Propose To Me

by Caroline Andrus

  Hannah examined the piece for flaws. None at all. A tiny hallelujah popped into her brain, and she glanced in triumph at the gift G-ma had sent.

  And gawked at the empty spot where the box should have been.

  Her eyes swept the entire workbench, to no avail. The gnawing in the pit of her stomach returned with a vengeance. She searched under papers and in containers while a quick succession of events from the evening flew through her mind, like a movie on four times fast-forward.

  Alvin stopped by at eight.

  They left to eat.

  It took at least an hour to agree on a place.

  Another hour before the pizza was ready.

  Midnight had come and gone before Hannah got home and into bed.

  Did she move the box without thinking? No. She swept her hand slowly over the empty place. No magic vibrated. That left ...

  Grant.

  He never closed the gallery before nine o’clock during the week. She pulled out her cell phone.

  “Hello?” Grant’s voice sounded more alarmed than annoyed. “Hannah? What’s wrong? Did the gallery burn down?”

  Thank the Goddess for caller ID.

  “Where’s the box, Grant?”

  “Huh?”

  “The black-velvet box from my workbench.” Other alternatives popped into her head: a thief, the after-hours cleaning crew, Alvin. Nope, she wasn’t going there. Not after the amazing evening they just spent together.

  “Oh, that one. I sold it.”

  Hannah tried to speak but nothing came out of her open mouth. She sank onto the stool.

  Grant yawned loudly. “Remember my friend, the one who bought the emerald key? Her husband came in and wanted another piece from your collection. He saw the necklace you were working on and fell in love with it. Really nice, by the way, Hannah.”

  “Gahhhh ...”

  “What’s that? Oh, anyway, I accidentally knocked the box to the floor, and lo and behold, a finished piece exactly like the one you had on your workbench! Charles purchased it on the spot. Get to bed, girl. It’s three o’clock in the morning.” He yawned again. “We’ll talk commission tomorrow.”

  Hannah dropped the silent phone on the table. Another web necklace? “G-ma will be so pissed,” she said to the empty room.

  After ten minutes of pacing, and an inner debate on the merits of waking her grandmother or letting sleeping elderly ladies lie, her phone rang. She didn’t have to peer at the faceplate. She swiped to answer after the first ring and listened.

  “You lost it.”

  “Umm, more or less, G-ma. Grant ...”

  “If you had opened the box, you would have seen the value of the necklace inside and then taken appropriate action to protect it. Correct?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Hannah said meekly.

  “Have you spoken to Alvin yet? Never mind,” G-ma interrupted herself. “I know you haven’t.”

  She heard G-ma breathing lightly for the next few minutes. Hannah knew better than to interrupt.

  “All right, here’s what we do. You contact Wynter; tell her not to let the necklace out of her sight. I’ll call Alvin, explain everything and have him meet you at the gallery. He can help.”

  “What do you mean, explain everything? How is Alvin going to help with this?” In the short silence that followed, Hannah’s imagination went wild. She huffed out a breath. “Just tell me, G-ma.”

  “Your Alvin has been working with me since you two started at the gallery a few years ago.”

  “Working with you? You mean, with witchcraft?”

  “Yes, dear.”

  Hannah’s mind whirled. “He’s a witch?”

  “Well, men prefer the term wizard to witch.” Another pause. “I told you to talk to him.”

  “He knows about me?” She couldn’t catch her breath. All those years she knew him, wanted him. He probably read her mind and felt sorry for her.

  “Yes. Talk to him, Hannah. Only you two can fix things now.”

  Chapter Eight

  Lancaster Castle: 1543

  Wynter pushed away from the workbench and stretched. The web was nearly complete. Intricate in form, with worked metal adornments in silver and burnished gold, the delicate scrollwork glistened in the late morning light. She recited a spell with each weave of the wire, convinced the strong pull meant someone else had cast a different, blacker magick upon it than hers.

  O dear Guardian wise and bold

  Maintain protection, strength behold.

