Page 74 of Witchbane

It wasn’t much but it was something, I supposed. ‘All right, that’s what we’ll do.’

I heard footsteps coming down the stairs and put a finger to my lips to shush the other women. Grandmama remained seated while my aunt ran over to the stove to stir the pan as if she had been there all along. She indicated that Tilly should wash the dishes.

Theo knocked lightly on the door frame even though the door was ajar. He was frowning and seemed embarrassed.

‘I’m sorry to intrude, but I need to ask you all about something we’ve found in the attic.’

‘Come in then,’ my grandmother said, looking intrigued. ‘It’s a long time since I’ve been up there, so I’m not sure how helpful I’m going to be.’

‘Me too,’ my aunt agreed. ‘What do you think you’ve found?’

He raised his right hand with the shining brown crystal held firmly between thumb and forefinger. ‘This stone, which I believe to be a crystal of some sort, was discovered hidden in a chair up in the attic.’

‘Really?’ my grandmother said, leaning forward slightly and peering at his offering. ‘I can’t say I recall ever seeing that before.’

I made a pretence of studying it. ‘In a chair, did you say?’

He nodded. ‘That’s right.’

I pursed my lips. ‘I hadn’t realised there were any chairs up there.’

He stared at me thoughtfully, then said, ‘The furniture was covered by a sheet.’ His voice was quiet and he was clearly disconcerted about having to question us.

Don’t think about it too deeply, I thought, willing him not to start suspecting me, but realising by the way he was staring at me that he was doing just that. I had had little practice in my life at lying and this was making me more uneasy than I would have wished.

‘Most things we’ve discarded over the years are up there, I seem to recall.’ I was doing my best to deflect his attention from the crystal but sensed I was failing.

His shoulders relaxed slightly and he seemed to believe our ignorance. I couldn’t help feeling guilty for lying to him so blatantly, but what choice did I have?

I watched him silently as he studied the crystal, turning it over in his fingers, and told myself that I would do whatever was necessary to shield us from his father’s wrath. My family and the coven were more important to me than this man who had the power to destroy us, should he be lying and planning to deliver us to his cruel father.

Pierre walked in and stood by the door, probably waiting for my grandmother to give him instructions, or maybe just to show strength and remind Theo that we women weren’t alone.

Theo stared at him for a few seconds. I sensed something shift in him but couldn’t tell what. I gazed at the crystal. I had missed something, but what?

I looked from Theo’s hands to his face and caught him watching me, an unreadable look on his handsome face. I hated lying to him, but these women needed me far more than he ever would. I decided to hold on to that comforting thought to smooth the sharp edges of my guilt at deceiving a man who was doing his best to help us.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

THEO

Rue was lying. I was stunned yet relieved not to have been speaking when it dawned on me. I would never have known if Pierre hadn’t come into the room and pursed his lips at her as if to warn her.

I couldn’t believe it. She was strong and determined but there was something so innocent about her wide-eyed, sweet face that I struggled to believe her capable of such deception. If she was fooling me about this, then what did that mean?

I looked from Pierre to Rue, trying to detect any sign of guilt for attempting to fool me. I could see none at all. Had she fooled me about everything? Had Rue tricked me and made me fall in love with her? Or was I being over-cautious and imagining things? I hoped my feelings for her hadn’t led me down the wrong path.

Could the unthinkable be true? Was Rue a witch after all?

I needed to leave the room before I said something I shouldn’t and made more of a fool out of myself than I had already.

I turned to walk out of the kitchen. ‘Show me where you found this,’ I ordered the militiaman, whose name I now knew to be Garnier.

‘It was in the attic.’

‘I’m aware of that,’ I snapped. ‘I need you to show me exactly where it was.’

My mind raced as I led the way, taking the stairs two at a time. I could hear Garnier’s heavy breathing as he followed me but didn’t care, I needed to get up there and find a reason not to suspect one of the women in this family.