is a very strange conversation."

"I'm sorry. It's the champagne speaking." Lady Arden gave a lovely smile. "A man needs a wife who doesn't fear him. I wish you both happy, my dear."

"Th . . . thank you. I hope you're feeling better soon. Good night." Meg made her escape, closing the door behind her so that Lady Arden could rest until the champagne was out of her blood.

How did she feel about meeting a woman Simon had wanted to marry? Meg wasn't sure, but had to admit that he had good taste. Lady Arden seemed to have a warm heart as well as more than her share of beauty. If he still felt the pain of her rejection, it would help explain his disinclination to marry.

In the hallway, she paused to smooth wrinkles from the heavy silk folds of her gown. Ruefully she decided that her appearance must have been what convinced Lady Arden that Mad Meggie was Simon' s equal. No wonder Simon and Lady Bethany had been so insistent that she be dressed well. Because she looked well-bred, Meg was perceived as worthy.

Before returning to the ball, she cautiously lowered her mental shields enough to experience the torrent of mental energy that rushed through the house. She had never been under the same roof with so many people, a fair number of them Guardians. It was interesting to listen, though rather overpowering.

Most of the guests were enjoying themselves, but some were unhappy for various personal reasons: health, broken hearts, worries about family. A man was regarding an unsuspecting woman with hungry l.u.s.t. There were many different flavors of energy, like sampling the spice chest in a pantry. Even at this distance, she recognized the emotional signatures of those she knew well, like Simon and Jean.

Intent on her thoughts, she noticed nothing wrong until a hard hand clamped over her mouth. Drayton. She realized it as soon as he touched her. His power flooded through her, intense and completely overwhelming her will and physical strength.

With horror, she realized that she was sliding into thrall. She managed to raise one hand to clasp the ruby necklace, using its protective spell to save herself from total surrender. With the help of the necklace, she managed to retain a spark of awareness of who and what she had become since escaping his control the first time. Yet she was helpless as a wax doll as he dragged her into the empty bedroom a few feet away. Small and spare, it hadn't been designated as a retiring room, but it was well lit by several globes of mage light.

He kicked the door shut, isolating the room from the hall, then turned the key in the lock. "I knew you would walk by, Meggie," he hissed in her ear. "You are mine and I have come to reclaim you."

The spark of selfhood managed to speak. "You swine!"

Feebly she struggled against his grip, but every fiber of her being was saturated by his energy. He reeked of arrogance and l.u.s.t.

How had he overpowered her so easily now that she was shielded and Simon had blocked the energy connection between her and Drayton? Her hazy mind suggested that it was because he was physically touching her, not at a distance. Whatever the reason, the result left her only a hairsbreadth away from Meggie's mindless obedience.

She tried to master her panic. Use your power. She had practiced her magic for just such an incident. Surely she should be able to do something to prevent him from kidnapping her out of a house full of people!

He turned her around, maintaining a bruising hold on her arms. She refused to look directly in his eyes, afraid that would increase his power over her. He was dressed in formal evening wear. Since he had been invited, he would have had no trouble entering the house, then finding this spot to watch for her. Most women withdrew to the retiring rooms at some point, so it was an easy guess that she would pa.s.s him sooner or later.

"Anything to say for yourself, Meggie?" he said, smiling broadly. "If you're deeply enough in thrall, you'l stop fighting me."

"Never!" She locked panic in a corner of her mind until she could afford to deal with it. First, what magic was Drayton using?

Most obvious was the domination spell he'd controlled her with for so many years. Her mind recognized it all too well and returned to the familiar pa.s.sivity. Also, she sensed an unusual kind of shielding spell around them. She guessed that it was designed to block any signs of their struggle from other Guardians. The spell would conceal them if he took her from the house, so she must find some way to escape or call for help before that happened.

"You're like a hissing kitten," he observed. "You wave your little paws, but are no threat to me."

The triple defense spell. Belatedly she recalled the three-way protection spell she had developed with Jean's help. It was designed for exactly these circ.u.mstances. Even if the shield and striking spells weren't effective, the damping spell should knock out Drayton's protective bubble so that others could recognize that something was wrong and come to her aid.

