“Oh, that.” Ward grinned Luna’s way. She felt as though the floor was tilting under her feet. “Yeah, I see it.”
“Aren’t you going to arrest her?”
“What for?”
“For sorcery!”
“I don’t see any sorcery.”
Marlin nearly choked on a little squeal. He waved a hand, taking in the whole shop. “There’s sorceryall overthis place!”
“Is there?” Ward sniffed, nose wrinkling as he turned his head this way and that. “I smell Green Magic, sure. And I know Miss Talbot is a talented tea witch. That’s about the greenest magic there is. But I’ve never seen any sign of sorcery.”
“But she’s a sorceress!”
“How do you figure?”
“She’s got the mark!”
“Hmmm. True enough, I suppose.” Ward addressed himself to Luna then, looking her squarely in the eye. “Miss Talbot, have you ever performed sorcery?”
“No!”
“Have you any intention of performing sorcery?”
She shook her head. “Absolutely not.”
“There, sir.” Ward grinned down at Mr. Marlin, who twisted helplessly in his grasp. “Does that satisfy you?”
“It most certainly does not! She’s enchanted all my customers! Siren-called them away from my shop with her ensorcelled brews!”
“Well, I will admit that Miss Talbot is certainly enchanting,” Ward answered smoothly. “And her teas are, um, something. Are your teas ensorcelled, Miss Talbot?”
“They’re just teas, Officer Ward.”
“And you have all the proper licensing required to serve tea in this establishment, haven’t you?”
She pointed to the framed certificate on the back wall, and Ward made a show of inspecting it. “Mmmm hmmm,” he murmured. “Certified and signed by the Senior Officer of the Food and Beverages Department of Ballycastle. Yup, looks pretty official.”
“But it’s notright!”Mr. Marlin wailed.
“What’s not right?”
“She’s stolen all my customers! I’ve been in business here in Lower Eastside for the better part of two decades, and now . . . and now . . .”
“Well, perhaps you should offer her a job.”
“What!”Luna and Mr. Marlin blurted out in chorus. Luna couldn’t say which of the two of them sounded more shocked.
“With a healthy salary increase, of course,” Ward continued, warming to his idea. “At least twenty percent, I’d say. And maybea management position. Just the thing to revitalize your little shop around the corner.” He grinned again in that irrepressible way of his. “Seems to me, if you want your customers back, you’re going to have to get yourself a new tea witch.”
Mr. Marlin managed to catch his breath first of the two of them. “I willdiebefore I hire a”—and he offered up some truly colorful verbiage here, finishing with, “damned sorceress!”
“Language, sir,” Ward said sternly, glaring down at him, “or I’ll write you up for gross abuse of the Mother Tongue in a lady’s presence. So let me get this straight: you donotintend to hire our Miss Talbot?”
“I absolute do not—”
“And you have nothing further of which to accuse her?”
