Jilly opened the door and let in Finola Graham. She was an older lady in her mid-sixties, with short, snowy white hair and sparkling violet eyes.
“Finola, thank you for coming by today. This week has just gotten away from me already and it’s only Tuesday,” Jilly confessed as she closed the door.
“Nonsense, my dear, it was no trouble at all for me to pop on over here on my way to meet the ladies for breakfast at that little pastry place down by your shop,” Finola said as she took a seat on the big leather couch.
Jilly walked into the kitchen and returned with the little cloth bag she had packed up the night before. “I included an instruction sheet with your charm, but let me just go over it with you in case you have any questions. The first thing you’ll want to do is light the angelica candle and place it in the center of where ever you’re going to perform the charm. Then get out a pan of water, and set that on the table as well. Pour the contents of the bottle into the pan and swirl it around. You should notice that the water will heat up once you pour in the potion. When the water turns red, then you can put the contents into the little necklaces that you have. I think it’s pretty straightforward. The charm lasts for six months, and it will only work if they have the necklace on or with them at all times. Do you have any questions?” Jilly asked as she packed the bag back up.
“No, I think I should be ok, but I can call you if I hit a snag, right?” Finola asked as she rose from her seat to leave.
“Of course you can, but I think you’ll be just fine,” Jilly told her as she led her to the door. “Just one more thing, Finola. What do you know about the Morgans?”
“The Morgans? Oh, the family has been in Boston for years; I’d say almost as long as your family has. Why do you ask, my dear?”
“Oh, I cut William Morgan’s hair yesterday, and I was just curious.”
“Didn’t he just move back to town? I think I remember Adelle telling me that he was going to be moving back from England this month.”
“Yeah, he told me he just got back into town, but he never told me where he moved from. Oh well, I was just a little curious about him,” Jilly said with a smile as she opened the door.
“Of course you were, darling. From what I hear he’s quite handsome; who wouldn’t be curious?” Finola said with a wink as she walked out the door. “I’ll see you next week for my cut,” she called out as she walked down the stone steps to her car.
Jilly closed the door and leaned her back against it for a minute, thinking about her dream, and also about the intriguingly handsome William Morgan.
Before she knew it, Emily was honking her horn in the driveway, asking for help with all the bags in her trunk. Jilly bounded down the steps and quickly sent Emily up to the house with the lightest of the bags.
“Don’t complain, missy; you can start helping with the heavy lifting when that bun in your oven is finished baking,” Jilly yelled at Emily after seeing the sulky look on her face.
Three trips later, all of the bags were sitting on the kitchen counters and both girls were warming up by the fireplace. With a determined look on her face, Jilly got up, grabbed her grimoire, and opened it up to the spell for summoning. Summoning spells are usually not that complicated, but this one would be a bit dicey only because of who was being summoned. The longer someone has been dead, the harder it is to summon him or her to you.
While Jilly was reading over the spell, Emily got up and began to collect what they needed to prepare the spell. Once they were both finished, Jilly went over to the big fireplace in the kitchen and swung the cauldron back over the fire. She then poured all of her ingredients in and began to stir, first ten times clockwise, then ten times counter clockwise, until she had stirred the pot a total of one hundred times.
“Once the liquid turns blue, we take it off the flame and let it sit for one day. Then we’ll be ready for phase two,” Jilly said as she wiped her hands on a towel.
“Ok, sounds good. Now can we eat? This kid is apparently starving, and I could eat a horse,” Emily said, laughing as she sat down at the kitchen table.
“Sure, what do you want to eat? I have fixings for salad and sandwiches; how does that sound?” Jilly called out from behind the refrigerator door.
*
Ten minutes later the girls were seated at the table enjoying their lunch. “So what do you make of that wacky dream you had last night, Jill?” Emily asked between bites.
“Finola told me that the Morgans have been in Boston as long as the Proctors have. It appears Liza and his ancestor were lovers at some point. It sounds to me like my many times over great-grandfather was not too keen on that union; he sent William away before they could be married. It’s obvious by the dream that Liza loved him, but I’m not sure what was going on with her sister. I’m going to do some more research on his family before I decide if I want to talk to him about any of this.”
Emily sat up straight in her chair, stretching her back as she said, “I think that’s probably smart of you. You don’t know how he’s connected to you yet, so I’d stay away until you’re sure.”
*
By three the next day, Jilly was no closer to discovering the connection between William and her family than she was when she started. She was sitting in her den with a stack of old books and her laptop in front of her, and she let out a sigh as she stood up. She stretched out her shoulders and back as she walked down the hallway to the back stairs that led to the kitchen.
Once in the kitchen, she opened up the grimoire, set it on the counter, and began to read her next step in the spell. Now I pour the contents of the cauldron into three bottles and cork them tightly, she thought as she went and grabbed what she needed from her supply cupboard. Once that task was accomplished she sealed the corks with wax, just in case they wanted to expand with the pressure. I guess I’m all set for tomorrow. She proceeded to clean up her mess.
She was lost in her thoughts while she was cleaning and was jolted back to reality by the buzzing of her phone in her pocket. She looked down at it and found a text from an unfamiliar number. It said to meet whoever it was tonight at six in front of the library.
