“Not all of the staff can read or write, so they draw pictures with whatever they find—slivers of coal, stubs of pencil.”
“And do they really think wishes they place on this tree will come true?”
He shrugged. “They have stories of those that have. One of the dairy maids and a groom fell in love after she wished for it and tied a wish to the tree every day for a month. They married last year.”
Lucy rolled the wish she’d removed from the hollow back into a scroll and placed it in the hollow. “I think you are a romantic, Duncan Slorach.”
“You don’t see me tying wishes to the tree.”
“What would you wish for if you did?” she asked and immediately regretted it. What if he said he’d wish for her? Then she’d feel awkward and uncomfortable, and she was just beginning to feel easy around him again.
“I can’t tell you,” he said. “If you tell the wish, it won’t come true.”
“Ah. That’s a rule, is it?”
“Everyone knows wishes must be kept secret to come true.”
“I missed the lesson on wish magic in school. Is there a rule about using the paper from someone else’s wish?” She took one from the branch and unrolled the parchment, showing that the ink had long since been washed away.
“I don’t know. It seems wrong.”
“I would argue that writing a wish on top of a wish makes both wishes that much more potent.” She gave him a look, daring him to challenge her. She could make up magic rules too. “I have this bit of pencil from Lord John’s library. Why don’t we both write wishes and tie them to the tree?”
“Now who is the romantic?”
“I didn’t say I believed the wishes would come true.”
“You didn’t say youweren’ta believer.” He looked up and scanned the branches then plucked a slip of parchment from a higher branch. “Give me the pencil.”
She extracted it from a pocket and handed it to him. Duncan turned his back to her and used the trunk of the tree to scratch on the parchment. He cupped his hand around the paper, which annoyed her because she wanted to peek at what he was writing.
She’d already decided to take his wish off the tree and read it when he was on watch and she was alone, but he went on tiptoes, pulled a branch down and tied it to that. When he released the branch, she craned her neck at it. It was much too high to reach unless she climbed the tree. She wasn’t averse to climbing trees, but Duncan would surely see her if she did that.
“Your turn.” He handed her the pencil.
Lucy traded places with him and pressed her paper to the tree trunk. She hadn’t considered what she might wish for. The only thing she had wished for all her life was to become a Royal Saboteur. Should she write that?
Above her, the wind rustled the leaves of the tree, making a sound like a whisper. Lucy looked up, seeing the way the blue of the sky peeked through the canopy of green overhead. She couldn’t wish to become an agent. This tree was made for whimsy, for romance, for flights of fancy.
A red ribbon fluttered above, and Lucy thought of Duncan, of how he’d fallen in love with her—against his own better judgement—and how he wouldn’t settle for her body if he couldn’t have her heart. She had no idea what love like that felt like. Shouldn’t she feel that way once in her life?
Before she could think better of it, Lucy wrote,I wish I would fall in loveon the paper then quickly rolled it up. She took the ribbon from her own hair and wrapped it about the parchment, then tied it to one of the lower branches. The blue ribbon looked pretty and bright against the faded parchment and twine of the other wishes.
Suddenly, she stiffened and turned. Duncan did the same, obviously hearing what she did as well. “Hoofbeats,” he said. They were still far in the distance, and she had to listen closely.
“One rider,” she acknowledged. “Not a coach.”
“Probably the messenger returning.” He gestured to her, and they climbed the rise and crouched under the foliage. Lucy tried not to fidget, even though something sharp was poking her.
It was the messenger. She waited to see if he would notice either of them. This was a good test of their position, but he rode on oblivious. As he passed, Lucy slipped down and followed along, keeping the trees between them. When she was out of breath, she jogged back.
“Well?” Duncan asked, handing her a canteen of water. She drank from it and wiped her brow.
“He never spotted me.”
“Good. Vanderville will be right behind him.”
“I agree. I’ll keep watch.”
