But Alexandra spoke first.
“Doesn’t every girl want to know the same kind of things about her mother?” she asked with a laugh. “Where did she leave the best diamonds?”
It wasn’t the most appropriate joke in the circumstances, but my governess was only trying to lighten the mood.
Daniel acted as if he had no such understanding. He moved faster than I’d known he could. He grabbed Alexandra by the arm with such force that it sent her tumbling backwards. They stood frozen for a second, gazes locked, with Alexandra pressed against the wall, Daniel’s hand still gripping her arm.
“Don’t speak like that about her,” Daniel hissed.
Alexandra, to her credit, did not flinch.
“Let go of me,” she said, her voice steely.
Daniel released her arm and took a step back, but he did not break eye contact with her.
“What’s wrong with you lately?” Alexandra spat out. “You’re unpredictable, angry, unsettled. Where’s the man I fell in love with?”
I began to edge towards the door. Unfortunately, it seemed unlikely that I would escape the room without attracting notice.
“Fell in love with?” Daniel said with a nasty little laugh. “Don’t bother. How about a nice new diamond necklace? Will that make up for my unpleasant personality?”
This time, it was Alexandra who moved, her hand slapping across his face with such force that I winced. This was awkward, to say the least.
“I’ve loved you since I met you!” Alexandra shouted in his face. “I do everything I can for you, everything I can to show you my love. And you just throw it back in my face, along with all these expensive presents. I’ve had enough, Daniel!”
She turned and stormed past me, letting the parlour door slam shut behind her. The gust of cold air stirred my skirts around my ankles.
Daniel looked out of the parlour window once again, running his hand through his hair.
“I’m sorry you had to see that, Lily,” he said tightly. “Things have been difficult in recent weeks. Perhaps we should postpone this dinner.”
“I’ll call for the carriage,” I said softly.
Daniel nodded, not turning to face me. I moved to leave the room, but his hand shot out to grip my wrist. He still gazed out of the window, as if his mind had no idea what his body did.
“I loved your mother, Lily,” he said. “I loved her more than I have ever loved anyone or anything else.”
He let go of my wrist, and I half-ran from the room.
Lightning and Storm
I sat in my private parlour, Hemlock curled up in my lap, and I wondered what on earth I should do. No matter what in my life had gone wrong before, I had always had a plan. Often a very foolish plan, granted, but always a plan. But now? I had no idea what to do. How could I confront Daniel about his confession? How could I tell Theo the truth about my mother? Or learn to handle my own magic? The list went on and on.
My life was a mess.
Admittedly, my life had always been something of a mess. But a glamorous mess, at least. Now, I couldn’t even say that.
A low, deep rumble set the silver rattling on my tea table. It seemed that a storm was preparing to break. I looked up at the dark glass of the window, but I failed to summon more than mild interest.
Hemlock, though, was wide awake. She stared up at the ceiling with wide eyes, as if she thought it might collapse on her.
“It’s only thunder,” I said soothingly, stroking her soft fur. “It can’t get you. Go back to sleep.”
But as another thunderclap boomed through the house, Hemlock began to shiver. I stroked her more firmly, feeling helpless. I could not comfort even a kitten.
A knock sounded on the parlour door and a footman stuck his head through.
“More coal, my lady,” he said.
I opened my mouth to reprimand him for appearing in front of the lady of the house. Servants should be invisible. But then I looked at the coal scuttle and realised that it was indeed empty. The last few days had been much colder than expected for this time of year. With a sigh, I waved the man into the room.
Unfortunately, it was at exactly that moment that another peal of thunder boomed through the room, longer and louder than before. Hemlock bolted. She streaked across the floor as fast as her little legs would carry her, and vanished through the open door. I was after her in a second, calling her name as I shoved the footman out of the way. I made it into the corridor just in time to see her tiny tail vanishing through the door that led down to the kitchens.