  Allow this web to trap and clutch

  Keep them safe within your touch.

  I weave no harm as you decree

  As I am, so must it be.

  She had not seen Theodric since he commissioned the piece. Yet even in his absence, he haunted her mind. A sense of urgency to finish the piece before he returned ate at her. Every waking moment found her working on the piece—for him—no matter who the recipient would be. His scent lingered in the room; sensual waves teased her senses.

  It thrilled her. It annoyed her.

  Oddly enough, Aurelia left her alone. After their garden walk, she ceased to require Wynter’s presence at meals. Her handmaiden never came for potions, only to deliver food. The other advisors no longer pounded on her door; they tended to avoid her anyway. The quiet was both welcome and unsettling.

  Now that she thought of it, she had been at odds and ends with her feelings for quite a while. Ever since Theodric came to visit the workroom and commission the snare, her mind tangled from one extreme to another. Not a good sign at all.

  A flash of light out of the corner of her eye announced her phantom's appearance. She really had no time for this, but her curiosity demanded satisfaction.

  Wynter made the first move. “Will you speak to me today?”

  The apparition shimmered, as if shifting. “Yes.” The woman sounded more determined than acquiescent.

  “Tell me your name so we may be comfortable with each other.”

  “Hannah MacKenzie.”

  “Hannah. What a beautiful name. I am Wynter.” She started to swivel but stopped herself. “I can’t behold you fully. Your image has always disappeared in the past when I try.”

  “Oh, wait. I have a spell for that.”

  Wynter brows lifted. How intriguing. She heard a rustling and then Hannah’s voice, slow and clear.

  Sacred Guardian, listen well

  Help me work this mirror spell.

  Keep me clear in this pressed glass

  Allow my ancestor true access.

  No curse or harm shall come from me

  As I will, I promise thee.

  Wynter winced at the horrible rendition of the spell, yet noted the words. She faced her great-great-great ... whatever descendent. From her experiences with her own grandmother, this woman could be centuries into the future.

  “We really must discuss your spell-wording abilities. But the Goddess apparently listens when you speak, so I should be grateful.” The woman could have been her twin sister. They had the same dark hair, hazel eyes and similar coloring, but Hannah appeared to be older.

  Hannah cocked her head. “Does that mean we’ll have many more conversations in the future?”

  “If you wish it.” She snapped her fingers as a name popped into her head. “Gwen.”

  “That’s my G-ma. Grandmother. How did you know?”

  “I remember listening to my grandmother speak to a clanswoman by that name. But every time I looked, the woman disappeared. My grandmother told me she was of my blood but not for me, and I’ll have my own to confer with when I get older.”

  Hannah smiled. “That sounds exactly like something my grandmother would say. I spent a lot of time in art school. I had a late start to the family business.”

  “You went to school? For art?” Wynter’s attention waned. “You’re here for a specific reason.” She glanced over her shoulder. “And I want to get back to ...”

  “The necklace.”

  Wynter narrowed her eyes. This wit
ch had numerous surprises. “Yes.”

  Hannah nodded. “I have a lot of questions for you, but G-ma said I must hurry.”

  “Such a strange name you call your relative. The sound is disrespectful.”

  “Not at all.” Hannah cleared her throat. “We—I have a problem. It concerns your necklace. I’m making one, too. I’ve lost yours, the one you’re working on right now. G-ma says if I don’t get it back, it might affect things in your time period as well as mine. She keeps talking about ‘completing the circle.’”

  Wynter thought over Hannah’s words and dismissed them. “I see.” She had no time to deal with another witch, one from the future and untrained. She’ll take care of things here, as she always did. “Well, I’m sure your ... G-ma ... will be able to help you.”

  “But—”

  Wynter glanced at the web and instantly forgot everything else. Her hand caressed a precious stone, its warmth awaiting a final resting place between the legs of the spider. Her lips moved.

  O dear Guardian, wise and bold ...