She sat for five minutes, trying to decide what to do, before she finally decided to go. Looking at the clock, she saw that she still had about an hour before she had to leave, and ran up the stairs to her room. She went straight into the closet and began going through the hangers until she finally found the shirt she was looking for. It was a long sleeved, scoop necked t-shirt in emerald green that matched her eyes. She decided to just keep the jeans she was already wearing and grabbed a pair of knee-high brown boots from the closet and set them next to the bed.
Once she changed her shirt she went into the bathroom, fixed her make-up, and brushed her long red hair until it shone in the light as it fell around her shoulders in cascading waves. She sat down on her bed and pulled on her boots, grabbed her keys and headed downstairs. She still had about forty-five minutes before the meeting; she decided to drive over to Emily’s to tell her what was going on. So she grabbed her heavy wool pea coat off the hook by the door and flew down the stairs to her car.
*
Emily had a very skeptical look on her face as she listened to what Jilly had to say. “I feel like this is a bad idea, Jilly. You don’t know who wants to meet you, or why.” Emily’s words were filled with concern.
“I know, but I just feel like it’s ok. I don’t know why, but I have a good feeling about this,” Jilly said with some conviction.
“Well, far be it from me to disagree with one of your gut feelings, but I still think you should be careful. Here, take this pepper spray,” Emily said while she was going through her purse.
“I’ll take it, but really, Emily, I’m a witch; I think I can take care of myself.” Jilly told her as she stood up to leave.
“Ok, well call me as soon as you’re done meeting whoever this mystery person is. Be careful please,” Emily said as she hugged her goodbye.
Once she was in
the car, Jilly rubbed her hands together for a minute until a faint glowing appeared at her fingertips. Better safe than sorry, she thought to herself as she started up the car and drove off.
*
It was nearly six when she pulled her car into the small parking lot off to the side of the library. She sat in the car for a second, trying to build up the courage to get out and meet her destiny. Finally she opened the car door and leaned across the seat to grab her purse. She set her alarm as she briskly walked toward the front steps of the library, and that was when she saw him. She should have known it would be him.
William was standing with his back against the rail as she walked up, and when he saw her, he pushed himself off and walked toward her. She felt her cheeks flush as he said hello. “Hi,” she said shyly, trying to make eye contact but failing.
“Do you know who I am, Jilly?” he asked her with a force that didn’t seem like it should apply to a normal conversation.
“I thought I did, but then I had a dream about you the night we met. What I saw, or I guess what I was shown, is a little bit odd,” Jilly said with trepidation. “Do you know what I saw?” she asked, her eyes shining in the moonlight.
“Here, come over and sit with me,” he said as he led her over to a small bench off in the corner of the courtyard. “Yes, I know what you saw, because I was there. I have been alive since 1625. I was born like any other normal child, but I was not normal by any means. I discovered soon after I turned five that I could not die. There was an accident any normal person would have perished. I’m not at all sure why that is, but I’ve been searching for answers for hundreds of years. I want to tell you, Jilly, when I saw your face in the salon, I thought I was seeing a ghost. You look so much like her, you know Liza. You could be her twin.” He paused for a moment, lost in his memories.
“I loved her as much as any person could love another. I thought I had found my soul mate. But a life together was not on the cards for us. Her father forbade me to see her. He would never give me a reason, but I think it was fear. There were things that happened all those years ago, things beyond my control. I think he blamed me. He feared that I only wanted to control her, that I wanted her for her power, but he didn’t know that I have power of my own. I left Boston; I couldn’t stay and watch the woman I loved be forced to marry another.
“I traveled by boat to England, and I stayed in Europe for two hundred years. I built a life for myself there, although I would have to fake my own death every twenty years or so and assume the identity of some long lost relative coming to claim my inheritance a few years later. I found that there are others like me, the truly immortal; we call ourselves the amaranthine, the deathless. We walk the earth as lonely travelers who bear witness to all that humanity has unleashed upon this world.” He stopped talking and stared out into the night for a few minutes.
“So why do I feel a connection with you? It’s like an electric current is connecting us. I feel it now, even though we’re sitting so far apart,” Jilly said as she scooted further away.
“I’m not sure, but I would say that it has more to do with you than with me. You have power that I’ve never seen in another person before.” William’s eyes took on an odd sheen as he said that. “It’s almost like the blood in your veins is pure electricity. What do you feel when I touch you?” He excitedly reached for her hand, curious to see what the result would be. Jilly felt a strange tightening in the pit of her stomach.
“I feel like I’ve been shocked at first, but then it’s almost as if I can feel the hum of your blood in my fingers. It’s a weird sensation; I’m not quite sure how I feel about it, or you for that matter. I know that we need to talk more. I want to know what it is that is between us, but I’m on information overload right now. I need to process all that you’ve told me tonight. Can we meet again soon? Maybe tomorrow night? Do you know where I live? Of course you do; how stupid of me,” Jilly said with a small laugh.