Calling for the servants to help, I raced after her. Hands grasped for her, but she was too fast and too afraid. She dodged them all.
“Don’t let her outside!” I shouted, as we reached the main kitchen. But I was too late. A gaping scullery maid, half in and half out of the door, did not react in time. Hemlock shot past her skirts and out into the garden.
My little kitten. Outside in the dark, in the storm. I thought I might be sick.
“Idiots!” I screamed at the staff, and ran outside, breathing hard.
Once in the darkness of the garden, I slowed to a walk.
“Hemlock?” I called. “Come back, kitty. It’s safe.”
Lightning split the sky, giving me a second of vision. I could not see my cat anywhere. My heart in my mouth, I edged forwards onto the damp grass as another thunderclap sounded. Where could she be? It was starting to rain now, the drops coming harder and heavier. It hurt to think of Hemlock out here alone, wet and scared. I called her name again, but nothing moved in the darkness of the garden.
Another flash of lightning. But this time I did see something.
A silhouette, poised between me and the house.
The wolf.
The wild beast was in my garden, and I couldn’t find Hemlock.
I knew I mustn’t panic. I mustn’t run. My cat needed protection, and there was no one else to help.
But the wolf leaped, and all my thoughts evaporated. I screamed, losing my balance on the wet grass. My skirts tangled around my ankles as the wind whipped me, and I fell.
My magic lashed out on my behalf, rising to the surface of my skin. In the split second I lay on the sodden ground, I tried to remember what I had read in that book. How could I defeat the wolf?
And then I heard a shout. More lightning flashed across the sky, giving me a second to see Theo, rushing across the grass towards the wolf.
I reined in my magic as forcibly as I could. Theo must never know how close I had come.
The wolf turned. Some distant light reflected off its yellow eyes, so that they were all I saw in the darkness. It began to growl, but the sound was lost in the roll of thunder. Then it was gone.
For a second, I sat motionless on the ground. Then something touched my hand. I screamed, rolling away, but the thing came after me.
“Lily!”
Theo rushed towards me, slipping on the grass. He had almost reached me when the thing touched me again - and I collapsed in hysterical laughter. I reached down and picked up a sodden Hemlock, clutching her to my chest as she mewed piteously.
Theo slumped to his knees beside me and wrapped his arms around me. He pulled me and Hemlock against his chest.
“Let’s get you inside,” he murmured. “You’re shivering.”
I nodded, but couldn’t quite work out how to get back to my feet.
The wolf had been here, in my own garden.
Theo seemed almost to read my words.
“This was too close,” he said, his voice low and angry. “We’ve spent too long thinking, too long passively allowing this wolf to act. It’s time to hunt.”
I gazed up at the faint white shape of his face. The thunder was softer now, as the storm moved on. But even though the weather was calming down, my racing heart would not slow. Once again, the wolf had brought me too close to losing control. I was not safe, and I was certainly not hidden.
What if Theo and his hunters went to track down the wolf, only to find m
e instead?
“I want to help you hunt,” I said, the words rushing out.
“How delightful it will be to have you involved,” a sarcastic voice said.
I looked up to see a glowing circle of light. Delilah, a lantern in her hand, stood on the edge of my terrace, gazing down at us. The arrogant curl of her lip was visible even from here. How long had she been standing there, watching our private moment?
For all I knew that I was safe here, with Theo, I could not stop the prickle of fear as I gazed at Delilah’s face in the near-darkness. She knew something, I was sure. And she would not hesitate to use it.
In The Hunters’ Den
“Ready?” Theo asked.
I stared up at the huge double doors with some trepidation. I’d requested a role in this mission; it was my own choice to visit the witch hunter headquarters. I just hadn’t expected things to be so official. Or so large. No wonder Delilah Carrington wore paste, if this was the kind of money her brother spent on hunting witches.
“I’m ready,” I told Theo.
