256.

"This is my realm," she hissed. "And if I wish to keep you here forever, I will!"

The Corley spilled the pot of molten gla.s.s at their feet. The floor began to bubble and melt.

"Keep clear!" Christian wrapped an arm around Poppy, who was closest to the Corley.

"I am not staying here," Poppy shouted, shaking him off.

She turned to the nearest wall and shot it point blank with her pistol. Then she leaped through the shattered ruin, pulling Christian with her. They found themselves in another round room, and Poppy used the b.u.t.t of her pistol to break the far wall.

Christian joined her, smashing at the walls with the hilt of his long knife. Together they moved on and on through an endless chain of gla.s.s rooms until suddenly, screaming, Poppy smashed through a wall of sapphire gla.s.s and they found themselves tumbling onto the hearth rug of the Seadowns' parlor. Someone s.n.a.t.c.hed Poppy by the shoulders, and Christian cried out and reached for her as she thrashed and cursed.

"Poppy! Stop that! It's me, Rose!"

And Poppy collapsed into her sister's arms and burst into tears.

257.

Betrothed

Poppy was mortally embarra.s.sed to be crying in front of everyone, but they were free of the Corley and Rose and Galen had come and she just couldn't stop herself. She threw her arms around her oldest sister and blubbered like a three-year-old until Rose finally sat her on a sofa and told her sternly to calm down.

"It's over, isn't it?" Poppy asked, hiccupping. "Of course it is," Rose soothed her.

"I suppose some explanations all around might be in order," Lord Richard said.

"And tea," said Lady Margaret. She gave the bell-pull a firm yank.

A maid put her head into the room immediately, her face all curiosity. "Ma'am?"

"Tea, sandwiches, cakes, whatever Cook can provide,". Lady Margaret said.

258.

"Perhaps we should start with introductions," Lord Richard said, smiling slightly despite the severe look in his eyes.

Poppy rallied and introduced Rose and Galen, since she was the only person in the room who knew who they were. This caused a great deal of excitement, and a lot of hugging, as Lady Margaret and Marianne immediately threw themselves at Rose, whom they knew only through letters, while Galen shook hands all around and gave Poppy a rib-cracking hug.

Then she told her side of what had happened, feeling quite limp by the end of the narrative.

By the time she was done, Marianne and Eleanora were in tears and the maids had brought in the trays and been dismissed. Christian set a plate of sandwiches and cakes in Poppy's lap and insisted with great concern that she eat.

"I will if you will," she said, and he sat at her feet and helped himself to his own plateful.

Rose raised her eyebrows at this, but Poppy refused to be baited. Not right now, at least.

"We got your letter, Poppy," Galen said.

"Which one?"

His strong-jawed face cracked with amus.e.m.e.nt. "The first one, I suppose. And we immediately sent to Walter for advice. He didn't like the sound of it, either, not the dreams nor any of your uneasy feelings.

"We wrote to Prince Christian as well," Galen said, frowning. "Trying to warn him, because we knew if it was the Corley, she might set her sights on another Dane prince. But we never got an answer."

259.

Christian turned bright red, and muttered something about Lady Ella, and feeling like a fool.

Galen gave him a coolly appraising look and then looked to Poppy. She felt herself blushing, and raised her chin.

"My feet!" Eleanora sat bolt upright and raised her skirts to her knees. "My feet!"

Poppy's heart lurched, and she wondered if the other girl's gla.s.s feet had cracked or something equally horrible. Then she saw that Eleanora was beaming and wiggling her toes.

"They're healed," she sobbed. "Does this mean--am I-- are we all free of the Corley?" With one hand she stroked at her feet, and with the other she clutched at Roger as though she were drowning.

Poppy felt a pang of jealousy at the raw emotion on Roger's normally reserved face. Then she felt the weight of Christian's head on her own knee, and stroked his hair.

"Yes," Galen said. "You are free of the Corley. All the bargains that have been made with her are now void. Walter and I will consult with some of the Bretoner mages to do what we can to seal her in her realm forever."

