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Anger still swirled in Pearl, but a thought broke through at his words - every time over the past few months when she set a boundary and pushed him away, she thought he would lash out or pout or push back, but he always stepped back instead and gave her the space she needed. And every time she rang that stupid bell to call him back, he was there with a smile on his face and hope in his eyes. Her rage bled out slowly. She needed more time, yes, but kissing passionately, fighting over the past, and storming out with angry words between them was not how she wanted this emotional rollercoaster of an evening to end. Pearl wrapped her arms around Corvus and kissed him softly on the cheek. “Thank you for understanding. I never expected you to grow into such a patient man.”

As Pearl pulled back, Corvus brushed the backs of his fingers over her cheek and looked at her with such intensity she wanted to look away. “You’re worth waiting for, love.” A real smile crossed his face. “Trust me when I say I don’t know that I’d be called patient with anything else.”

Giving a return smile, Pearl walked out the door with Mercutio nipping at her heels trying to get her attention. With a mind busy churning over the conversation and the kiss, Pearl paid little mind to her familiar - too caught up in her own thoughts, so she didn’t see the tears begin to leak from Corvus’ eyes as he collapsed into one of the chairs as though he could no longer hold up his own weight.

Chapter eighteen

Present - June

Pearl woke the next morning to a letter sitting on her nightstand. Her hand immediately shot out to grab it, but she stopped herself at the last second. So many emotions were still running through her after last night. Surely she’d be up to reading it if she fed Mercutio and got herself some tea?

Both tasks accomplished, she looked at the letter once more, and decided to do a bit of light reading. She hadn’t really had a lot of leisure time since she had taken the job, and Corvus didn’t need a reply right away. He could have texted her if it was terribly urgent. Or the letter could have woken her if it had been spelled with urgency. Gluing her eyes to the page, Pearl found herself reading the same paragraph three times. When she looked up in frustration, Mercutio was sitting in front of her with the letter in his teeth and a look of extreme irritation. She took it and peevishly set it on the table, and Mercutio barked angrily at her and growled. Hand flying to her chest, she looked at her familiar in shock. He had never, ever growled at her before, and he didn’t stop until she picked up the letter again. Opening it, she found not Corvus’ handwriting, but his mother’s.

Ms. McCoy,

I recognize this is a very last minute invitation, but I cannot impress upon you enough the urgency with which I must see you. Please be so good as to meet me for tea at your earliest convenience. I will be available all day in the parlor nearest the rose garden.

Yours most sincerely,

Cecilia Winterbourne

If Cecilia meant to pique Pearl’s curiosity, she’d written the perfect letter. As much as Pearl wanted to remove herself from Winterbournes for a while at least, she couldn’t imagine what would make Cecilia Winterbourne give up an entire day waiting for her to arrive. The only thing she could think of…had something happened to Corvus? But surely she’d have sent someone to pound on her door if that was the case. But what else could it be? These thoughts were enough to convince Pearl to get ready with haste. As her magic flared to transport her to the Winterbourne Manor, she spared a thought to the fact that she wasn’t particularly put together in her rush for tea with the Winterbourne matriarch, but she couldn’t bring herself to care too much. And anyway, if she wanted her soon, this is the best Cecilia would get.

Standing in front of the door, however, Pearl’s feelings caught up with her. Mercutio had refused to come with her - another first, and it made her feel anxious every time she realized he wasn’t with her. She also found herself filled with both dread and anticipation that she might see Corvus. Confident though she was that she wanted to see him at some point, today was entirely too soon. It wasn’t until one of the housemaids answered the door, and disappointment seeped into her bones, that she realized hope had been part of the mix as well. But no, it really was better if she didn’t see him today. You can’t run out of a man’s house and come back the next day as though nothing happened. Her rational mind told her she needed time to think about this and work it through. As she was working through these thoughts, the housemaid indicated they’d arrived at the appointed room.

When Pearl walked in, she saw Cecilia sitting ramrod straight and staring out at the roses. But she didn’t seem to be looking at them at all - she appeared to be lost in thought working through a problem. Clearing her throat so as not to startle Cecilia, Pearl began walking towards her. The sound caused Cecilia to jump to her feet and gesture to the chair across from her, indicating it as the one Pearl should take.

