The Truest Heart Page 7

  “I hired her as a matchmaker.”

  “Exactly how many matches has she made for you?”

  Mary Lambkin smiled. “You were my first.”

  “Had you asked to meet me in particular?” asked Jasper.

  “No, I’d never heard of you.”

  “So the first time you heard my name was when Cory Feathering arranged a date for us.”

  “That’s true,” said Mary.

  “What happened on this date?”

  Mary looked confused. “We had a good time? At least I did. You were a gentleman and we had a very nice dinner. I enjoyed our conversation and I thought you did, too.”

  Jasper cleared his throat again. “I did, but that’s beside the point. So, were you hoping to see me again?”

  “Yes, actually,” Mary said, smiling shyly.

  Jasper looked uncomfortable when he asked his next question. “Was it because you planned to trick me into telling you things about the trial that you could pass on to Cory Feathering?”

  Mary gasped and a blush crept up her cheeks. “No, of course not! That’s an awful thing to say!”

  “So you’re telling me that you weren’t trying to make me fall in love with you so Cory Feathering would have leverage over me?” Jasper asked.

  Mary was beet red by now and looked furious.

  This is ridiculous, Cory thought. The only way she could defend herself and stop this line of questioning was to tell them about being a Cupid, but she wasn’t about to do that. That left her with only one choice.

  Bow! Cory thought as she got to her feet. Time stood still for everyone but Cory as the bow appeared in her hand and her quiver on her back. Plucking an arrow from her quiver, Cory read the name on its shaft. “Jasper Goodwell Wilkins” had appeared written in gold. Satisfied that she had the right one, Cory started to walk. Jasper was facing the stand, so Cory wanted to find an angle where she could hit his chest with her arrow. She was standing near Mary when she shot Jasper. The arrow hit him with a puff of sparkles.

  Returning to the aisle by her seat, Cory took another arrow from her quiver. “Mary Patricia Lambkin” said the writing. When it hit Mary, the air around the couple sparkled with gold. Cory was back in her seat before the sparkles died away.

  Suddenly, Mary and Jasper looked at each other as if they had never seen the other person before. And then Mary was dashing from the witness box and Jasper was running to meet her. They were in each other’s arms before most people knew what was happening.

  “Order in the court!” the judge demanded, but Jasper and Mary were paying attention only to each other as they kissed in front of everyone.

  “See, they were meant for each other,” said the woman seated on the other side of Blue. Leaning forward to look past him, she said to Cory, “You are good! Can I hire you as my matchmaker?”

  People around her laughed and Cory laughed with them. The only one who didn’t was an elderly woman with silver hair who gave Cory a speculative look instead. When the woman finally turned away, she left Cory with the feeling that she disapproved.

  Cory looked up when the crowd stirred; Jasper and Mary were running from the courtroom hand in hand. “Now what?” Cory whispered to Blue. He shrugged and turned toward the judge.

  “Court is adjourned until one o’clock,” the judge announced. “Let’s see if we can find out what’s going on with Wilkins!”

  As the courtroom emptied into the hallway, Cory held tight to Blue’s hand. When they left the room, the ogres clustered around them, moving to an empty space farther down the hall. They had been there only a few minutes when Lionel came to see her. “If you’ll excuse me, gentlemen, I need to speak with my granddaughter alone,” he told Cory’s escorts.

  He led Cory down the hall where no one could hear them. “I know why you did what you did, but you couldn’t have picked a more public place,” he told her. When she started to say something, he shook his head and said, “It’s fine. I probably would have done the same thing. We don’t always get to choose the time or place for the matches we make. Jasper Wilkins forced your hand. It wasn’t an ideal situation, but I don’t think there was anything else you could do. However, I just wanted you to know that there were a few people in that room who might have noticed the interruption in time. One in particular comes to mind, but I’ll deal with her if I have to.”

  “Who was it?” asked Cory.

  “A neighbor of mine,” said Lionel. “Be that as it may, I just wanted to tell you that you may leave now. After Jasper’s display, I doubt the defense is going to follow that line of questioning any further. They have other witnesses lined up for today. If they need you again in the future, they’ll let you know.”

