Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. They are the property of Hajime Kanzaka and Shoko Yoshinaka.

Chapter Nine

When Zelgadis arose the next morning he found out two very interesting facts. The first was that his mother had invited Lady Filia and Miss Luna Inverse over for tea that day. He and Lina absolutely had to attend. Not that Zel would have thought of trying to skip out. Such a thing was out of the question.

The second thing wouldn't have been discovered if Lina hadn't managed to convince his mother that she needed a tour of the estate. Zel didn't know how she did it when his mother was totally taken up not only with the tea that was to take place that afternoon, but also with preparations for their engagement party. However, Lina somehow made her think that it was extremely important, and so they were spared for an hour or so to tour the grounds.

"We have a problem," Lina said simply as soon as they were alone.

"What is it?" Zel asked, knowing it must be important if she couldn't wait any longer to tell him.

"I found this on my dressing table this morning," she said, slipping Zel a piece of paper. "I don't know exactly when it was left there. It might have been put there before I went to bed, or when I was in your room, or even after I fell asleep. In any case, I didn't find it until this morning."

Zel flipped over the paper. It read: "Where did you get the dress?" It wasn't signed or anything, but it was obviously a man's writing.

"Do you think Rezo left it?" Zel asked.

"Of course Rezo left it," she said briefly, looking at Zel as though he were an idiot.

"What a weird question though," Zel said, ignoring her look. "Do you have any idea what it means?"

"No. I was hoping you might have some idea what he was talking about."

"I'm sorry. I don't know either."

"That also leaves the other important question of when he left it. Do you think he knows that I went to go see you during the night? That might not be interpreted well," she said, keeping her head up as if she didn't care.

"You think he might publicize it?" Zel asked.

"No, not really," she said, linking her arm with Zel's and straightening her hat with the other hand. "I think that he'd go insane with jealousy and do something uncalled for, but I don't think ruining my reputation would be part of whatever he'd do."

"Why's that?"

She smiled blithely, "Because he knows that it wouldn't hurt me. I wouldn't care one bit if he spread all over England that I had a midnight encounter with you. Once again, I've found another benefit of not being lady like. However, two months really feels like a long time before we can get this wrapped up. Oh, and I wanted to ask you one other thing. Were you serious when you said that you would take me to India?"

"I was . . . but why do you want to go to India?"

"Oh, I just thought that might be a better place for us to part than here in England."

This declaration seemed incredible to Zelgadis. "I can't leave you alone in India!" he exclaimed.

"Why not?" Lina asked. "It was all well and good when I was going to desert you to run away with the gypsies here in England, but running away in India is totally unacceptable to you, why?"

"In England, at least I wouldn't have to worry about you getting dragged away by your hair. You would be with people you knew and people who would protect you. I couldn't leave you alone in a foreign country."

Lina shrugged her shoulders. "Please don't talk to me like I can't take care of myself. Did you have a chance to steal Rezo's keys yet?" she asked, changing the subject.

The change in topic was just too obvious for Zel to miss, but he decided to let that conversation go for the time being. "I apologize, but I haven't had time. This morning has been a sort of rushed. I should have a chance when we go back to the house though. You're not angry, are you?" Zel asked when he saw her crestfallen face.

"No," she said quickly. "It would have been unrealistic for you to have gotten them already. Please just don't forget."

"I won't forget," Zel said easily. "Is he really that bad?"

"If you don't know how horrific he is, then you don't know him," she said simply and turned her away from Zelgadis to examine some of the garden's flowers more carefully.

When Zel finally got into the house he sent Miss Amelia herself up to help Lina change. This was an unusually small task for the housekeeper at a large estate, but somehow Zel knew that Miss Amelia would not mind. After all, she had heard the odd conversation between Lina and Rezo in the sitting room the day before, so hopefully, she would understand why she was asked to help Lina personally.

Immediately after parting with Lina and Miss Amelia, Zelgadis went directly to Rezo's study where he thought Rezo probably kept the master key ring. He knocked on the door politely before allowing himself entrance. "Rezo?" he asked cautiously as he pocked his head in. When he didn't see his brother, he quickly jammed the rest of his body in the room and shut the door behind him.

Zel rummaged through Rezo's desk, and through the liquor cabinet behind it. It actually wasn't long before he felt as though he had turned the entire place upside down looking for the keys. Where did Rezo keep them?

"Looking for something?" Rezo suddenly asked from the door.

"Not really," Zel said quickly, looking for an excuse. "I just wanted to have a few moments to myself. I'm sure you can guess how hectic it has immediately become for me – having a fiancée and everything. I'm worn out."

