Magic & Malice

by Annabel Chase

  “Bourgeois?” Marley interjected.

  Aunt Hyacinth gave a firm nod. “Exactly.” She tapped the window between the driver and us. “Simon, you can drop us right at the base of the front steps.”

  “You know about Jefferson, right?” Marley asked.

  “Her ghostly manservant?” my aunt asked. “Yes, I’m aware of him and their, ahem, curious relationship.”

  Phew. That was one awkward thing I wouldn’t need to explain. It was hard enough to explain it to myself.

  “Mom, did you mention to Aunt Hyacinth about the wand she gave me?”

  My aunt’s head jerked to attention. “What about the wand? It’s a family heirloom, not some thrift store purchase.”

  I laughed. “I know it’s an heirloom. I also know that it’s filled with more energy than I could handle. Marley and I were wondering about the wand’s history.”

  Aunt Hyacinth gazed out the window. “A story for another time, perhaps.”

  “You gave Marley the wand, but you don’t want to share its history?” I asked.

  “I don’t know all its history,” Aunt Hyacinth said. She arched a sculpted eyebrow at me. “You picked up on its energy during psychometry?”

  “Marigold blabbed, didn’t she?” I asked.

  “Marigold didn’t blab, as she’s not a child,” my aunt replied. “She felt the experience was worth mentioning, as do you, apparently.”

  “Don’t you have the same set of psychic skills that I do?” I asked. I knew my mother was particularly strong in that area, not that anyone gave my maternal side credit. It was all about the Roses in Starry Hollow.

  “Not quite,” my aunt said begrudgingly. I could hear the dissatisfaction in her tone. Then again, dissatisfied seemed to be her normal state of mind.

  Simon pulled the car in front of Haverford House and came around to open the door for Aunt Hyacinth. Marley and I made it to the front door first and it popped open before we had a chance to knock.

  “Hi, Jefferson.” Marley breezed straight in. Her home away from home. Come to think of it, she had several of those. Lucky girl. A far cry from our shoebox apartment and no close friends or relatives to visit.

  I felt the chill of the ghostly manservant’s presence as I entered the foyer. Clementine trotted over to greet us, her mangy tail high and proud. Marley crouched down to give her a proper hello.

  Aunt Hyacinth stepped into the foyer behind us and surveyed the space with a pinched expression.

  “Everything good?” I asked in a quiet voice.

  “I thought she had servants,” Aunt Hyacinth said. She didn’t bother to lower her voice.

  “She has Jefferson,” I said.

  “Right,” my aunt replied, in a tone that suggested we’d be discussing this disaster on the car ride home.

  A cold breeze tugged us toward the parlor room. Marley walked ahead with Clementine in her arms, chatting to Jefferson about her birthday.

  “That child makes friends wherever she goes,” my aunt said. The note of pride in her voice stirred something deep in my heart.

  Artemis Haverford sat in her chair, awaiting our arrival. She’d clearly taken great pains with her appearance, likely because of Aunt Hyacinth’s presence today. She wore a pale yellow dress with tiny embroidered flowers, and her white hair was loose and adorned with a sprig of yellow flowers. A tray of tea and all the accouterments were already on the table.

  “I hope you don’t take it as a sign of disrespect if I don’t get up,” Artemis said apologetically. “These old bones have their own way of doing things.”

  “Of course we don’t,” I said. When I leaned down to greet her with a kiss on the cheek, the smell of lavender filled my nostrils.

  “Nice to see you, Artemis,” my aunt said, with a slight nod.

  “And you,” Artemis replied. “Whatever anti-aging spell you’re using, do keep it up. It’s working wonders.”

  “You’re too kind,” Aunt Hyacinth said.

  Marley flung her arms around the witch’s neck and planted a sloppy kiss on her wrinkled cheek. “I’ve missed you.”

  “Same here. I might have a little something for you, birthday girl,” Artemis said, smiling. “Please sit, everyone. Jefferson will pour the tea.”

  Aunt Hyacinth observed with mild interest as an invisible hand set to work on the teacups. “There’s nothing like good help, is there? I don’t know where I’d be without Simon and Mrs. Babcock. They are truly gifts from the gods.”