He shoved the doors open, sending them flying out to the sides. I walked through, almost ready to faint from fear, but determined not to show it. At a huge central table, candles flickering all around them, stood Delilah, Marcus - and Jules Beaumont. How long had he been involved in this? Was this how Delilah knew him? It seemed I was surrounded by witch hunters.
A massive window in the wall beyond would light this room during the day, but now it was the deep red of late sunset. Only four hunters, at least, but my relief was mixed with trepidation. I saw no welcome on any of these faces. Not even Marcus looked pleased to see me.
“We didn’t agree to this,” Jules said, his voice low and heavy. “No outsiders, Theo, especially not on a mission this important. You know that.”
“Lily has a right to be here,” Theo said, but Marcus and Jules were already shaking their heads. Delilah said nothing.
“She’s not the only one targeted by this wolf,” Jules pointed out. I remembered that his own pets had been killed, and flinched at the thought of how close Hemlock had come. I truly was the lucky one here.
But I could not admit to the echo of truth I heard in Jules’ words. I needed to learn these hunters’ secrets; at least, enough to keep myself safe and my own secrets hidden.
“Let me prove my right to be here,” I said, facing the hunters with my head held high.
Delilah scoffed.
“Prove it? There’s nothing you can do. You have no place here.”
I drew in a deep breath. Time to display some of the more arcane elements of my education. Thank goodness I had not worn a corset today, having learnt in Yorkshire that I greatly preferred to go without.
I scanned the room and spotted exactly what I was looking for. A woven training mat, almost entirely shrouded in darkness, lay in one corner. It didn’t look much used, which should suit me perfectly.
“I challenge you to a session on the mat,” I said to Jules. He laughed for a moment, then sobered as he realised how serious I was.
Delilah looked delighted.
“Are you mad?” she asked me. “You’ll ruin your dress. And he won’t hesitate to hurt you.”
“On the contrary,” Jules said, already stripping off his jacket and waistcoat. “I will endeavour to be a perfect gentleman.”
Smiling sweetly, I pulled off my own close-fitting jacket. I made no move to change anything about my voluminous skirts.
When Jules strolled onto the mat with a condescending smile for me, I came to stand in front of him. He sank into a crouch, still smiling. I raised an eyebrow and waited. It was highly amusing to see his arrogance mix with increasing confusion. I imagined that similar expressions graced the faces of the other hunters.
Then Jules lunged, grabbing for my waist as if he intended to force me to the ground. I neatly sidestepped and slipped one hand into my pocket. As he turned to face me in confusion, he brought his feet closer together. I pulled my hand up, aimed, and fired, all in one smooth motion. A thick rubber band wrapped around his ankles with such force that he fell backwards, helplessly tied.
“I think I win,” I said, stepping back off the mat and turning to face our audience with my sweetest smile yet. Theo was shaking his head, but amusement sparkled in his eyes. Delilah, on the other hand, looked furious enough to spit in my face.
“Nothing about that was fair!” she declared. “How was Jules supposed to know you had that… device in your pocket?”
“Why should he assume I was unarmed?” I asked calmly. “And I said nothing about proving my fighting skills, only about proving that I deserve to be here.”
Behind me, Jules began to laugh.
“She’s right, Delilah,” he said. “I may not agree with Theo’s decision to bring her here, but she said nothing about fighting.”
“This is ridiculous,” Delilah snapped. “We’re wasting valuable time. Get her out of here, Theo.”
“She is here, and she has a name,” I retorted. “I can contribute a lot to this operation, and I demand to be involved.”
Delilah rolled her eyes and turned back to the table, ignoring me.
“I vote we give her a chance,” Marcus said, unexpectedly. I turned to him in surprise.
“Seconded,” Jules said from the floor behind me. “As long as I get to keep that… thing.”
I carelessly tossed the band pistol over my shoulder to him. I could make another one in an hour.
“You know my vote,” Theo said. He turned to me. “It seems that you’re an official member of our little company, Lily.”