She was about to invoke the triple spell when she remembered her earlier thought that the connection between her and Drayton ran both ways. This might be her chance to find if he had others in thrall.

Engage him in conversation. That might give her more access to his mind. She managed to gasp, "This time, you will not get away with abducting me. I am no longer a helpless child without friends."

"These so-called friends will accept it when you earnestly tell them that you are leaving your dull husband to return to me, the man you have always loved." He smiled, showing his teeth. "You will be most convincing. No one will interfere. Even if Falconer tries, he will be unable to breach the wards on my London house."

The spark that was Meg flared angrily. "I won't!"

"You will do anything I want of you. If I tell you to walk on all fours and whinny like a pony, you will do it and swish your imaginary tail. If I tell you to jump from the garret window of my house and shatter that lovely body on the cobblestones, you will leap with alacrity." His grip on her arms tightened. "Consider yourself fortunate that I want you to be my adoring, obedient consort."

She spat in his face.

He flinched, his expression hardening. "With the right spell, you could be made to believe yourself happy to be in my thrall, but I think I would rather know that somewhere under your perfect behavior, you will hate me even as you spread your legs."

Furious, she reached for the false appearance created by the illusion spell he'd used on her for years. The image in the mirror over the washstand blurred, then cleared to show Mad Meggie with slack face, awkward body, and drab clothing.

For an instant he was startled. "I'd forgotten how ugly I made you. No wonder I never considered you as a mate." With a blast of raw power, he dissolved the illusion, returning her to her real appearance.

His eyes narrowed. "It occurs to me that it might be better to change your appearance entirely so no one will realize that my new consort is the missing Lady Falconer. If I lay a powerful illusion spell on you, I may as well make you the most beautiful woman in Britain. Shall I make you look like Gwynne Owens? No, I can do better than that. You must be blond, of course, but what else?"

Meg felt hammer blows of magic jangle through her. As each blow struck, she saw more changes in the mirror. Her features shifted to perfect, bland symmetry. Then ma.s.ses of loose blond hair spilled wantonly over her shoulders. Her bosom enlarged to a startling extent and her gown became a thin night rail that concealed very little of her.

Drayton touched his tongue to his lips. "I've outdone myself. How fortunate that this room has a bed." He put his right hand on her breast, then frowned. "The spell is only superficial now, which means that under the lovely illusion that covers you, you're still locked into corset and stomacher. I must wait until I have time and privacy to make the illusion spell change you so profoundly that you will feel as you appear."

"Change your own face when you do so I don't have to look at your vile features!" Meg knew she sounded childish, but it was a struggle to maintain her sense of self. She had no strength left for wit. Using what power she still commanded, she probed Drayton's mind to discover if he had others in thrall.

"Even though you're not yet the woman of my dreams, you'l do for a quick f.u.c.k." His eyes hot with desire, he pulled her toward the bed. "We might as well take advantage of the bed before we leave. We' l be done in five minutes, and when we are, you will fight me no longer."

Dear G.o.d, she couldn't let him rape her! l.u.s.t was loosening his defenses, but not enough to learn what she wanted. Taking a chance, she looked directly into his eyes, hoping that would establish a deeper connection. His dark eyes were a window to the cruelest, most ruthless soul she had ever seen.

He was affected by her gaze, but not the way she wanted. He shoved her onto the bed and dropped on top of her with a rattle of pannier frames, swearing when a metal spoke jabbed him. Then he forced her mouth open with a violent kiss.

She gagged, choking on his disgusting tongue. She must invoke the triple defense spell before this went any further. Grimly she made one last attempt to delve into his mind.

There were others! Perhaps four or five. She recognized the same kind of thread that connected her to him. But where did the threads go? She must follow them if she was to find his victims.

Abruptly he lifted his head and stared down at her. "Well, d.a.m.n me for a tailor! You're still a virgin. That molly boy Falconer hasn't even been able to take your maidenhead. Oh, this is rich indeed!"

"Simon is a thousand times the man you are!" She spat again, trying to get the taste of him out of her mouth.