  “Thank you, Grandfather. Other than today, how is the trial going?” Cory asked him.

  Lionel shrugged. “Some days are better than others. Right now it could go either way. Take care, my dear. Keep your bodyguards until the trial is over. It’s only just begun.”

  CHAPTER

  8

  Cory wasn’t happy about the way things had gone at court, but she was sure it could have been worse. She was glad it was over, at least for now, and hoped she wouldn’t be called back.

  After the ogres escorted Cory and Blue home, Macks declared that he was going to get the yard ready for some shrubs Micah planned to buy. Blue was walking around the yard with him when Cory went inside to change her clothes and make lunch. She had just gotten out a loaf of bread when Blue came to the door.

  “Your mother is here to see you,” he said. “Do you want me to send her away or stay while you talk to her?”

  Cory sighed. One of the last people she wanted to see right then was her mother. “I’ll talk to her in the main room,” she said, setting down the bread. “Although I really don’t want to hear what she has to say.”

  “All right,” said Blue, “but I’ll be right outside if you need me.”

  When Blue opened the door, Delphinium came bustling in. Before her mother could speak, Cory had a flash of the images of Delphinium and Officer Deeds. She forced the images away by focusing on what her mother was saying.

  “You went through with it! I didn’t think you really would. I hope you’re satisfied. You’re trying to take down one of the great institutions of the fey world.”

  Cory sighed. “I’m not trying to take anything down, Mother. I just did what I thought was right. The guilds have been getting away with too much for too long.”

  “That guild put food on our table while you were growing up. They’ve been good to us, and you turned them in to the law! I am so disappointed in you. I thought I’d raised you better than this.”

  “And I think you should be happy that I’m able to stand up for myself,” said Cory. “You care more about your precious guild than you do about me. You don’t care that they’re actively trying to hurt me now and have been for some time.”

  “I warned you about that,” said Delphinium. “It’s your own fault that you didn’t listen.”

  “Why did you come over, Mother? You’ve already disowned me. You said I would never see you again. Giving up on your promise already?”

  “I came to tell you that it isn’t too late. You can still recant your testimony. Tell them that you were mistaken. The people in the guilds aren’t the horrible monsters you’re making them out to be!”

  “I’m not recanting anything, except my decision to talk to you. Good-bye, Mother.”

  When Delphinium made no effort to leave, Cory opened the door. “Blue, my mother is leaving now. She just won’t admit it.”

  “Do you need some help, Mrs. Feathering?” Blue said as he stepped inside.

  With a last scornful look at Cory, her mother strode from the room, her head held high.

  “That was awful,” Cory told Blue as he shut the door. “Next time I say that I’ll talk to her, don’t listen to me. Now on to something really important. How many sandwiches do you and Macks want?”

  Blue was helping Cory clean u
p the kitchen after lunch when she received a message.

  Dear Cory,

  My mother is in town, and we thought it would be nice to have dinner with you and Blue. If you are able to come, I’ll pick you up outside your house at six o’clock this evening.

  Your friend,

  Jack B. Nimble

  “That would be fun,” said Cory. “I’d love to see them.”

  “Then tell them that we’ll be ready by six,” said Blue. “I don’t think we’ll need to take a bodyguard with us. Jack is just as conscious of security as we are.”

  Cory spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning the bathing room, sweeping the floors, and doing laundry while Blue and Macks worked outside. When it was time to get ready, Macks read a book while Cory and Blue changed their clothes. Remembering the last time Jack Nimble gave her a ride, she put on slacks and a pale pink sweater, then grabbed a light jacket.

  Cory and Blue were standing in the front yard when Jack’s hot-air balloon landed in the street. Macks was waiting with them, but as soon as they climbed into the basket under the balloon, he waved good-bye and rode away on his solar cycle. Although Cory had ridden in the basket once before, she still found it fascinating. She loved watching Jack control the height of their flight by heating or releasing hot air.

