A Matter of Magic
Authors: Patricia Wrede
Tags: #Fiction, #Fantasy, #Historical, #General
Further Praise for Patricia C. Wrede
Mairelon the Magician
One of
Booklist
’s Best Books of the Year (1992)
“An adventurous, at times perilous, quest across England . . . Wrede’s general craftsmanship is high, and the book can be highly recommended.”
—Booklist
“A delightful romp . . . Wrede’s confection will charm readers of both Regency romances and fantasies.”
—Publishers Weekly
“A wonderful fantasy/mystery . . . This will be enjoyed by many readers, not just those who read fantasy. Highly recommended.”
—
VOYA
“The style isn’t quite as frothy as a full-blown Regency romance, running more toward suspense, but the convoluted plot involves such Regency fixtures as Bow Street Runners, meddling ladies, foolish young aristocrats (here playing at being druids), and high-level skullduggery. Magic works into the Regency setting quite naturally as just another odd aristocratic pastime. It’s charming, fun, and totally frivolous—excellent escapist fare.”
—
Locus
“This historical fantasy borrows many of the conventions of the historical romance to create a frothy tale that should appeal to a broader audience than would a straightforward fantasy, romance, or historical novel. . . . Savvy librarians will interpret this as the beginning of a series with crowd-pleasing potential.”
—
School Library Journal
“Well done . . . Wrede does an excellent job.”
—
The Denver Post
The Magician’s Ward
“[An] ingenious alternate Regency England . . . The pacing, the wit, the world-building, and the general intelligence characteristic of Wrede’s work are all in evidence here. . . . [For fans of] Wrede’s YA masterpiece, the Enchanted Forest tetralogy.”
—Booklist
“This title is a little bit of everything: historical fiction, fantasy, mystery, and Regency romance. It could easily get out of control, but Wrede handles it all beautifully, with the well-developed characters moving smoothly through the intricate plot. Readers who enjoyed
Mairelon the Magician
will likely want to read about Kim and Mairelon’s further adventures, though it is not necessary to have read the first book in order to follow this one. A sure bet for fans of Philip Pullman’s Ruby in the Smoke.”
—
VOYA
“Wrede spins a classic Regency romance plot. . . . No doubt the charm, humor, and intelligence of Wrede’s writing will continue to enthrall Regency fans and fantasy buffs looking for a new twist in their customary fare—as well as young readers moving up from Wrede’s The Enchanted Forest Chronicles.”
—
Publishers Weekly
“A delightful, fast-paced book with lots of good humor and a tightly knit plot that keeps the reader guessing. The characters are appealing, and the relationships between Kim and the other characters are nicely drawn. Even Mrs. Lowe has some surprises in store. The book stands alone well and will appeal to a wide range of readers, from adventure addicts to mystery mavens to fantasy fans.”
—
KLIATT
“Teen and young adult readers will enjoy the excitement in unraveling the magic and mystery in this book. Girls will like the romance and the transformation of Kim into almost a lady. Readers will want to go on to other books in the series.”
—
Children’s Literature
PATRICIA C. WREDE
A TOM DOHERTY ASSOCIATES BOOK
NEW YORK
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in these novels are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
A MATTER OF MAGIC
Mairelon the Magician
copyright © 1991 by Patricia C. Wrede
The Magician’s Ward
copyright © 1997 by Patricia C. Wrede
All rights reserved.
An Orb Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
175 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010
ISBN 978-0-7653-2632-4
First Omnibus Trade Paperback Edition: June 2010
Printed in the United States of America
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1
Kim walked slowly through the crowd, slipping in and out of the traffic almost without thinking. She enjoyed the noise and bustle common to all the London markets, but Hungerford was her favorite. Though it was small by comparison to Covent Garden or Leaden hall, it was very busy. Carts stood hub-to-hub along the sides of the street, leaving only narrow aisles for the customers. The more fortunate among the sellers had permanent stalls; others displayed their shoes or brooms or baskets on bare strips of pavement. Still others walked through the crowd with baskets of turnips, apples, parsnips, onions, or cress, crying their wares in unmusical voices.
Kim let the flow of traffic carry her closer to the market’s most recent addition, eyeing it with a mingling of curiosity and professional appraisal. It was a wagon painted in sun-bleached yellow and gold, its tall red wheels half hidden by the stalls on either side. Two large doors made up the end of the wagon that faced the street, and they were fastened with a rusty padlock. The doors carried a rough painting of a man in a black top hat, with a string of incomprehensible but decorative letters just below him.
The wagoneer had bagged one of the best spots in the market, right between Jamie the Tailor and Red Sal’s fish stand. Kim frowned. Sal was a good sort, but she wouldn’t take kindly to having Kim lighten a wagon next to her. Even if “lightening” wasn’t exactly what Kim planned to do. Jamie was more irritable but not so noticing. Kim’s frown deepened. She wondered, not for the first time, whether she’d been wise to take this job. Toffs were trouble, no two ways, and a toff knowing enough to find Kim in the back streets of London . . .
Firmly Kim brought her mind back to the business at hand. The wagon was close enough to Red Sal’s to have scraped the paint off the side of the stall, had there been any paint to scrape. Small as she was, Kim would never be able to squeeze through. She’d have to go in past Jamie’s, then, and time things so he was busy with a customer. She looked at the wagon with misgiving.
A man came around the corner of the wagon and began undoing the latches at the rear. He was tall and thin and everything about him seemed to droop, from his baggy trousers to his sloping shoulders to the brim of his slouch hat. Even his mustache drooped, and as he worked he chewed absently first on one end and then the other.
The doors swung open, and Kim blinked in surprise. The entire rear end of the wagon was occupied by a tiny stage. A faded red curtain separated the back of the stage from the wagon’s interior. Kim forgot her eventual goal and slid closer, fascinated. The droopy man swung a small ladder down at the right side of the stage and latched it in place, then climbed onto the stage itself. He vanished behind the curtain, only to reappear a moment later carrying a table, which he set carefully in the middle of the stage. Then he began hanging lanterns on either side.
A crowd began to collect around the end of the wagon, drawn by the curious spectacle of something being set up in the market in complete silence. Some of the bystanders offered comments as the lanterns were hung and lit—“Waste o’ good oil, that,” and “Bit crooked, ain’t she?” The droopy man chewed on his mustache, but gave no sign that he had heard.
He finished his work and disappeared once more behind the curtain. For a long moment there was no further activity, and the small crowd murmured in disappointment. Before they could begin to drift away, there was a loud crash, and a thick cloud of white smoke enveloped the stage.
“Come one, come all!” called a ringing voice from the center of the smoke. “Prepare to be amazed and astonished by the one, the only—Mairelon the Magician!”
With the last words, the smoke dissipated. In the center of the stage stood a man. His hair was dark above a rounded face, and he had a small, neat mustache but no beard. He wore a black opera cape and a
top hat, which made it difficult to assess his height; Kim judged him middling tall. His right hand held a silver-headed walking stick. “Another toff!” Kim thought with disgust. She did not for a moment believe that he was a real magician; if he were, he would never waste his time working the market. Still, she felt a twinge of uneasiness.