If Pearl thought that Cecilia was going to start with pleasantries, she was very wrong. “I understand you’re no longer working with my son.”

“I would say it’s a hiatus. But I am not working with him at the moment, no.” Word traveled fast, apparently.

Cecilia’s lips pursed in displeasure.

“I thought you’d be pleased by that development.”

“You assume many things about which you know nothing.” Cecilia’s face was like glass. No emotion passed over it - only a cool, cultivated indifference. “I was raised with the expectation that my parents would play a very large role in choosing my spouse. I was given options, but only a very narrow, pre-approved list of men. However, I was never resentful because I knew my parents were looking after my best interests, and I loved my husband. I chose him and he chose me in every way we were able. So, when I learned of my son’s infatuation with you, I used every bit of influence on him to ensure he ended his relationship with you, and in the process I made him hate me.”

Eyes narrowing, Pearl’s voice did not contain a drop of sympathy. “But you got what you wanted.”

At that Cecilia’s facade cracked, and a sad smile stretched across her face. “I certainly thought so. I was confident he would forgive me when he realized I had done what my parents had done - looked after his best interests.” She sighed heavily and turned towards the window again. “But that day never came. He went to every tea I hosted and met every eligible young lady I threw his way. Even courted one of them shortly after your break up. But nothing ever came of it. He set up the young lady he courted with one of his friends, and never once brought me into his confidence again. The first time he ever told me about you, he was so open and so joyful, and he’s never allowed me to see that part of himself since. He has done his duty as a son and nothing more. And when I lost my husband, it only made the devastation greater that I had already lost my son.” Pausing for a moment, it took Pearl a beat to realize Cecilia was attempting to collect herself, although she still appeared as placid as ever. Pearl could hear a clock ticking in the background and a whinny from the hippocampus in the lake. It must have been a loud whinny to travel this far. She wondered if she was being dismissed. Did this woman really bring her here to share her sorrows, thinking she would feel any sympathy?

Setting her tea cup down, Pearl stood. “But you haven’t lost your son. He’s right here. You’re the only person standing in the way.”

Cecilia snapped back. “Don’t you think I know that?” The facade had completely cracked away, and Pearl could see the grief and anger painted all over her face. It made her look older and bone weary. “And yet still when he came to me and asked me to write you a letter asking you to curse break our library, I said no. It was the first thing he’d asked of me in over nine years, and I still said no.” A single tear ran down her face, and she wiped it away angrily, looking straight into Pearl’s eyes. “And instead of accepting it like he had done before, he told me that he’d happily let our line die with him. That if we couldn’t change and grow and be better than our ancestors, then our line shouldn’t continue anyway.” Cecilia looked back out the window. “So I wrote the letter. And maybe someday he can forgive me.”

“Have you asked for his forgiveness?”

Cecilia turned back and opened her mouth as if to answer before snapping it shut again. After a beat, she tried again. “I’ve let this conversation get away from me. This is not why I asked you to meet me.”

Curiosity got the better of her, and Pearl retook her seat waiting for Cecilia to continue.

“I asked you here not to speak about my son forgiving me, but to ask you…” she paused. “No, to beg you to forgive him.” Tears sprang to her eyes. “Please forgive him. He was young and his father and I are the ones to blame for him breaking your heart. Please give him another chance.”

Pearl just sat there blinking at Cecilia in surprise. This might rank as one of the strangest conversations she’d ever had. Never in her wildest dreams could she have imagined Cecilia Winterbourne would beg Pearl to be with her son. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. There had to be an angle here. “Why? You can’t possibly think I would believe that you want me to be with him? You were willing to destroy his happiness a decade ago - what’s changed now?”

Cecilia put a hand to her lips as though she were keeping herself from saying what she really wanted to say. “My son really would never forgive me if I answered that question, but know this - I will fully support your marriage to him. And if you don’t want to marry him, I will do anything to make it worth your while. I’ll write any letter of recommendation you want, I’ll give you any amount of money you want, I’ll give you anything you want. Please just marry my son.” Tears were pooling at the corners of her eyes, and desperation was laced through her voice.

Of all the things Pearl had expected, she hadn’t expected this. “Again, why? What on God’s green earth could have brought around this change of heart?”