  Blue didn’t seem to enjoy it nearly as much as Cory did. When she glanced at him to tell him something about one of the buildings below, his face was pale and his mouth looked pinched. “Are you all right?” she asked.

  Blue closed his eyes. “I’ll be fine once we land.”

  “Have you ever flown before?” Jack asked him.

  “No. I had no idea it would be like this,” Blue said, and swallowed hard.

  “I think he’s airsick,” Cory whispered to Jack.

  “Some people can’t handle flying,” Jack whispered back. “I’d heard that a lot of ogres get really sick, but Blue is only half ogre. I thought he’d be fine.”

  “Please stop talking about it,” Blue told them. “That only makes it worse. Are we almost there?”

  “Where are we going anyway?” Cory asked Jack.

  “My house,” he told her. “My mother and Marjorie are making supper together. It isn’t far now. I live on the north side of town. If you look past that park and that big building on the left, you can just make out my roof.”

  “Your house is big enough to see from here?” Cory exclaimed.

  “Nimble Sports is doing very well,” Jack said with a grin.

  They landed on the front lawn of one of the bigger houses in the area. A tall fence surrounded the lawn on every side. Once they were on the ground, all they could see beyond the fence were the roofs of the neighboring houses.

  “Wow!” said Cory. “Your house is as big as my grandfather’s.”

  “I’ve invited my mother to come live here, but she prefers the country. The trouble with the guilds might change her mind, though. I think she’s lonely where she lives now. Go on in while I secure the balloon. You’ll find Marjorie and my mother in the kitchen.”

  “Mind if I stay with you?” Blue asked Jack. “I need to sit still for a while.”

  “The fresh air might help, too,” Cory said, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you inside.”

  “Go in the back door on your left,” Jack told her. “The kitchen is just down the hall.”

  Although Cory was reluctant to leave Blue, she didn’t think there was anything she could do to help him. Following Jack’s directions, she went inside and started looking for the kitchen. It was a huge, new house and she could easily have gotten lost if she hadn’t heard Marjorie and Stella laughing.

  “Good evening, ladies,” Cory said as she walked into the kitchen.

  “Cory!” Stella said. Dropping a dish towel on the table, she hurried over to give Cory a hug. “I heard you had your ordeal today. So did I, right before you. Jack hustled me out of there afterward or I would have seen you.”

  “How did it go?” asked Cory.

  “It was absolutely dreadful,” Stella said, making a disgusted face. “That Jasper Wilkins is such a troll! I didn’t know that humans could be that nasty. He made me look like an idiot and a liar. I couldn’t wait to get out of there.”

  “I don’t mean to interrupt,” said Marjorie, “but where’s Blue?”

  “He’ll be in soon,” Cory told them. “He got really airsick on his way here.”

  “Oh, dear!” said Marjorie. “I should have thought of that! Most ogres can’t handle flying. I did some research for a book once and learned a lot about them. Blue is only half ogre, though, isn’t he?”

  Cory nodded. “I’m still not sure if he’s more like an ogre or a human. I guess I’m learning more about him every day.”

  Jack took a deep breath as he came into the room. “Something smells really good. What’s for supper?”

  “I cooked roast beef. I know how much ogres like meat,” said Marjorie. “And your mother steamed some fish for those who don’t eat meat.”

  “Perfect!” Jack said, giving her a kiss. “How long before everything is ready?”

  “It’s ready now. We can eat as soon as you wash up,” his mother told him.

  Blue came into the room then, looking a little less pale. He gave Cory a wan smile and took a seat on a stool in the corner.

  “I have just the thing for an upset stomach,” said Stella, and began to bustle around the kitchen, finding the necessary ingredients. When she had it ready, she handed a cup to Blue. “Drink all of it and you’ll feel fine in a few minutes.”

  Blue looked skeptical. After sniffing the drink and taking a tentative taste, he chugged the entire contents of the cup. “That wasn’t bad,” he told her. “Thanks!”

