Page 19

Nineteen

ELSPETH

M ama stood on her tiptoes on the edge of a chair, reaching the duster up toward the top of the bookshelf. The chair tottered, Mama wobbling.

“Mama, you’re going to fall!” I rushed to a stand, my hands wet and grimy from scrubbing the floor.

We’d barely had time to clean the house now that we were selling soup at the market every day. In a week, we’d managed to scrabble together enough gold to give the woodsmith his first payment, which was a relief.

I had to admit, our soup idea was a hit. There was nothing like it in Thistlegrove, and every day, we had patrons stopping by to see what the daily flavor was. So far, we’d had mushroom and potato stew, rabbit stew, squash and carrot soup, and yesterday, we’d made a spicy tomato soup. Adelaide had baked a crusty bread with melted cheese to go with it. We’d sold out before midday. We’d been buying ingredients from the market with our earnings, but we could save so much more if we planted a garden and started growing our own veggies. It was on our never-ending to-do list.

All of a sudden, the shelves started rattling around us, books falling off and thunking to the ground. Dust rose in a thick curtain.

I coughed, banging my chest as the dust burned through my lungs. After two weeks here, the cottage didn’t seem any keener on us than it had been when we arrived. It kept us up half the night, pots and pans banging inside the cabinets downstairs. I thought if we cleaned the cottage, it would be grateful and start showing some appreciation, but no such luck had occurred.

Prue sat on a bench by the window, reading. I sighed. Prue had always been introverted, but I worried that being in this cottage, surrounded by these books, was making her worse. She was retreating even more into herself than ever before.

At least when we traveled, she’d been forced to mingle with others that we met on the road. Now she was just holed up in the house, reading, helping Mama with new spells, and cleaning.

One problem at a time, I reminded myself as Mama fell off the chair with a shriek. She landed on top of all the books.

“Mama!” I ran to her and helped her to stand. Her curly gray hair was sticking out in all directions, her cheeks red, a sheen of sweat glistening on her pale skin. “Are you alright?”

“You little twat,” she said to the cottage.

“Mama!” I didn’t think I’d ever heard her use that language before.

“Well, she is.”

Prue looked up from her book. “Why do you assume the cottage is a she?”

Mama threw up her hands. “I just do.”

“I’m pretty sure cottages are gender neutral,” Prue muttered, flipping a page.

I bent over and began picking up books to place them back on the shelves.

“Prue, are you going to help us clean or just sit there reading all day?” Mama asked.

“Mm,” Prue said, clearly not paying any attention.

I studied her. “You’ve been glued to that book since this morning. What’s so interesting that you can’t tear your eyes away from it?”

Prue sighed heavily and lay the book on her chest, looking over at me through her spectacles. She took after Mama, her face rounder than the rest of us, her hair with more curl to it. “I’m looking up cleaning spells.”

“You can’t do magic,” I said.

“Thank you,” Prue replied drily. “I am looking up spells that Mama could do. We have so much going on, we can’t stay on top of cleaning the cottage too. We need brooms that will sweep for us, rags that will do our dusting, a cleaner that will actually get rid of the grime on these windows.” She looked at the window next to her, covered in the thick grime she referenced.

“I’m not sure if that’s the best use of your time,” I said. “Spelling inanimate objects is notoriously difficult. So much can go wrong.”

One wrong word or ingredient could make a rag try and suffocate you instead of clean or a broom try to impale its owner. I shuddered at the thought.

“Well, if anyone can do it, it’s our Prue,” Mama said. “Besides, I’m tired of cleaning. All I do is cook and clean. I’d like to enjoy myself a little, you know.” She pushed some of the curls from her sweat-soaked forehead. “I’m not getting any younger. It would be so nice if I could see any of my daughters married before I die.” She sniffled.

Prue and I shot each other looks. Here it came: the guilt trip. Mama was an expert at them.

“Well, good thing you’re not dying any time soon. You’ll probably live to be a hundred.”

She planted her hands on her hips. “And you think I want to wait until I’m ancient to see you get married? I don’t understand why none of you can find a nice man.” Mama started pacing. “It’s not that hard. I did it!”

“You weren’t cursed,” I pointed out.

“There are men everywhere!” Mama stalked over to Prue and snatched a book sitting by her on the bench. “Not just in your books. Out in the real world.”

“Elspeth did find a man,” Prue reminded her, looking unimpressed by Mama’s rant. “It didn’t go well, if you remember.”

I winced.

Mama set the book down. “Yes, well. Johanes was unfortunate. But not every man is like him.” She threw an arm over her eyes. “Where did I go wrong with all of you? ”

“You didn’t,” I said, exasperated.

It was the same argument again and again.

“We’re doing the best we can,” I said finally.

