“Is that...?” she began, her own eyes wide.
“It is,” I said in utter disgust, “Gregory Luton.”
Young Luton was the most widely-loathed weather wizard in Angland...for good reason.Amy and I had met him at a Winter Solstice house party months ago, but I had hoped never to renew our acquaintance.
“What canhebe doing here?” I muttered. “It’s not as if he needs any more education.” After all, he had always claimed—loudly—to be the best weather wizard to have ever graduated from the Great Library of Trinivantium. It was the only reason he’d been allowed back into their hallowed halls long enough to attain his degree, after getting himself expelled in his first year for insulting all of his professors. “Of all the worst days for him to come and stick his nose in...”
Amy frowned, cocking her head. “Who is it that he’s speaking to? I can’t quite hear—”
“Oh,no!” I scooped up my skirts and ran the last several feet of the corridor, abandoning all the dignity to be expected of a headmistress. Some catastrophes were too horrifying to face with composure—and when I burst into the foyer a moment later, I realized that I had arrived just in time.
Thick golden hair fluttered with romantic abandon around Gregory Luton’s handsome, petulant face. Clad head to toe in peacock blue and green, the self-described greatest weather wizard in Angland was heaving a heavy valise in his hand, only too clearly preparing to throw it at my most valued—and most dangerous—servant.
“Mr. Luton!” I barked, pointing one minatory finger.
A year ago, I would have cast a spell to freeze him. But my politician mother had never required magic in order to workherwill upon the world—and I withered him now with exactly the same glare that the famous Miranda Harwood had used to cow far more powerful mages than him. “Drop. the. valise.Now!” I ordered.
Rolling his blue eyes, Luton gave a heavy sigh and dropped the valise to the wooden floor with a thud. From the sound of its impact, he must have packed at least a dozen books along with his questionable finery. I had no idea why he’d brought it with him for this uninvited social call, but I couldn’t summon up the energy to care.
I had far more urgent matters to attend to. Without a second look at my unwanted visitor, I turned to my new housekeeper, whom I’d only managed to attract in the first place with an astonishingly high wage and intensely sincere compliments. “Miss Birch.” I gulped hard as I took in the pursed fury on her wizened face, and the way her long, bony fingers rapped against her thin, crossed arms. “Miss Birch, I do hope—that is to say, I regret any—”
“Insults!” she snapped. “Inmy own house!”
Surely she wouldn’t call itherhouse if she was planning to abandon it in disgust? I flung a frantic look at my sister-in-law, who had arrived at a more sedate pace behind me.
“My dear Miss Birch.” Amy crossed the foyer in a few graceful steps, beaming. “How good of you to help Cassandra greet our new arrivals today. You’ve worked miracles here in the last week! Thornfell has never looked so welcoming before.”
“Hmmph.” Miss Birch glowered, her hazel eyes half-slitted and gleaming like a cat’s. Wild magic skittered through the air, sending goosebumps shivering across my skin. Even the self-absorbed Luton jerked his head up in surprise.
“What was that?” he asked sharply.
I stepped quickly between him and Miss Birch. “Amy was just reminiscing yesterday,” I said, “about those scones you gave us last week. She said she’d never tasted anything like them. Didn’t you, Amy?”
Amy didn’t even blink at the non-sequitur. “Of course! I would never wish to steal your baking secrets, Miss Birch, butwouldit be possible to steal just one more of your delicious treats for myself at some point today?”
Miss Birch’s scowl softened, as scowls so often did around my sister-in-law. “Well,” she said, “for someone who trulyappreciatesmy work, I suppose I might be able to find one spare from the collection I just took out from the oven. But if I’m expected tofetch and carryfor some—”
“Absolutely not!” I said firmly, and rose to my tiptoes to block whatever Luton’s own expression might be. “Mr. Luton has clearly lost his way. You won’t be required to help him with anything else here ever again.”
“Hmmph,” repeated Miss Birch, and stalked out of the room with Amy hurrying after her.
Phew.I let out my breath and sank back down onto the soles of my slippered feet as the sounds of Amy’s soothing small-talk floated through the air like the calming scent of lavender.One crisis averted.
The crisis who still lounged carelessly in my own front hall, though, let out a disbelieving laugh that made my spine clench. “And I’d thought my aunt’s servants were useless! I know we’re trapped out in the back of beyond, but—”
Seething, I swung around. “I wouldnot,” I said, “make the mistake of disrespecting—or underestimating—Miss Birch.”
“You want me to bow down to a housekeeper?” He snorted. “You may be trying to turn the whole world topsy-turvy right now, but all the same—”
“Miss Birch,” I said, “is a highly valued member of my staff.”
I ended my explanation there, raising my eyebrows in challenge. I had no intention of sharing other people’s confidences, even less interest in sharing my private reasoning with young Luton—and I would never allow him or anyone else to treat a member of my staff badly.
But it had been basic human kindness to issue him a particular warning when it came to Miss Birch—because of course, I hadn’t hired heronlyfor her remarkable housekeeping abilities.
“Ha!” said Luton. “I’m a member of your staff, too, don’t forget, and I would have imaginedI’d rateratherhigher than—”
“What?” My jaw dropped. “You’re a—what?”
