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“This book…” Agnes sighed from where she’d dropped into a chair at the table, turning each page as carefully as if it were made of glass. “Och, it’s incredible. Fascinating, really. Look, Lia. Did you see this? This appears to be the previous owners. Where did you find this?”
I realized we hadn’t filled Agnes in on the backstory around the book, and I glanced at Archie as I crossed the room. Hilda came through the door, a tray piled high with the makings for tea, and Munroe crossed the room quickly to divest her of her burden.
“Broonie left it for Lia in the kitchen,” Archie barked and returned to tying his lure.
The man was nothing if not succinct.
“Stop it,” Agnes breathed, her face lighting with interest.
Interest, I noted.Notfear. I was going to take my cues from these people who had lived here their whole lives. If they weren’t bothered by a small furry goblin-man running around the kitchens, then I would learn to accept it as well. Maybe I could teach him to like baseball.
“I saw him with my own eyes,” I admitted, sliding into the chair next to Agnes and bending to look at where she pointed in the book. “It was…disconcerting?”
“Took about ten years off my life.” Munroe came to the table, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Okay, maybe I didn’t have to totally pretend that I hadn’t been scared. “Never knew those wee ones were real.”
“Nor did I.” Agnes tapped a finger against her lips, her gaze dreamy. “But I havesomuch to research now.”
“Oh,” I whispered, my eyes catching on what Agnes had pointed to. It was a line of signatures, as though each person who had owned the book had added their name to the list.
Eilidh Blackwood.
Moibeal Blackwood.
Morag Blackwood.
And there, a space for me to sign my own.
“They’re all Blackwoods.”
“Is that your given name then?” Agnes asked, and I realized she just knew me as Lia.
“Yes,” I said, a smile hovering at my lips. I traced my finger lightly across the names, feeling a rush of love for ancestors that I never knew. “Cecilia Giana Blackwood. Italian and Scottish. “Morag was my great-grandmother.”
“She was one of the Order,” Archie said.
“Was she?” Agnes asked in delight, turning between me and Archie. Hilda busied herself pouring tea, and Lachlan came through the door with Sophie in his arms, the dogs tumbling at his feet.
“What did we miss?” Lachlan demanded, letting Sophie to her feet, and the pink flush on her face told me just what they’d been up to.
“The book the broonie left for Lia is her great-gran’s,” Archie said.
“Oh, Lia. What a treasure to have,” Sophie said, coming to sit next to me. Together, the three of us bent over the book and carefully turned the pages, looking at the various recipes.
“He’s right,” I said, caught on a recipe for a soup to soothe aching bones.
“Who’s right?” Munroe asked, his voice holding a note of something that I couldn’t quite identify.
“My father. He mentioned that Gran was known for being a miracle in the kitchen. People would go to her with their sicknesses and stuff, and she’d fix them up.”
“Aye, that’s what a Kitchen Witch does.” Archie snipped a thread and looked up at me under his bushy eyebrows.
“Give the lass a wee chance to catch up,” Lachlan said, clucking his tongue in disapproval as he picked up a cookie from the tray. “It’s not likely that being a witch is something she’s familiar with.”
“I mean, I’veheardof witches, of course. Salem isn’t all that far from Boston. It’s a pretty notorious spot for witch history. But it was always something that was just…” I waved my hand in the air. “Out there. Stories. Just some fun to have on Halloween and once in a while get my tarot cards read. That kind of thing.”
“This isn’t just for fun. It’s real, and you need to accept it,” Archie barked, and I blinked at him, unsure how to proceed with his directness. Listen, in Boston, I met attitude with attitude, but since I didn’t fully understand the undercurrents here, I wasn’t sure how to navigate. I was saved by Sophie’s intervention.
“Lia hasn’t said she didn’t accept it, Archie. I know you’re chomping at the bit to get started, but you have to remember you’ve lived with the knowledge of the Order of Caledonia your entire life. You need to have some grace with people getting up to speed. Lia can still decide to leave, and then we’d have to figure out our next steps. One would think, considering what an important part she plays in restoring the Order, that you might try to be more polite.” Sophie’s eyebrows were almost to her hairline as she lectured Archie.