“Yes, I do know where you live. I have been there many times, although I must say, I am interested to see what sort of modern touches the subsequent generations of your family have put on the house. What time should I arrive?”
“Um, maybe six-ish? I have a client coming over around four, so I should be done by then. Does that work for you?” Jilly asked as she pulled herself off the bench.
“Yes, I shall see you tomorrow evening. Oh, and Jilly, you really shouldn’t be in the habit of meeting strange people at night. I could have been a strangler for all you knew,” he said with a hint of reproach in his voice.
“Oh, I wouldn’t worry too much about me, William; it’s the strangler who should be worried,” Jilly said with a viscous gleam in her eyes while she vigorously rubbed her palms together until they glowed brightly in the moonlight. “Care to shake my hand, Mr. Strangler?” she asked with a laugh as she stuck her hand out to him.
“Ok, I’m game, let’s see what you’ve got up your sleeve,” he said as he grabbed her hand. Almost instantly he was on the ground, writhing in pain. “Well, I will say that tonight I’m glad that I cannot die; that sure packs a punch. I think I could feel my heart stop for a second,” he said, a little winded, as he propped himself up into a sitting position and rubbed his hand.
“Yeah, I figured I’d give you a real show tonight,” she said as she walked away.
He watched her go, still sitting on the ground, and said, “Until tomorrow then,” almost under his breath.
Jilly’s mind was racing as she drove home; she was trying to process all that he had told her. In reality, it wasn’t a lot, but what he did tell her was enough to wig her out a bit. As she pulled into the driveway, she noticed a blue Jetta parked in front of the steps; she parked beside it and got out. “I guess Caroline’s home,” she said as she climbed the steps toward the house.
As she walked inside, she could hear her sister’s voice from the kitchen. It sounded like she was arguing over the phone. “I just need some time to think, Jack; I was very clear in the note I left at the house,” she snapped. There was a pause; obviously Jack had something to say about that. “I don’t know, I just need to think. I’m staying with Jilly. I’ll call you when I want to talk.” There was a slam as she threw the phone on the table and huffed out of the room.
Jilly was still standing in the doorway when Caroline came out of the kitchen. “How much did you hear?” she asked as she threw herself on the couch, a wry expression on her face.
“Enough to gather that you left Jack,” Jilly said carefully as she sat down across from her and set her stuff on the floor.
“Yeah, I left him,” she said as she cupped her chin in her hands. “He’s been seeing someone for the past year; I found emails from her on his computer. I couldn’t breathe in the house with him. I just needed some space. I hope it’s ok that I’m here,” she said, feeling slightly awkward.
“I’m so sorry, Car. That’s crummy. Do you want me to put a hex on him?” Jilly asked, trying to lighten the mood.
Caroline smiled and said, “I just might let you, Jill. Ask me again tomorrow.”
“You’re welcome to stay as long as you need to, you know that. I have a client coming over tomorrow. I’m going to do a summoning spell for her, and Emily will be helping. You can stay, but I think you’d prefer to be gone while we work, am I right?” Jilly asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Oh, well, I guess I could find something to do with myself,” Caroline said with a flushed look on her face.
“Why don’t you go to the shop and have one of the girls do your hair? I can call and set it up in the morning if you like. You can do whatever you want; cut, color, whatever you feel like doing,” Jilly said as she went and sat down next to her sister. As she put her arms around her, Caroline let herself fall apart.
“This is the first time I’ve let myself cry since I left,” she said in between sobs. “I was too angry to cry. I actually left yesterday, and I was too angry to drive all the way here, so I stayed in a hotel. How silly is that? I stayed
in a hotel when I have a million friends I could have stayed with. I needed to clear my head and really think about what happened.”
Jilly held her until she was spent, and then led her upstairs to her old room.
“Ok, Car, get some sleep, I’ll see you in the morning,” she said as she tucked her in.
Caroline was asleep before Jilly was out of the room. As she walked down the hall, she could hear her phone ringing downstairs. “Uh oh, I’m in for it now,” she said as she ran down the stairs to get it.
*
After getting read the riot act from Emily, Jilly told her everything that had happened.
“Wow, I don’t quite know what to say about William,” she said. “It’s kind of shocking, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, I was and am kind of weirded out by all of it. I’m still processing it,” Jilly said with a sigh. “I actually forgot about it for a second when I was trying to deal with the Caroline situation. I’m actually a little shocked that she chose to come here; we haven’t exactly been close in years.”
“She was thrown off her axis, Jill. She needs to regroup. Home is where you go when you can’t go anywhere else. You just need to be there for her as much as you can while she’s here. This could be a good thing for you two; I’ve always hated how you guys left things the last time she was here.”
“I know, me too, but I can’t make her accept me, or herself, unless she wants to,” Jilly said.
“Ok, I need some sleep. I’ll be over around 2:00 tomorrow to help you set up. Love you, doll,” Emily said with a yawn.
“Ok, love you too,” Jilly said as she pressed the end button and set the phone down. She leaned back on the couch and sat thinking for a while. She was thinking about William and she felt herself dozing off. Everything started to feel warm and fuzzy and she was out.
Mark of the Witch (Boston Witches) Page 3