  It occurred to me how grateful my aunt genuinely was for the work provided by her employees. And they knew it, too. A marked difference from Hattie.

  Artemis cast a sly smile in Jefferson’s direction. “I don’t know how I’d live without Jefferson. As absurd as it sounds given that he’s incorporeal, he’s my rock.”

  I knew their relationship was…unconventional, but I thought it was wonderful that they had each other. I felt a slight rush of air as Jefferson leaned past me to—I imagine—kiss Artemis on the cheek. Not quite the same relationship that Simon had with my aunt. Theirs was far more professional.

  I settled on the settee with my aunt, while Marley sat cross-legged on the floor with Clementine. Thankfully, no one seemed bothered that she wasn’t following the ‘young lady’ rules by sitting quietly with her ankles crossed in the chair.

  “Jefferson, if you could bring out Marley’s present now, before we get started, that would be best,” Artemis said.

  We sipped our tea and made polite conversation while Jefferson left to retrieve the birthday gift.

  “I hear that your venerable editor-in-chief is back on the market,” Artemis said to my aunt.

  My antennae shot up. Interestingly, I noticed that Marley kept her attention on the cat. It seemed to me that this news would be of great interest to her.

  “Is that so?” Aunt Hyacinth asked. “What happened with the nymph? Sally? Molly?” She looked around helplessly.

  “Holly,” Marley said.

  “Yes, that’s it. I knew it was a common name,” my aunt said.

  I bit back a smile. Leave it to my aunt to use someone’s name as a passive-aggressive insult.

  “Are you certain?” Aunt Hyacinth asked. “He hasn’t mentioned anything to me and he joined us for dinner recently.”

  “Without Holly,” Marley said pointedly.

  Artemis took another sip of tea and set her cup back on the saucer. “I have it on good authority that Holly was seen rampaging her way through a shop after blowing off steam at her beau.” Artemis tapped the ends of her fingernails together. “Ladies don’t behave that way in a happy, healthy relationship. If they haven’t ended things yet, I daresay the moment is upon us.”

  I sat in silence, absorbing the information. I figured from the outset that it wouldn’t last, but the reality of its relatively quick demise was throwing me for a loop.

  “I’m surprised to hear about her unladylike behavior,” my aunt said. “If nothing else, I found her almost too ladylike. Girlish even. Not at all the type of woman I expected a vampire like Alec to be drawn to.”

  “I’m not surprised,” Marley said. “Holly was a distraction and now I guess he’s ready to get back on track.”

  “On track?” my aunt repeated. “On track for what?”

  Marley stroked the cat’s back. “Whoever he’s meant to be with. I’m pretty sure Holly isn’t the one.”

  “As I always say,” Artemis said with a not-so-subtle look at me, “no path is ever certain.”

  I wasn’t sure whether she meant that my path with the sheriff wasn’t certain or whether Alec’s path wasn’t certain. Ugh. Don’t confuse me, old lady witch with psychic abilities! I’d closed one door so I could walk through another with the sheriff. That was the plan.

  A large wrapped box with a bright blue ribbon floated into the room and diverted the conversation away from Alec. Marley’s eyes went from almonds to walnuts. “For me?”

  Artemis beamed at her. “Who else, my lovely? I made certain not
to use any pink wrappings because I know how fond you are of blue. I have to admit, it was a struggle.”

  “Thank you, Artemis.” Marley plucked the box from the air. “And you, too, Jefferson. Can I open it now, Mom?”

  “I think that would be acceptable,” I said.

  Marley carefully untied the ribbon and then opened the present, sliding her finger under the tape so as not to rip the gorgeous paper.

  “Marley, dear, what are you doing?” Aunt Hyacinth asked.

  “Preserving the paper,” Marley said. “I might want to reuse it.”

  An audible gulp came from my aunt. “My word, Marley, you’re a Rose. You don’t need to reuse anything.”

  Marley gave her a blank look. “But it’s such pretty paper. I don’t want to throw it away.”

  I nudged my aunt with my leg, hoping she’d let it go. There was no point in arguing over paper.