He backhanded her across the cheek. "Time you learned manners, wench." His body still pinning her to the bed, he frowned. "I've never sensed that Falconer is a molly boy, so why hasn't he bedded a toothsome morsel like you?" After a moment's consideration, he said slowly, "It must have something to do with the unicorn spell. I reckon he wants to keep a virgin nearby in case he grows a horn again." Drayton gave a rusty crack of laughter. "It will be two horns he'l be wearing-the cuckold's horns."

"It's a sign of your stupidity that you will waste the magical power of virginity by giving in to your l.u.s.t," she snapped.

He slapped her again. "What a tongue you've developed since you escaped my tender care. But you have a point. There are more useful ways to take that maidenhead. Instead of changing your appearance so no one will know that you're Lady Falconer, you will stay as you are. Once you're under my roof, you will sue Falconer for an annulment on the grounds of impotence. I might as well humiliate him before I destroy him."

She tried to wrench free without success. "No one will believe you!"

"They'l believe the physicians who examine you. Rest a.s.sured that the examination will provide you with your share of humiliation." Again he gave her the toothed smile of a predator. "In the meantime, there is much that can be done short of taking your virginity." He ground another kiss into her bruised lips.

She forced herself to control her physical revulsion, using all her crippled power to dive into the rank depths of his mind. She managed to locate the connection threads again, but was unable to follow them to the ends. They vanished into misty s.p.a.ce.

She was about to surrender and invoke the defense spell when she remembered that another source of magic was available. She imagined Lucky, then reached for the essence of feline power: subtle, hidden, hunting. Energy sparked incandescently through her mind, illuminating those gossamer trails.

Yes! Five people, all young, all trapped in the horrors of thrall. It took only an instant to memorize the auras and directions. She would know how to find those other poor suffering devils.

Having learned what she needed, at a d.a.m.nably high price, she gathered her power and her desperation and mentally cried out the word that would trigger the triple defensive spell.

Simon!

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE.

The group of half a dozen men had been idly discussing politics when the music started again. Most left to claim dance partners. When only Simon and Duncan were left, Duncan said quietly, "You've a.s.sumed that Drayton is interested in seizing control over the Guardians. What if his main aim is power within the mundane government? He is already a cabinet minister, and we know of his interest in mechanics and technology. The economy of Britain is on the verge of major change, and if he is at the forefront, he might end up with tremendous worldly power."

"I've considered that," Simon replied. "But he could pursue such goals without causing trouble in the Guardian community, and it would be safer not to break our laws. He already has me monitoring his activities, and others are watching as well. Though he has considerable power, I don't think he is yet capable of taking us all on."

"If he wants to influence the mundane world, he will be able to do so more effectively if he uses magic in ways forbidden by our laws." Duncan frowned. "Strategically, it's to his advantage to enhance his power by whatever means available, use that power to take control of the Guardians so that there will be no one strong enough to oppose him, then use magic to enforce his will in the worldly sphere."

Simon whistled softly. "It's an ugly prospect, but so large in scale that I'm not sure anyone could achieve it."

Duncan shrugged cynically. "He doesn't have to achieve it. He only needs to think he can, and he's arrogant enough for that. Not everyone is as logical as you are."

Simon was silent for a long moment. "You're right. I have been allowing logic to limit my imagination. Drayton's whole nature is illogic."

Before he could say more, Meg's mental voice rang in his mind as she called his name with the power of a great church bell ringing. He gasped, feeling her desperation. How long since he had seen Meg? Perhaps a quarter of an hour? What the devil had happened to her?

Her mental cry was followed an instant later by a wave of damping magic that swept through the laughing crowd. The mundanes were unaffected, but the Guardians all reacted. A man developed a paunch and a woman's wrinkles appeared as their illusion spells were smothered. Though the damping spell dissipated swiftly, it left a confused magical atmosphere in its wake. The woman's skin smoothed out again, but the gentleman remained paunchy, perhaps too shaken to maintain his false appearance.

Spinning on his heel, Simon said grimly, "That was Meg. She's upstairs." He cut through the startled crowd, Duncan at his back as he took the stairs three at a time.