"Miss Lina must be hard on you," Rezo said, approaching the desk.

Zel didn't like the look in Rezo's eyes. He had never seen his brother look at him like that. "It's not Miss Lina," he said, remembering that he needed to be as formal as Rezo. "It's mother, and the panic of planning everything so quickly. I'm sure you can understand."

"Oh, I understand perfectly," Rezo said with a dark look. "Actually, Mother is looking for you right now," he said after a pause.

"Then I'd better not keep her waiting," Zel said as he swiftly made his way to the door.

Zel was very confused about his brother's behaviour, and it puzzled him throughout the tea with Lady Filia and Miss Inverse.

He had been worried that Luna might cause a bit of a scene, but she didn't. She greeted Lina properly, and dedicated much of her conversation to her, asking her all sorts of questions. It might have been Zelgadis, but Luna seemed relieved. Well, that wasn't really surprising since Lina had been a disgrace to their family and was now well on her way to legitimizing everything. That alone must have pleased a sister out on the prowl for a good husband. It didn't seem that Luna regretted losing her chance for him though. Maybe all that talk about Luna liking him was all garbage. Oh well, she had only met him once, so maybe her feelings weren't very much engaged. It was just as well.

Rezo sat with his tea, and made no effort whatever to converse with anyone. No one appeared to notice his uncommunicative manner except Zelgadis.

Zel wanted to observe him more closely, but found that his eyes always trailed back to Lina. She was looking lovely in a mint green dress and sitting with just the tips of her matching slippers showing under the hem of her dress. Thank goodness they had past the days when showing one's ankles was indecent, but only just barely, which was why she was only showing the toes of her slippers. Her calico dress had not even attempted to be that modest, but it didn't seem to matter what she wore. She looked lovely no matter what – like a little red bird that wouldn't stay by you long enough for you to get a good look at it. Yes, a bird that would always jump away.

All of the women were very busy speaking of the engagement party, but suddenly the conversation took turn in a very different direction.

"Miss Lina, my darling, where do you plan to have your wedding dress made?" Zel's mother asked abruptly. "If you haven't got any plans, I know the best dressmaker, who could do you up just right."

Zel remembered Miss Eris Claire, and that he had promised her that she could make Lina's wedding dress. Zel was sure Lina remembered that promise as well for she quickly made her answer.

"I beg your pardon madam, but I have already promised my personal dressmaker that she would have that privilege."

"Since when do you have a personal seamstress?" Luna exclaimed.

"Just recently," Lina said, not losing her cool. "My fiancée was kind enough to introduce me to a great one."

This declaration seemed to shock everyone in the room, excluding only Luna, who obviously did not know that Zelgadis was one of the most famous recluses in the neighbourhood. Zelgadis knew that to claim that he knew of any tailors, seamstresses, or dressmakers was laughable. He'd have to repair the blunder quickly.

"What!" his mother cried out in surprise.

Zel waved his hand to shrug it off and tried to act nonchalant as he responded with a breezy, "It was only because the shop was recommended so highly to me."

"What shop was it?" Lady Filia asked. "Perhaps we all ought to patron it if its reputation is so high."

Zelgadis hesitated for a moment, not entirely sure what he ought to say. Miss Claire had stressed that her establishment did not have a good reputation.

Zel opened his mouth to squeal his way out of having to answer properly, when Rezo suddenly asked Lady Filia, "Are you still having that problem with gypsies poaching pheasant on your land?"

"Actually, no," Lady Filia answered, with her eyebrows drawn together. "The gypsies seem to have gone away."

With that the conversation changed to discussing the gypsies, but this discussion seemed to distress Luna a great deal and she quickly found another topic to occupy them all. It seemed to Zelgadis that she wanted to avoid talking about Lina's past, which pleased Zelgadis well. It made him like Luna better as well. Especially when he recognized that Rezo only mentioned the gypsies as a way to torment Lina – who would not be tormented – and looked completely tranquil.

It suddenly occurred to Zelgadis that if Lina's escapade with the gypsies was revealed to his mother, she wouldn't look on the match with any favour whatsoever. That would ruin their plans completely, as his mother's approval was the most important factor in all of this. Rezo's comment revealed that he knew that Lina had been living with the gypsies. Zel remembered Lina's comment about how 'horrific' Rezo was and wondered if Rezo would deliberately ruin their wedding plans for his own ends.

Zel was uncertain as to whether or not he believed Rezo would use methods like that, when if Lina's reputation was destroyed Rezo could not marry her either. But at least Zel had stopped deluding himself about one fact; Rezo definitely wanted Lina.