Page 11 of The Hearth Witch’s Guide to Spite & Spellwork

“I shudder to think what she might have done.”

“Nothing at all—it’s just her birthday, so I gave her the day off.”

“I was referring to Patricia Aldridge.”

“Oh.” Velouette laughed off her fluster. “Of course you were.”

“She seems to think you might be able to sway Norton.”

“I got my start as his assistant. She thinks this will soften him to me, but I promise you, that history will only empower him to lecture me about my bleeding heart.”

“So, you won’t speak with him?”

“No, I will,” Velouette promised as she thumbed through her tea bags. “But I know a lost cause when I see one.” She peeked at Avery over her shoulder.

“Yet you still try anyway?”

A genuine smile. “A healthy dose of madness does seem to be a requirement in my line of work…”

“I know the feeling,” said Avery.

Velouette’s eyes shone. “I hope you like it tepid and bitter,” she chimed. “I’m not able to perform magic for myself, and that’s the only way this blasted kettle seems to know how to make it.”

“Perhaps I can help,” offered Avery, taking her place at the kettle. It would have appeared a chivalrous gesture, but in truth Avery couldn’t stomach the idea of abusing the tea leaves so. “Forgive me if this is a foolish question, I’m afraid I’m still catching up on two hundred years of both Mundane history and our own. What exactly does it mean for a file to be sealed?”

Velouette leaned against the edge of her assistant’s desk casually. “Oh, it’s a rather complicated spell. Requires every member of the council to be present to cast it and prevents anyone on record from speaking about it.”

“So, you cannot attempt to appeal Ms. Aldridge’s case because you did not work it, and she cannot actually tell you about anything testified in the case until it is unsealed?”

“Precisely,” said Velouette. “I didn’t realize you had an interest in court procedure? Or is this to better understand my work?”

“I have a voracious appetite for learning.”

“I certainly hope so.”

The kettle began to sputter pathetically, and Avery examined the cord—it was bent in a peculiar way where it connected to the plug. Was it enough to interrupt a consistent flow of electricity? “How long have they been sealing records?”

“Longer than I’ve been practicing. It’s applied in very rare cases—usually when something of a sensitive nature is involved.”

“How sensitive?”

“Intimately.”

“I see.”11 As Avery struggled with the kettle, longing for a perfect cup of tea, a thought occurred to her. “So, if a file isn’t sealed, it’s available to the public?”

“Interested in doing some light reading, are you?” Velouette lightly pushed Avery’s shoulder.

“Naming ceremonies, dedications, if one of the Aos Sí had bestowed a mortal with a boon—these are records the court would want to have and are unlikely to be sealed?”

A meaningful pause.

Avery turned to see Velouette appraising her through narrowed eyes.

“This isn’t a social call, is it?”

“It was.” Avery’s curiosity was predictable but far from premeditated. “It was intended to be.”

“But?”