Mama dropped her arm from over her eyes. “Well, your best isn’t good enough. Just admit that there is no breaking this curse. I wish there was. I wish you didn’t have to marry to access your magic, but it’s just the way it is.” She rushed forward, grabbing my hands. “We’re finally stuck in a town for an extended period of time. So find a witch. Any witch. You don’t need to fall in love or get butterflies. You just need to marry and get your magic, then you can do whatever you want.”

I slipped my hands from hers and turned my back to her. “We’ve talked about this,” I said over my shoulder. “I refuse to marry to get my magic. It’s not right. There has to be a way to break the curse.”

Mama scoffed.

Prue sat up. “I agree. It’s an incredibly demeaning curse. I shouldn’t have to submit myself to someone to use what should be my birthright.”

Mama sniffled. “Are you happy, Elspeth? You’ve corrupted your sister,” she said through tears.

Prue rolled her eyes before sliding her book up to hide her face. “I do have thoughts of my own, you know.”

“I haven’t corrupted anyone. I’m just refusing to settle. We all are.”

I couldn’t break it to Mama that I had no interest in getting married. Not ever. Not after Johanes so thoroughly broke my heart.

Mama wiped her eyes. “Thank goodness for Adelaide. I see the way Elm looks at her. He’s completely besotted. I bet she will be married in no time.”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” I said.

Mama shook her finger at me. “Don’t you get in her head.”

“I won’t.”

She shot me a pointed stare.

I held up my hands. “I promise.”

That seemed to at least stop her tears.

“Watch out!” a voice called as a piece of rolled-up parchment fluttered into the room.

Wings the size of my palm stretched out on either side of the parchment as it zipped and zoomed around our heads.

“What on earth...” Mama put a hand to her chest .

Auggie and Adelaide burst into the room, Auggie with her hand outstretched. “Come here, you little?—”

“What is going on?” I asked as Auggie shoved past me, jumping to try and catch the flying parchment.

Adelaide came to stand beside me, her arms crossed. “We got a letter in the post, but it’s being... difficult.”

I frowned. Magic was often unpredictable, even in the best of spells. I looked at my older sister. “So what are you doing?”

“Watching and enjoying the show.” She nodded her head toward Auggie, who was attempting to climb up the shelves to reach the letter.

Prue huffed, then stood. She closed one eye and launched a book at the parchment, knocking it from the air. It fell to the ground. Prue picked it up and stretched her hand out to Auggie.

Auggie snatched it from her, making a face as Prue smiled smugly.

“A letter?” Mama rushed over to Auggie. “Well, who would’ve sent us a letter? Hand it over.” She gestured for it, and Auggie complied.

We gathered around Mama as she untied the red string. A matching red wax seal with a phoenix on it was stamped on the parchment. Mama unrolled it, and we all crowded tight, trying to read it.

“Ow! Aim your pointy elbows elsewhere,” Auggie said.

“Girls,” Mama chided, her gaze stuck on the parchment. She gasped. “An invitation to a ball!”

Oh. That.

My stomach sank. It had been over a week since I’d told Draven Darkstone we’d come to his ball, all in an effort to show Adelaide we could get along. I’d hoped he’d forgotten about the entire thing.

Auggie gasped. “A ball? We’re invited to a ball?”

“At the Darkstone Manor.” Mama frowned. “I wonder where that is.”

“I think it’s on the other side of Thistlegrove Forest,” Adelaide said, tapping her chin. “I heard someone talking about it at the market the other day.”

“Darkstone Manor? Isn’t Darkstone Draven’s last name?” Prue asked.

I hadn’t even thought of that.

“What is a tavern owner doing with a manor?” Prue continued .

“Who cares?” Auggie flung out her arms and twirled. “We’re going to attend an actual ball.”

Adelaide snatched the parchment from Mama, reading it. “I don’t know if it’s a good idea.” She handed it back to Mama.

Elm had stopped by our soup stand nearly every day this week, but despite his efforts, I hadn’t seen him and Adelaide together, and she seemed miserable. Every time I tried to bring it up, she just said that I was right, and it was easier to keep things simple, uncomplicated.

“What?” Auggie screeched. “Of course it’s a good idea. In what world is going to a ball a bad idea?”

“In a world where we’re cursed and living in a realm where it’s illegal to not have magic?” Adelaide said.

“Mama!” Auggie stamped her foot. “Tell her we can go.”

“I still don’t understand how Draven Darkstone has an entire manor,” Prue said. “The only witches who have manors are those that have inherited them. Which means he must have family wealth. Why would he work in some village tavern if he didn’t have to?”

Why indeed. It seemed there was more to Draven than I realized.

“What do you think, Elspeth?” Mama asked, nudging her head toward Adelaide.

Elm would be at the ball. This might be my best chance to get him and Adelaide together, to make my sister smile again.

“We should go,” I burst out before I could change my mind.

Prue groaned. “Can I at least bring a book?”

“Well, then.” Mama clapped her hands together. “Tomorrow we’re going shopping.”