"Kim, a word please?"

Kim froze at the base of the stairs. Having just seen the marquis out she had been hoping to slip up to her room without talking to anyone. Dinner had been an interminable affair with Lady Wendall, Lord Franton and Mrs. Lowe carrying the conversation while Kim struggled to contribute enough to be considered polite. Marielon had eaten in near silence, speaking only when asked a direct question.

Lord Franton had requested an audience with him in the library before dinner, wishing to explain the agreement he and Kim had reached. When the two men had come to escort the ladies to dinner Kim had found herself unable to interpret Mairelon's reaction to the Marquis' news, or whether his subsequent distracted demeanor had been due to it or to the day's other events.

Now he stood in the door to the library, an indecipherable expression on his face, awaiting Kim's reply.

"Sure." She turned away from the stairs and slipped past him into the library.

Marielon closed the doors behind them. "Have a seat," he told her, pouring two glasses of brandy. He handed one glass to Kim then sat down across from her. "Did he threaten you?"

Kim jumped in suprise, "What? Who? Lord Franton? - no."

Mairelon nodded. "He didn't seem the type but I wanted to be sure." He peered at her. "You would tell me?"

"Yes."

"Good, good." He sipped his brandy and watched Maximilian in silence for a few moments, seeming to gather his thoughts.

Kim stared into her own brandy unsure of what to say.

Finally Mairelon broke the silence, "Kim, you are aware that you aren't required to marry. Not Lord Franton or anyone else."

"I suppose."

Mairelon raised his eyebrows, "You suppose?"

Kim sipped her brandy to put off speaking while she tried to find the right words. "I can't - I can't just stay your ward forever," she finally forced out. "And like you said last night - getting married, well, I'd be well established and all that. So I that maybe if I got to know Lord Franton better maybe I'd . . ." she trailed off staring into her brandy once again.

Mairelon set his glass on the library table and leaned forward staring at her intently. "I see. Perhaps there are some things I should make clear.

First, I chose to make you my ward because I wanted to and I certainly didn't do it with the intention of putting you out on the street as soon as you came of age. So, I see no reason you can't remain here as my ward as long as you and I both wish it." He paused and frowned, "Unless you are unhappy? If so I'm sure I could find someone else to take over your guardianship. Mother and Renée are both terribly fond of you. Or -"

"No! That ain't it. It's just the future." Kim's voice was louder than she intended, she just wanted him to stop to not have to hear the wounded undertone to his words.

Mairelon nodded, looking relieved. "Good. That's good." His voice had grown slightly rough. "As I said before you aren't required to get married unless you want to. That wasn't point of having you debut."

"What was, then?" Kim couldn't stop herself from demanding.

Mairelon blinked. "People were being rude to you. I wanted it to be clear to them who you were and how you were to be treated," he answered flatly.

"Oh."

He smiled slightly, almost sadly, at her surprise. "I believe the point I was originally trying to make was that you have years of magical study ahead of you before the College will recognize you as a fully fledged wizard. And you have a home at least that long. As for what will happen then, I have no doubt that you will have many jobs open to you possibly including working for the College or the Ministry. At the very least you could hire out as a tutor to a wealthy family. You most certainly are not without options."

"Oh," Kim repeated. She didn't know quite what else to say. She had always known that being a wizard would be extremely useful but somehow it hadn't quite occurred to her that she could make a respectable career of it.

Before she could gather her thoughts there was a knock at the library door. "Yes, what is it?" Mairelon called.

"An urgent note from the Duchess Delagardie, sir," one of the footmen answered.

Mairelon jumped up and began to hurry towards the door. Suddenly he stopped beside Kim and surprised her by cupping her cheek in his hand. "Just don't do anything you'll regret."

Kim, startled beyond words, managed to nod.

Mairelon smiled at her then was out the door, taking the note from the footman and calling for his mother.