"Which means, my dear, that no one can stop me from providing you with a home," Lord Richard said to Eleanora. He, too, took in her continued close proximity to Roger. "And though it will do little to repair the damage I did to your family, Eleanora, I would be more than pleased to present you with a dowry"

"What about Marianne's dowry?" d.i.c.kon Thwaite took Marianne's hand in his.

260.

Lord Richard looked him up and down. "After the overly familiar way you have been behaving with my daughter, especially since she donned that highly inappropriate highly inappropriate costume this evening, I expect you to propose even if her dowry is an old shoe!" costume this evening, I expect you to propose even if her dowry is an old shoe!"

"Yes sir," d.i.c.kon said sheepishly.

"Who do I speak to about Poppy?" Christian looked from Lord Richard to Galen and then to Rose.

Poppy left off stroking his hair. "Who do you speak to about what?" She wasn't sure why her voice came out quite so sharp, but she didn't bother to apologize.

Laughing, Rose pinched Poppy's arm.

"Ouch! Rose, stop that!"

"I'm quite anxious for the rest of your letters to catch up to us," Rose said slyly. "But in the meantime, Prince Christian, we should probably send a letter to our fathers. Kings like to be involved in this sort of thing."

"What sort of thing?" Again, Poppy's voice came out shrill. Were they really talking about...? She was only sixteen! But Christian ... Well, he had picked her over Eleanora, even under the Corley's enchantment.

"We are the future rulers of Westfalin," Galen said to Rose, clearly enjoying Poppy's confusion. "We could make some of the arrangements ourselves, Rosie."

"I'd actually like the chance to plan a more romantic setting for the proposal," Christian said.

"Yes! No!" Poppy knew her face was so red it was probably glowing.

261.

"No?" Christian twisted around and climbed up on his knees to look at her. "You mean you don't want to?"

"I'm only sixteen ... we hardly know each other.'"

Christian's face clouded, and Poppy felt her heart plummet toward her feet.

"You could always ask me. I mean ..."

His expression cleared. "Princess Poppy, would you care to visit the Danelaw for the holidays?"

"Yes! I do! I will!" Poppy hugged him and then leaped back, embarra.s.sed. "You could propose to me later, in a more private setting," she said. "Just to see if things change," she told him. "Besides, I need to let my feet rest. Betrothals and weddings always involve a great deal of dancing."

The rest of the room looked on in shock.

"Dancing? You, Poppy?" Marianne shook her head slowly. "I never thought..."

Rose looked concerned. She even felt Poppy's forehead for fever, but Poppy shook her off.

"I don't know about you, Rose, but I am done with letting creatures like Under Stone or the Corley dictate my life. I enjoy dancing, and I will blasted well dance at my wedding!"

"Poppy! Language!"

Poppy didn't answer; she just threw her arms around Christian and kissed him soundly.

262.

263.

The Anti-Love-Spell Bracelet Materials: Materials: I skein worsted weight yarn Size 7 (US) straight knitting needles I cable needle (abbreviation: CN) Blunt yarn needle I b.u.t.ton (shanked) Instructions: Cast on six st.i.tches.

Row 1: K1, M1 by knitting through the front and back of the st.i.tch, K2, M1, K1 (8 st.i.tches) Row 2: Knit Row 3: K1, M1, K4, M1, K1 (10 st.i.tches) Row 4: Knit Begin charm pattern. Charm is based on the Hugs & Kisses cable.

Row 1: P1, K8, P1 Row 2: K1, P8, K1 Row 3: P1, slip 2 st.i.tches to CN and hold to back of work, K2, K2 from CN, slip 2 st.i.tches to CN, hold to front of work, K2, K2 from CN, P1.

Row 4:K1,P8,K1 Row 5: P1, K8, P1 Row 6: K1, P8, K1 264.

Row 7: repeat Row 3 Row 8: K1, P8, K1 Row 9: P1, K8, P1 Row 10: K1, P8, K1 Row 11: P1, slip 2 st.i.tches to CN and hold to FRONT of work, K2, K2 from CN, slip 2 st.i.tches to CN, hold to BACK of work, K2, K2 from CN, P1.