“This is a bad idea,” Delilah muttered. Silence followed her words. I was uncomfortably aware that, vote or no vote, these people did not quite trust me. It would take more than a clever trick to win them over.
“Let’s start with the map,” Theo said. And then, with an almighty crash, the world around us exploded in a flurry of glass.
Determination
“What the hell just happened?” Marcus shouted, spinning about in place.
Jules, now freed from the rubber band, clambered to his feet and ran to where the window had once stood.
“Wolf!” he shouted, and we all raced to stand beside him. There, in the garden beyond, I had a second to glimpse a bushy grey tail as the beast vanished behind a tree.
“It’s found us already,” Jules said, his voice low.
“But how?” Theo asked. “This place should be safe.”
Something uneasy moved in the depths of my stomach. Had the wolf followed me here?
I had to stop it.
In the few moments before my almost-martial-arts battle, I’d had time to examine the room. So I raced straight for the wall where the weapons hung, and seized the biggest gun I could see. I staggered a little under its weight, but at least I could trust it to take down the wolf. I marched for the door.
“Lily, stop!”
Theo lunged towards me and grabbed my hand, jerking me to a halt.
“Let go of me,” I growled, but his grip didn’t loosen.
“Is Lily the heroine going to face down the wolf all by herself?” Delilah asked, her voice singsong and sickeningly sweet. I glared at her, wishing that my eyes had the power to inflict deadly harm. Perhaps death. Definitely death.
“I don’t appreciate being treated like a child,” I said through gritted teeth. “We need to act. If I’m the only one prepared to hunt down this wolf, then let me go.”
“Don’t be an idiot,” Marcus said, hands on hips. “You think we haven’t gone after it with guns before? They aren’t enough. We need the element of surprise, or we don’t have a chance.”
“Well, you’ve certainly lost that!” I retorted.
“The wolf set all of this up,” Delilah spat. “Are you really so stupid that you’d walk straight into its trap?”
“It’s an oversized dog,” I said, curling my lip. “I doubt it has the sophistication to dream up complex ambush formulations.”
�
�Don’t underestimate it,” Theo said quietly. “This is no ordinary wolf.”
“Is she always this reckless?” Jules asked.
Wonderful. They were back to acting as if I was not even in the room. If I’d made any gains at all with my little martial arts display, it seemed that they were rapidly slipping through my fingers. These people would never respect me.
But under my resentment, a deeper anger burned. They talked about surprise, about traps. But they had a veritable armoury right here in this room. Why would they not act against the wolf, and take the initiative? And, enough to make me scream in frustration, why would they not let me act? I had faced witches before - and won. Whatever they might think of me, I was not some foolish society girl who knew nothing of this darker world.
A knock on the door disturbed me from my thoughts and brought an end to the hunters’ bickering.
“Who’s that?” Marcus asked quietly. “We weren’t expecting anyone else this evening.”
We all glanced at each other nervously. With the window smashed to pieces, and a stranger just beyond the door, I suddenly felt vulnerable. At least I had a rather ridiculously large gun in my hands. That made me feel a little better.
“Lily? Are you in there?”
I was so shocked that I almost dropped the gun.
“Daniel?” I asked the door, rather confused. My guardian should not know where I was, but his voice was unmistakable.
“Open this door now!” he shouted.
Theo looked anxiously at the others for confirmation. I was irritated to see that Delilah gave him the nod he clearly waited for. He unlocked the door and swung it open. Jules snatched the gun from my arms just before Daniel marched into the room.
“Lily Gabriel,” my guardian said, glowering down at me. “This is no fit place for you to spend time.”
He gazed around the room, his glare darkening as he took in all the many details.
“And, I suspect, not fit company,” he added. “Amberson, I’m disappointed in you.”
I could hardly argue with his judgement on the company, not when Delilah was present, but I resented his criticisms all the same.
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