Madame DuBois shook her head. “My bags are packed, and there’s nothing here to salvage. I’m ready to be off.” She picked up two fabric bags and slinging one over her shoulder and carrying one in her hand, she headed for the door.
“Good luck to ye,” Edna called as she left them.
“What now?” Robert asked, once she was out of sight.
Edna looked around the room. Every single bottle had been broken. There were piles of loose powder everywhere and small puddles of liquid seeping into the dirt floor. It seemed that even the herbs had been stomped into oblivion. Whether it was the neighbors or the authorities, they’d done a thorough job of making anything they found as useless as possible. She continued searching, but finding nothing useful, turned to leave. “There’s naething I can see that would be helpful.”
Robert took her hand and guided her back out the door, being careful to avoid any broken glass. Once outside, he closed the door behind them and offered Edna his arm once again.
“I doona want ye to worry, Robert. I will make everything right for ye and Emilie.” She sounded more sure of herself than she actually felt.
“I believe ye’ll try,” Robert said. It seemed he was being more realistic about her chances than she was.
The walk back to the palace gave Edna plenty of time to think, but other than kidnapping Emilie and taking her and Robert to the future, her mind was blank.
All she would have to do was fool them into joining her and Angus on a bridge, any bridge, and the rest would be easy. In the past she did not always have the permission of those she moved through time but the council let it be known she could no longer employ the methods of the past. To do so may ruin her chances of continuing on in her position. So now she found herself a witch who was somewhat powerless to resolve this situation with witchcraft.
When she’d started out on this journey two people needed her help and now one of them was making a different choice. It had been made clear to her by the council that she was only to help those who sought her help and so for now, she would continue to try to find another way to get through to Emilie. She was more determined than ever now that she’d gotten to know Robert and understood how much he loved Emilie.
10
The beauty of the morning was lost on Edna as she joined Angus for breakfast. She had no appetite to speak of, but she’d sit with him while he ate. “I doona ken how to fix this.” She’d tossed and turned all night long trying to come up with a solution and somehow Angus had managed to sleep through it all.
“Ye’ll think of something. Ye always have,” he assured her as he buttered a thick slice of bread and then topped it with jam.
“Maybe me luck has run out. Maybe it’s time for me to fail.” All these years of helping couples whether they wanted it or not had given her a sense of purpose and a great deal of satisfaction at the results. It troubled her that this may be the one time that love wouldn’t win and there was nothing she could do about it.
Angus looked at her over the rim of his tea cup. “Now, the Edna I ken would never give up.”
He was right. Edna was a fighter and she always fought for the things she believed in. She believed in love and it should be enough for her to win this battle. Edna sighed, resting her head in her hands before looking up at Angus once again.
“It was bad enough when all I had to do was overcome the fact that the Queen Mother had chosen a husband for Emilie and her father had agreed. Now Emilie has given up. She doesnae want to fight it anymore. What can I do about that?”
“Talk to her. She’ll listen to ye.” Angus was the calm voice of reason she needed to hear in that moment. He always had been.
“Something has to happen to change her mind. And then to change Matteo’s mind.” She tapped her fingers on the table as she thought.
Angus set his cup down on the table. “I’ll talk to Matteo again. He’s a bit on the miserly side, ye ken. He’s told me he doesnae really want a wife. He wants his money all to himself. The only reason he’s agreed to this marriage is the dowry he is to receive.”
“That’s it!” Edna practically jumped out of her chair. “The dowry. He willnae want to marry her if she has none.”
Angus put his finger to his lips. Edna recognized this as him urging her to quiet down before everyone around them knew what they were discussing.
“How do ye ken her father dinna already pay the dowry?” Angus asked.
“From the looks of their family home, I cannae imagine he would have any money at all to offer.” The tattered, peeling walls and the general disrepair hadn’t happened overnight. That along with the fact that he’d only retained one servant were all good indications in Edna’s mind.
“And yet, Matteo thinks he is getting a nice sum.” Angus wrinkled his forehead with a frown.
“We’ll have to find out. Do ye think Emilie would ken?” Edna’s hopes were up once again. She could feel the thrill of imminent victory rushing through her body.
Angus shrugged his shoulders. “Ye’ll have to speak with her, but she seemed surprised to find that they had nae money. I’m no’ sure she kens any more than we do.”
Edna thought about it for a moment. “That’s probably true. Willnae Matteo and the Queen Mother be shocked when they find out.” Feeling more sure of things, Edna’s appetite reappeared as she nabbed some cheese from Angus’ plate.
“Would ye like to get a plate of yer own?” Angus asked.
“I think I would.” She grinned as she snuck another small bite of cheese.