Row 12: K1, P8, K1 Row 13: P1, K8, P1 Row 14: K1, P8, K1 Row 15: repeat Row 11 Row 16: K1, P8, K1 Knit these 16 rows 3 times, or to desired length.

Finish: Row 1: Knit Row 2: Purl Row 3: Knit Row 4: Knit Row 5: K1, K2tog, K4, K2tog, K1 Row 6: Knit Row 7: K1, K2tog, cast off 2 st.i.tches, K2tog, K1 Row 8: K3, cast on I, K3. (This creates a b.u.t.tonhole.) Row 9: K1, K2tog, K1, K2tog, K1 Row 10: K all st.i.tches together, pull yarn through loop and tie off.

Weave in ends. Center and sew b.u.t.ton to beginning half inch of bracelet, use b.u.t.tonhole created at the end to fasten.

265.

The Poppy Flower Stole Materials: Materials: 200 yds. sport weight yarn Size 10 (US) knitting needles (circular will give you more room) Blunt yarn needle for finishing Instructions: In order to form a border of poppy flowers on each end of the stole, you will knit two 2 foot pieces and graft them together using the Kitchener st.i.tch, explained below.

Cast on 100 st.i.tches.

Row 1: Knit 3, purl 4, K1, P4, K1, P4, K1, P4, K3. Repeat three more times, to end of row.

Row 2, and all even numbered rows: Knit the knit st.i.tches and purl the purls.

Row 3: K2, yarn over (YO), K1 P2, P2 together, K1, P4, K1, P4, K1, P2tog, P2, K1, YO, K2. Repeat.

Row 5: K3, YO, K1, P3, K1, P2, P2tog, K1, P2tog, P2, K1,P3,K1,YO,K3. Repeat.

Row 7: K4, YO, K1, P1, P2tog, K1, P3, K1, P3, K1, P2tog, P1, K1,YO,K4. Repeat.

Row 9: K5, YO, K1, P2, K1, P1, P2tog, K1, P2tog, P1, K1, P2, K1,YO,K5. Repeat.

266.

Row 11: K6, YO, K1, P2tog, K1, P2, K1, P2, K1, P2tog, K1, YO, K6. Repeat.

Row 13: K7, YO, K1, P1, K1, P2tog, K1, P2tog, K1, P1, K1, YO, K7. Repeat.

Row 15: K1, YO, K7,YO, K2tog, K2tog, K2tog, K2tog, K1, YO,K7,YO,K1. Repeat. Row 16: as previous even numbered rows. These 16 rows form the poppy border of the stole. The "stems" form the body of the stole, and consist of a two row pattern.

Row 1: slip the first st.i.tch, K11,P1, K12, repeat to end.

Row 2: slip the first st.i.tch, P1 I, K1, P12, repeat to end. Work these two rows until piece measures feet, or half the desired length of the stole. Slip piece, without casting off and being careful not to drop any st.i.tches, onto a piece of sc.r.a.p yarn and set aside. Make a second piece, beginning again with the poppy border and stems.

Grafting: slide first piece back onto a needle, and hold both pieces together with the purl sides facing each other. Thread the yarn through a yarn needle, and insert the needle through the first st.i.tch of the front knitting needle as if to knit. Drawing the yarn through the st.i.tch, slip the st.i.tch off the needle. Insert the yarn needle through the second st.i.tch of the front needle as if to purl, draw yarn through, but don't drop the st.i.tch yet. Now insert the yarn needle through the first st.i.tch of the back needle as if to purl, draw yarn through, 267.

and slip st.i.tch off. Insert the yarn needle through the second st.i.tch of the back needle as if to knit, draw the yarn through and leave the st.i.tch on the needle.

Repeat until all st.i.tches have been grafted and dropped off, weave in yarn ends.

268.

269.

Acknowledgments.

I always imagined writing a book to be a solitary exercise, envisioning myself toiling away in a garret, alone, like Louisa May Alcott.

And then I actually wrote a book, and discovered that it takes a village to raise a novel. Which is why many thanks must go out to all my nearest and dearest for this book as well.