  Chapter Nine

  Lancaster: present day

  Hannah backed away from the mirror, stunned. Her ancestor was a bit of a witchy snob. She strode back to her studio, plugged in the soldering iron and began putting the necklace together. Her hands flew through the motions; she knew exactly where each piece fit.

  At this point, she wasn’t sure she wanted to talk to Wynter again. The woman seemed intrigued at first, and G-ma would probably insist she give it another try. But something had distracted Wynter’s attention enough to totally shrug off their shared problem.

  Hannah held up the necklace. Done. Now for the chain. She crimped it on, performed one final inspection and rummaged in the cabinet for a case.

  Talking to someone from hundreds of years ago was pretty cool, right? Hannah imagined that someone of her flesh and blood would feel the same, not dismiss her out of hand. She nestled the web on the black velvet and snapped the lid shut. What could be more important than—

  Hannah froze. Than the necklace. Of course.

  She strode across the room and pulled open the back door. Alvin stood motionless on the other side, eyes wide, one hand upraised to knock.

  “Don’t get all crazy,” Hannah said. “I heard your car. What’s in the package?” She hated the sound of her voice, clipped and angry.

  “Your grandmother said to bring a mirror gift for the exchange?”

  He sounded uncertain. Hannah suspected his hesitancy concerned the topic of conversation he had with G-ma, rather than the actual middle-of-the-night wake-up call.

  “Fine.” This time, for security, Hannah opened the large safe in the back corner of the studio and placed her necklace on a shelf. “Let me grab Grant’s records and keys so we can retrieve the other necklace.” She strode out the door, Alvin dogging her footsteps.

  “Your grandmother told me you lost it. Can’t you replace it with the one you’re making?”

  She glared at him over her shoulder. “I didn’t lose it, and no, I can’t replace it with mine. According to G-ma, they’re both part of a circle, some great plan,” she put air quotes around the two words, “you and I have to figure out. We should be happy Grant and the Emerson’s are practically family, otherwise we couldn’t pull off the switch with your enchanted mirror.” She waited for him to notice her emphasis.

  Alvin checked his watch. “We have about two hours of darkness left. Do you have the spell?”

  She stopped without warning and swung around. Alvin backpedaled to avoid a collision. “What? You didn’t bring your wizard wand?” She poked a finger into his chest. “How long have you been working with G-ma?” She poked again. “How long have you known you were a wizard and didn’t.” Poke. “Tell.” Poke. “Me.”

  He grabbed her finger before she could stab him with it again. “Whoa. Just to make things perfectly clear, I didn’t know the extent of your powers until your grandmother called and explained what had happened. So that works both ways, Hannah. Plus, she said we were supposed to talk the other day?”

  The man had a point. She resisted the urge to growl. Pulling her finger out of his grasp, she continued down the hall. “She’s a sneak, isn’t she? After all this is over, the three of us are going to sit down for a long talk.” She rummaged through the papers from Grant’s inbox without waiting for him to answer. “Here it is.”

  “Hannah.” Alvin dropped his package on the desk and stepped up behind her, effectively imprisoning her against the desk. He put his hands on her shoulders.

  She wanted to tell him this wasn’t the time. She wanted to ask him if he felt the connection between them without their magic—or because of it. She wanted to kiss him and know that he wanted it, too. Reluctantly, she obeyed the pressure of his hands and turned.

  And melted when his hands rubbed lightly up and down her arms.

  “I don’t want you angry with me, Hannah. My world’s not right if you’re upset.” His face took on the appearance of a whipped puppy.

  Hannah narrowed her eyes.

  Before she could respond, he shook his head. His mouth quirked into a half-grin. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to do that. I have a lack of control around you, Hannah. I think of something and it happens.”

  “Really? So you thought to make me feel sorry for you?”

  “To make you not mad at me. I figured everybody loves a puppy when they’re down.” He widened his eyes and cocked his head to the side.

  Hannah couldn’t help it. She laughed.

  Before she could blink, Alvin had his mouth on hers. His arms surrounded her, pulling her close.

