“Now the bargain’s been sealed, that ring belongs to its new owner,” said Miss Birch grimly. “It can’t be collected until the deed is done, butthat’s all it reeks of now on first sniff—blood and fixed intention. Nasty stuff.”
Wrexham said something more, but his words blurred together with Miss Banks’s response. My elbows dug into my legs, two distant points of discomfort, as I tipped forward on the stool.
Acorns and leaves and bloody thorns, tangling around me...
Wrexham’s voice broke into my consciousness. “...I won’t be leaving tonight, after all.”
“What?” I jerked upwards, blinking myself awake. My husband knelt just beside me on the carpet, his long arms stretched out as if to catch me if I fell. “What did you just say?” I demanded.
“Did you really not hear?” He smiled quizzically, his expression tender. “I won’t be leaving you tonight.”
“Why—?Oh.” Of course.
Wrexham was an officer of magic for the Boudiccate. He’d never willingly walk away from such a puzzle. Unfortunately, he might not have the choice.
I shook my head muzzily, trying to pull my fragmented thoughts together. “They’ll call in someone else as soon as we tell them about it. They’d never let you be the one to manage it.”
“Canwe even tell them?” Miss Banks asked worriedly. “If they’re looking for any excuse to shut down Thornfell...”
A shiver rippled through me at the thought. If the Boudiccate’s inspectors claimed that the school was now unsafe...
“We don’t even know what that cursed bargainwas!” I groaned. “If we find out, after all this, that they were only bargaining for a fey to tie our hair to our beds at night, or some such...”
“There was blood on that altar,” said Wrexham grimly. “That was no mere agreement to tease or to trick.”
“Well, they’re not getting away with even that much inmyhouse!” Miss Birch’s small figure seemed to grow, like a tree stretching out sharp branches, as she planted herself before us, elbows sticking out from her crossed arms and her shadow expanding farther and farther along the carpet behind her. “They may have snuck past me tonight, but I’m on the lookout for them now. They won’t be breakingmyboundaries again without notice!”
Wrexham looked her steadily in the eye from his kneeling position. “I have full faith in that assurance, Miss Birch, but the true question is:can you actually stop them once you feel them coming?”
The wrinkles in her face turned deeper, but she didn’t answer...which was an answer in itself.
I sighed and pushed myself up off my stool, shoving down all my exhaustion.Time to take charge.“Miss Birch’s alert should give us enough time to go to Mr. Westgate, at least—andhecan summon help even if he’s still too drained to manage any magic himself.”
“He won’t need to summon anyone,” said Wrexham, “if I’m here.”
“But that,” I said flatly, “cannot happen.”
After weeks of separation, I wanted to snatch at any excuse, no matter how slight, to keep him by my side. But Lionel Westgate’s earlier words echoed in my ears now as I looked down at Wrexham, who still knelt by my side where he’d offered his support—support that anyone in Angland would be mad to refuse.
But I was mad abouthim—so I couldn’t possibly accept. “I’ll follow your earlier instructions,” I told him, “and not give up my school for you—but you willnotgive up your career for me, either. I won’t have it!”
Wrexham’s jaw set in aggravatingly stubborn lines as he rose to loom over me. “It’s hardlygiving up my careerto investigate a magical mystery as an officer of the Boudiccate—”
“—Who has been ordered to deal with other magic, elsewhere,” I snapped. “The Boudiccate arelookingfor an excuse to be rid of you, Wrexham. They can’t sack you outright for no reason—so for heaven’s sake, don’t give them one! If you actually refuse to follow their orders, even Mr. Westgate won’t be able to protect you.”
“The devil take Westgateandmy career!” Wrexham snarled. “If you think I’m going to leave you at the mercy of whatever that summoned creature may be, with no active magician in the house to defend you—”
“I beg your pardon?” I narrowed my eyes up at him, crossing my arms between us. “Do youreallythink me entirely helpless, only because I can no longer cast any magic of my own?”
“Um.” Miss Banks coughed frantically beside us. “Miss Harwood...Mr. Wrexham...that is, thereareother magicians in this school. Nine of us! We may not be trained yet, but we are practicing. Couldn’t magical defenses be some of our first lessons here?”
“No!” Wrexham and I both chorused the denial in unison. My husband looked ready to explain, but I got in first. “Magical defenses don’t begin until thesecondyear of study,” I said firmly, “but more importantly: you willneverbe required to defend yourself from danger at my school. You are my students, andIwill keep you all safe while you’re here.”
“But—”
“Oh, don’t worry yourself,” said Miss Birch briskly. “I might not be able to defeat that creature, but I can certainly keep it busy enough while a trained magician is summoned to deal with it. We won’t be needing to drag any young ladies into this...oryou, either, sir,” she added kindly, with a nod to Wrexham. “You needn’t worry for your wife’s safety inthishouse.”
“Orever,” I added under my breath.
