“I need to make restitution for my parents. I need to tell the people the truth and save your father and everyone who’s sick with Moonrot.” I tipped my face toward the sky, letting the drifting snow land on my skin and cool the raging emotions inside of me. “There has to be a way.”
“But how do we find it? We’ve hit another dead end.” Lizzy’s voice was filled with frustration. “Everything we attempted has never worked.”
That wasn’t quite right. “I received a text from Charles about an unconventional remedy that he’d tried with Jane. She’d offered your father a tonic, and Charles used his healing power. It temporarily improved Mr. Bennet.”
“Yes, but it was only that—temporary.”
It was possible they’d been on the correct course. “Everything you’ve tried other than that has either been one or the other, right? A fae remedy or a witch remedy?”
“Right,” she said, her face lighting up a little. “But what Charles and Jane did was different. They united magic that isn’t usually combined.”
“If the curse went out to the pure-blood fae as a consequence because my parents tried to steal the magic of other races,” I said slowly, the idea taking hold in my mind. “What if the magic of the other races, combined into one remedy, heals those with Moonrot?”
Lizzy looked thoughtful. “That could be worth trying. It’s certainly not a method we or anyone would have attempted.”
I gave her a gentle smile. “Then how about we try something new?”
Chapter 13
Bythetimewemade it to Cupid’s Confections, it was getting dark.
“Mary usually reads in the front room,” Lizzy said. “If we tell her, we’re going to have to tell her everything.” She glanced at me, searching for how I felt.
“We can share with her who I am. Hiding things won’t help us find the cure.”
She nodded and led me around to the side and through an entrance into their main living area. Glass jars filled with rose petals and soft pink candles lined the wooden coffee table. Their warm glow cast heart-shaped shadows as they flickered gently. The cinnamon candles mingled their scent with hints of vanilla. Other than that, the room appeared mostly the same as when I was here last.
True to form, Mary sat on a large sofa, curled up, reading a book.
“Hey Mary,” Lizzy said. “We have to talk to you.”
She raised her hands. “I had nothing to do with the poor matchmaking skills of our family. I told them that you wouldn’t like it and that I wanted no part of it.”
“No, it’s not about that.” Lizzy shifted. “We want your help with something. We may be close to finding a cure for Dad.”
“Really?” Mary closed her book. “Tell me.”
So we did. We told her everything about me, my parents’ deaths, my uncle, and Moonrot. Afterward, Mary sat in shock. “Wow… that’s a lot.”
“Yeah,” Lizzy said. “We just found out most of it.”
Her brows drew together as she eyed me. “Are you okay?”
No. My life had shattered, and I’d ruined every possibility with the sole individual I believed could help me through it. “Can you assist us? We think that if we combine the magic of different magical races into one remedy, we might cure Moonrot.” Which is why we came to Mary. According to Lizzy, not only did she have experience mixing different magic together, but she knew where to find werewolves and vampires who could aid us.
“I don’t know,” Mary said, pushing her glasses up on her nose. “Experimenting is what caused the curse. What if we did the same and made something worse?”
“And what if we came up with something that healed everyone?” Lizzy took Mary’s hand, swallowing once before adding, “Father is close to dying, anyway. I don’t think there’s much we can do to make it worse.”
Sadness filled Mary’s eyes at Lizzy’s mention of their dad.
“You’re the one in the family with the most experience in mixing magic,” Lizzy pressed. “Surely together we can create something?”
Mary nibbled her lip while looking at her hands, contemplating.
Kitty burst into the room, heading straight toward them and not even noticing me standing off to the side. “Mary, Lizzy,have you heard the news? Everyone around town is saying that Darcy is the prince. Someone at the airport saw him with his uncle, the king regent, and people are saying that Darcy has been disguising himself with a glamour this entire—”
I cleared my throat, and Kitty spun to face me.