  Cory helped Stella and Marjorie take the food to the table. By the time they were ready, Blue was looking normal again.

  After everyone was seated and had helped themselves from heaping platters, Jack said, “I have an announcement. Mother, I’m sure you already guessed, but we didn’t want to make it official until after you’d already testified and could relax. Marjorie and I are getting married.”

  “That’s wonderful news!” exclaimed Cory.

  “I knew it!” said Stella. “It’s about time. The way you two look at each other, I knew you’d pop the question soon. Have you talked about children yet?”

  “Mother, give us time!” Jack said, laughing.

  “Actually, we have talked about it,” said Marjorie. “And we both want lots of children.”

  “Good!” Stella cried. “That’s just what I wanted to hear.”

  Cory glanced at Blue. He was gazing at her with a wistful look in his eyes, making her wonder exactly what he was thinking.

  “No one’s eating my green beans!” said Stella. “Eat up. There’s a lot more in the kitchen.”

  Everyone started eating then. The food was delicious and plentiful. Cory noticed that Blue really enjoyed the roast beef. She’d had no idea he liked meat so much.

  “I’m reading a really good book,” Jack told them when Marjorie left the table to get dessert. “I bought it from a man who imports them through secret channels from the human world. He has a stand at the Black Market. You know where that is, don’t you? It’s across the street from the Green Market.”

  “What kind of book is it?” asked Blue.

  “It’s a western. I don’t know if you’re familiar with them, but—”

  Blue’s eyes lit up. “I love westerns, but they’re so hard to find!”

  “I have some I can give you,” said Jack. “I’ve already read them at least three times each.”

  “That would be great!” said Blue.

  “Here it is! I made a chocolate, chocolate-chip pie!” said Marjorie, setting it on the table. “I know that ogres are notorious for having a sweet tooth. Blue, let me give you a big piece.”

  Cory was surprised when he ate two huge pieces. He loved the berry pies she made at home, but she’d never thought about him having a
sweet tooth.

  Thinking about all the things she didn’t know about Blue, Cory only half listened as Marjorie described the new book she was writing, and Stella told her about her new hobby, embroidery. When it was time to leave, Cory turned to Jack. “I love that you gave us a ride in your hot-air balloon, but I don’t think we should go home that way, considering how sick it made Blue. I think we should take the pedal-bus instead.”

  “I wouldn’t think of it!” said Jack. “I agree that you shouldn’t fly, but there’s no need to take the pedal-bus. You can borrow my solar cycle. I have one of those new batteries in it. You won’t even have to pedal to get it started.”

  “That’s awfully kind of you, but—” Cory began.

  “I’ll come by tomorrow to pick it up,” said Jack.

  “We’re just glad you could come for supper,” said Marjorie. “We don’t have friends over very often, because so many people are angry that Stella is testifying against the guilds. Right now, we’re not even sure who we can trust, other than you two.”

  “We know how you feel,” Cory said, thinking of Daisy.

  They were riding home on Jack’s solar cycle when Blue glanced over his shoulder at Cory. “Thanks for suggesting something other than a balloon ride home. I don’t know if I could have handled it again.”

  “You’re very welcome,” Cory told him, happy that she’d finally done something for him.

  CHAPTER

  9

  Cory was reading The Fey Express at breakfast the next morning when she saw an article about Goldilocks and Prince Rupert. “This says that Princess Goldilocks and Prince Rupert are in town. It’s so odd seeing Goldilocks referred to as ‘Princess.’ It doesn’t mention where they’re staying, but I bet it’s with her mother. I wonder what Rupert thinks of the shoe house and all the children.”

  Gladys Piper lived in a shoe-shaped house with all of her youngest children. Cory was familiar with the house and the large family, having babysat the younger children before she met Goldilocks.

  “I still have to give Goldilocks her necklace,” said Cory. “It was one of the things I retrieved from the highwaymen who stole our jewelry. I know the necklace was important to Goldilocks, but I wasn’t sure how to get it to her safely before this. I’ll send a message to her mother and ask if I can bring it over today.”