  “I’m glad you like it,” Artemis said. “Now I hope you like the gift just as much as the wrapping.”

  Marley opened the box and I could see the conflicted expression on her face.

  “What is it, sweetheart?” I prompted.

  “An herb organizer,” Marley said. She turned the present toward me so that I could have a better view. It was the ideal gift for someone like Marley, who loved organization as much as she loved animals. There were tiny drawers with blank labels.

  Artemis frowned. “I’m sensing I might have missed the mark on this one.”

  “You haven’t at all,” I said. “It just shows how well you know Marley.”

  “I love it,” Marley said glumly.

  “Her magic hasn’t manifested,” Aunt Hyacinth said. She wasn’t about to beat around the Rose bush. “We’re not certain whether it’s a glitch or her father’s human genes.”

  Artemis folded her hands in her lap and looked calmly at Marley. “Do you think I am the kind of witch who would give you a gift that you cannot use, my lovely?”

  Marley blinked back tears. “No, Artemis.”

  “No, indeed.” Artemis held up a finger. “I expect you to use your best handwriting to label those drawers because you will be mastering herbology. You’ll come to Haverford House if need be. I have a garden full of herbs to assist you.”

  Marley seemed to perk up. “I would love that. Thank you so much.”

  I fixed my gaze on Artemis. “You’re sure? You’ve seen a vision in the cobwebs or whatever weird thing you do?”

  Artemis suppressed a smile. “I haven’t consulted the runes or the cards, but I have a sixth sense about such matters, and I’d bet good coin that Marley has the Rose genes.”

  “A wonderful gift,” my aunt said. “You’ve been too kind to my family, Artemis.”

  “On the contrary, they’ve been too kind to me,” Artemis replied firmly. “I was nothing but the elderly matchmaker in town before these two arrived. They reminded me what it’s like to have friends rather than clients.”

  My aunt laughed. “Well, that seems rather at odds with the purpose of our visit today.”

  “Not at all,” Artemis said. “I’m thrilled to work with you, Hyacinth. Anything that gives me a reason to see these two is a huge plus in my book.”

  Aunt Hyacinth flicked a stray hair away from her eye and wore her best ‘get-down-to-business’ expression. “Now, how does this work exactly? We discuss eligible gentlemen in the area? I provide a list of possibilities?”

  “If you have a list of possibilities, then I don’t see why I’d be of use to you,” Artemis said.

  “Fair point,” my aunt replied.

  “I can work with any number of tools,” Artemis said. “Cards, runes, dice, meditation, numerology. Whatever you’re comfortable with. First, though, I’d like to assess your energy.” Artemis leaned forward and held out her hands in a way that reminded me of Rhys Meridien.

  Aunt Hyacinth gave me a curious look before reaching out to join their fingertips. Artemis closed her eyes and began drawing slow, deep breaths. Everyone was silent to the point where I worried Artemis had fallen into a post-tea coma, but, after a couple of tense minutes, her eyes popped open and she began to speak.

  “Your energy is very powerful,” Artemis said.

  Well, duh. The old witch had to do better than that or my aunt was going to walk.

  “Of course it is,” my aunt began, but Artemis shushed her.

  “Please, no distractions,” the elderly witch said. “I need to process.”

  Aunt Hyacinth’s mouth formed a thin line of displeasure. She didn’t like to be shushed by anyone.

  “I sense a blockage,” Artemis said.

  My aunt’s eyebrows knitted together. “A clogged artery? Should I see the healer?”

  “Not your physical health,” Artemis said. “Your spiritual energy. The blockage makes it difficult for you to connect with potential mates.”

  My aunt flinched at the word ‘mate.’ Marley didn’t miss it either because she said, “Why does that word bother you, Aunt Hyacinth?”

  My aunt flashed an innocent look. “Which word?”

  “Mate,” Marley said, undeterred. My aunt would have to work harder to get out from under Marley’s firm thumb. “You’re at a matchmaker’s. Finding a mate is sort of the point.”

  “Mate is such a…primitive word,” my aunt replied primly. “I’m a descendant of the One True Witch, not a garden-variety shifter. I prefer a term like partner.”

  “Duly noted,” Artemis said.