  By the Goddess. Hannah didn’t know why that expression popped into her head, but she didn’t care. She closed her eyes and poured herself into the kiss.

  When they parted, Alvin’s forehead touched hers. “Wow,” he whispered. “And the reason we’ve never done this before?”

  “No clue.”

  As she angled her head for another kiss, Hannah felt the equivalent of a slap on the back of her head. When his eyelids popped open, she realized Alvin felt it too.

  “Your grandmother.” He gave her a quick peck and moved away. “We definitely need to talk. Think she’s getting a kick out of this?”

  Hannah nodded. “Oh, yeah. Let’s get this done, and then we’ll deal with everything else.” She picked up Grant’s keys and reached into her pocket. “Here’s the spell. I’ll drive while you try to make it better. Someone told me I’m not very good at it.”

  In the car, Alvin read the words out loud.

  Beloved guardian, hear me well

  Lend your strength to help this spell.

  Guide our passage soft and fast

  Help us find the item past.

  A gift we leave as a trade

  By our word, no harm conveyed.

  ~ * ~

  At ten minutes to six in the morning, Hannah stood in front of Beauty Multiplied with the necklace in her left hand. Alvin stepped next to her; she met his eyes in the dozens of reflections as his hand snaked down to encompass hers.

  “G-ma?”

  “She’ll be here.”

  She expected him to reach into his pocket for his cell phone and make a video call. Instead, he laid his palm flat on the surface of the mirror. Her grandmother appeared to one side like a flickering, translucent life form straight out of the latest episode of Star Trek.

  Hannah gasped. “How did you do that?”

  He laughed. “Secret wizard stuff. Ask your grandmother.”

  G-ma shook her head. “We don’t have time right now. Do you have the necklace?”

  Hannah held up the one she had made.

  “That’s not the original.” G-ma frowned.

  “You said the magic is inside of me, didn’t you?” Hannah didn’t wait for an answer. “We drove to Blackpool and retrieved—”

  “Stole,” Alvin interjected.

  Hannah sighed. “Stole Wynter’s necklace from Charles Emerson, Alvin did his wizardry thi
ng and returned the necklace to the past. I need to do the same with mine, so the circle is complete, right?”

  “It sounds as if you two finally talked and made some decisions. But there’s something missing. I just can’t put my finger on it. Did you leave a gift in its place?”

  Alvin nodded. “A small handheld mirror. It’s enchanted, so the Emerson’s will think that’s what they bought from Grant last night.”

  “G-ma. I thought you said we were running out of time. Have you changed your mind?”

  “No. Not at all.” She paced away. “Be silent a moment, and let me think.”

  Hannah stifled a snort when Alvin hummed the Jeopardy theme under his breath. “Shh. You’ll get us both in trouble,” she whispered.

  “Worth it to get in trouble with you, Hannah Mackenzie.”

  She dropped her eyes, afraid to look at him. His voice was too soft, too enticing, his hand too warm. The man wove his own kind of spell around her.

  “What do you want, Alvin?” she murmured.

  When he didn’t answer, Hannah’s gaze cut back to the mirror. He watched her grandmother, a slight smile dancing around his mouth. If he ever looked at her that way ...

  She couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment his eyes went from G-ma to her. Everything literally stopped. Her breath, her heart. Time.

  When the world began again, his smile had grown wider. Holy mother ...

  “I hate to interrupt this tender moment, children.” G-ma’s brisk voice acted like the sound of a gong in an otherwise silent room—hard and jarring, yet soothing in the echo. “I know what we missed. It’s Grant. One of you,” she stared pointedly at Alvin, “will have to correct the paperwork. I’ll leave his handling to you.” As if in slow motion, she shimmered to face Hannah. “Do you have the spell?”

  “Yes,” she croaked and then cleared her throat, concentrating once again on the task at hand. “Yes. Everyone ready?”

  Alvin squeezed her hand and nodded. G-ma raised both her ghostly arms into the air; Hannah saw her lips move. Probably praying. She touched the necklace to the mirror.