Page 10 of A Spell of Heart & Havoc

“Beautiful, dear. This is just beautiful. One of your finest yet, I believe.” She twisted it this way and that, satisfaction written all over her lightly lined face. “I almost hate to give it up. But it will fetch an excellent price for us.”

Tucking the jewel into her own deep pocket, Mother let out a delicate sigh and moved to gather her skirts and rise. “Time to dress for dinner, Dovey. You’re not wearing that, are you?”

Ignoring the jab, I lightly placed a hand on her arm. She paused.

“Mother, I need to talk to you about something,” I said, gathering my courage.

She sighed again but settled back onto the settee. “If this is about your guard, child, I don’t want to hear it.”

I’m not a child. I’m thirty-one, for the goddess’s sake! I thought but bit my tongue.

“She’s not going to work,” I said, trying to keep calm. “She’s horrible. Snarky, obtuse, rude—”

“Darling. I know she’s not quite right. Your father and I certainly would rather find someone with a better background. It’s not ideal, hiring a peasant for such an important job as protecting our only daughter.” Mother reached out and patted my hand. “Yes, Miss Kirim is, perhaps, uncouth. A bit dirty. And not very bright.”

At this, I cringed internally. Mother wasn’t exactly saying anything I hadn’t already expressed, but it sounded so much worse hearing it from her, in that tone of lofty distaste.

She went on, “But she is the best candidate who’s applied. By far. And, frankly, we could not wait any longer. You know how dangerous it is, being someone with your newfound… talents. What if someone discovered? There are nefarious people in this world, Dovey. We must protect you.”

“Perhaps I—” I hesitated. “Perhaps I should stop then. For—for a while, at least. Our accounts are all square now. We’ve hired enough staff, you and Father have reacquired some of your collection, and there should be plenty of coin in our coffers to last at least a little while. If it’s as dangerous as you say, maybe we should avoid the risk for a time.”

Mother withdrew her hand from mine.

“Dovey, you’ll be perfectly safe as long as you keep Miss Kirim with you. She has a sterling skill set, judging from her recommendation letters. Did you know she protected a visiting Orlavian prince from three assassins once? Quite impressive.”

I scrambled to find my words, to make her understand. “But—but if I’m not using my gifts, if we stop spending so much gold and gathering suspicion… I won’t need a bodyguard. Don’t you see? I can’t possibly be happy having someone following me all the time, watching me, keeping me from—from living!”

“Oh, enough. Enough, Dovey! I’m sick to death of your whining!” Mother rose, skirts whirling. She glared down at me. “So dramatic. You talk as if we keep you locked in your room, a prisoner. Let me remind you now that you are the one who insists on locking yourself away. Those ridiculous magic doors.”

I flinched.

In her most final, imperious tone, she said, “If you want to ‘live,’ go live. No one is stopping you. I can’t fathom what that might mean, when your Father and I strive to provide you with everything you could possibly want here. By all means though, go right ahead.

“But you will accept that Miss Kirim is a part of our lives now. She goes where you go. You do not have to like it, but you will accept it. Do I make myself clear?”

We stared at each other for a long moment. Frustration still boiled within me, but we both knew she had won.

I nodded curtly, once, looking away through the glass walls. The sun had fully set. All I could see was darkness, and the dim reflection of a cowed woman in a thin silk dress mirrored back at me.

Mother rustled away, pausing at the door. “Wear something nice for dinner, darling.”

Even after I knew she was gone, I remained among the soft glow of the lamps, turning our conversation over in my mind until the chill finally got to me. Shivering, I finally blew them out and left.

5

MAERRYL

Well. That was enlightening. If a bit infuriating.

Careful not to make a sound, I slipped back into the shadows of a nearby tapestry as Lady Wistrallo swept out of the solarium and down the hall, her haughty face pleased. I couldn’t stop myself from throwing up both middle fingers at her back. Sure, I knew coming into this nightmare that these rich assholes would look down on me. But goddess, that woman did not hold back. It wasn’t the first time I’d been called dirty or stupid, and it probably wouldn’t be the last, but knowing that didn’t stop the surge of indignation I felt while listening to them as I lurked outside the doorway.

I expected Dove to follow after her mother but heard no whisper of silk or the clip of heels on stone. After a few minutes of silence from the solarium, I peered carefully around the doorframe. Dove sat slumped on a small sofa in the middle of the plant-filled room, looking as if she’d just been wiped out from a fistfight, staring vacantly at herself in the far glass wall. I’d love to mock her for gazing at her own beloved reflection, but it looked more like she was lost in thought, unseeing. I almost—almost—felt a twinge of sympathy for her. Just for a split second.

But then the memory of her annoying voice pleading, trying yet again to get me fired, sprang up. What was it she’d called me? Horrible. And obtuse.

We’ll see who’s obtuse in a few weeks, princess, when our places are reversed. Zephyra is coming for all you’ve got. Soon, I’ll be the one rolling around in coin and you’ll be on the streets begging for work. I gleamed at the thought, ducking back into my hiding place behind the tapestry to wait for Her Majesty’s exit.

While I did, I turned over their conversation in my mind, breaking it down. They clearly had some issues. No love lost between mother and daughter, that was for sure, which would be helpful to me. I just had to stay on Lady Wistrallo’s good side, however awful she might be—she was obviously the one holding the power in this weird little family.