  Talk about blockage. My aunt couldn’t open her mind to the possibility of a partner because she was too busy being close-minded about anyone and everyone outside the Rose family. It was a miracle she’d married the first time.

  “I do sense that you are content with your situation, which is nice,” Artemis said. “You don’t project longing the way many women do.”

  My aunt seemed pleased with this description. She didn’t want to be like ‘other women.’

  “By the same token,” Artemis continued, “there is an emptiness that seems like it could be filled by a…partner. A romantic partnership keeps you not just living, but alive.”

  “I’ve been thinking about that murdered morgen,” my aunt said. “I don’t want to become a bitter prune with so many enemies at my death that no one can guess which one killed me.” It was a rare and vulnerable admission for my formidable aunt and I was proud of her for having the courage to make that statement. No one wanted to die amongst enemies disguised as loved ones. What an awful way to go. My aunt was right, though—her own behavior was a determining factor. She had the power to improve the situation and, if a romantic partner was going to help smooth her rough edges, then I was all in favor.

  “Aunt Hyacinth, you’ve already shown that you’re different from Hattie,” Marley said.

  My aunt regarded Marley with interest. “How so?”

  “You haven’t freaked out on me for not having magic,” Marley said. “In fact, you’ve been really patient and seem to think it still might work out.”

  Artemis released my aunt’s hands. “The child makes an excellent point. You might not be as rigid as you believe.”

  “Oh, she’s rigid,” I interjected. “It’s just that she’s not as bad as Hattie was, and we have time to make sure she doesn’t stumble onto Bitter Highway as the years pass.”

  Aunt Hyacinth frowned. “Why, thank you, Ember.”

  I offered a big smile. “I do my part.”

  My aunt decided on cards for the matchmaking part of her reading, so Jefferson cleared away the tea tray to make room. I expected tarot cards, but was surprised to see a pack of Uno cards from the human world.

  “We can find Aunt Hyacinth a boyfriend and then play a round of Uno,” I joked.

  Marley brightened. “I love this game.”

  Artemis seemed confused. “These are not for games. They’re for readings.” She shuffled the deck and then cut it in half before sliding one section closer to my aunt and fanning them out. “Choose three cards.”


  My aunt withdrew three of the cards and held them close to her chest. “Do I reveal them?”

  Artemis’s eyes sparkled. “If you expect me to read them, then yes.”

  My aunt placed them on the coffee table for all to see—a Draw Four, a red eight, and a Wild.

  “Two of those look good, I guess,” Marley said.

  “I don’t want good,” my aunt sniffed. “I want the best.”

  “But what is the best?” Artemis asked. “We’re talking about romantic partners specific to you. ‘The best’ will be different for you than it is for Ember, for example.”

  “True,” my aunt said. “There’s no accounting for taste.”

  “Is that a dig at Granger?” I asked. “Because that’s more than a little rude considering I’m sitting here with you right now.”

  “Granger is your Holly,” my aunt said. “Nothing more than a distraction. An attractive nuisance, if you like.”

  My whole body tensed. “Granger is nothing like Holly.”

  Artemis held up a hand. “All this negative energy will disrupt the reading.”

  I clamped my mouth closed for the sake of Artemis. Even Marley looked mildly unsettled and I knew she was still rooting for Alec.

  “I only mean that my preference is still that you settle down with a nice wizard like Aster has,” my aunt said. “There’s still time.”

  “Let’s focus on you, okay?” I said.

  Artemis tapped the card with the red eight. “This is a gentleman who comes from humble beginnings, but has set himself apart, whether through business or magic or some other means, I can’t be sure.”

  “An achiever,” my aunt said with a pleased nod. “I like that.”

  Artemis moved to the Draw Four. “Hmm. Not an ideal choice, but very seductive and charming. He may seem like what you want, but ultimately he will leave you feeling alone.”

  “I guess the Wild card speaks for itself,” I said.

  “It does,” Artemis agreed. “He’s going to take you by surprise and offer you a ride worth taking. Bumpy and uncomfortable at times, but exhilarating.”

  “And how do I meet these gentlemen?” my aunt asked. “And, more importantly, how will I know which is which?”