Several females had emerged from retiring rooms into the hall and were looking around in bewilderment. No Meg. He decided to start with the nearest closed door. It was locked. Blocking what he was doing so the mundanes couldn't see, he blew the tumblers open with a furious blast of power, not caring who he might find fornicating on the other side.

He stepped inside, and was horrified to find Meg collapsed on the bed, her eyes closed and her face pale except for reddened marks on her cheeks. The room's window was open and a breeze blew in, rippling the curtains.

While Duncan rushed to the window, Simon went to Meg. Remembering his success with healing the kitten, he gently framed her face and poured in healing energy. Though she wasn't truly unconscious, her mind was disordered, steeped in confusion. As he continued with the healing, he felt her thoughts smooth out.

Her eyelids flickered open to reveal that her changeable eyes were the color of charcoal. "I know where they are," she said huskily.

He caught his breath. "Others that Drayton has in thrall?"

After she nodded, he said, "We'l talk about that later. How are you? Who hurt you?"

"Drayton. Is he still here?" she asked in a strained whisper.

"I don't believe so." Now that he knew who was responsible, fury seared through him. He must find Drayton and smash the rogue with his hooves. . . .

Meg's nails bit into his hand, drawing blood. "Don't!" she said fiercely.

The pain pierced his anger, bringing him back to himself. He broke into a cold sweat when he realized how close he had come to transforming. He had hoped that the beast nature was fading, but obviously not. "Thank you."

A brief flare of light came from the window. Duncan swore. "There was a knotted rope hanging out here, but a dissolution spell just made it vanish. Drayton is gone and he left no traces."

Half a dozen people, all Guardians, entered the room. One of the first was Lady Bethany. She sat on the edge of the bed and laid a cool, lavender-scented hand on Meg's forehead. "Did Drayton hurt you?"

"He tried to abduct me again," Meg whispered.

Lord Halliburton pushed into the room in time to hear Meg's words. He scowled. "Once more you are slandering Lord Drayton without proof. Though I know Drayton well, I can't sense a shred of his energy here."

"Lady Falconer's damping spell has removed all traces of magic in the area," Simon said dryly. "What sort of proof would you consider acceptable, Halliburton? Would you believe Drayton guilty of killing chickens if you caught him wringing a rooster's neck?"

Halliburton flushed. "You and Drayton were both ordered not to take action against each other. Getting your wife to accuse him makes you guilty of violating the council's order. I'l have you brought up on charges."

Meg pushed herself to a sitting position and stared at Halliburton, her gaze burning. "I am no one's creature, not even Simon's. Do you doubt my word?"

He fell back a step, startled by the power of her anger. "If . . . if you made up this accusation by yourself, it is you who are guilty of violating the council's order. Everyone involved had to pledge not to cause trouble."

"Don't be a fool, Hally," Lady Bethany said briskly. "Lady Falconer has clearly been a.s.saulted and you have no right to call her a liar or Falconer a conspirator. There may be no absolute evidence that Drayton attacked her-though personally I think it's fair to believe the victim-but neither is there any proof he is innocent. He certainly wasn't downstairs dancing."

Simon suppressed a smile. Leave it to Lady Beth to put matters into perspective.

Lord Sterling, master of the household, entered the room. "Did Lady Falconer cast that damping spell?"

Meg nodded. "I hope I didn't inconvenience anyone."

"Not seriously," Sterling said with a speculative gaze. "That was an impressive piece of magic. Where did you learn it?"

"Jean Macrae taught me the basic spell." Meg swung her feet to the floor and stood, swaying. Simon wrapped an arm around her waist. She was shivering with shock. "I don't think there was anything special about it."

"I am the expert at damping spells who is called on to cast them for events like council hearings. I believe that I have just met my successor, Lady Falconer. Perhaps at some future time we can discuss the fine points of technique." Sterling bowed respectfully, then turned to the other guests who were in the room or hall. "Supper is about to be served downstairs. Shall we adjourn and enjoy it?" Effortlessly he ushered out everyone but Simon and Lady Beth.