“Stay there, Miss Sederey,” he called out.
When he reached her a while later, internally cursing at the slow nature of the spell and the length of Main Street, she gave him a shy smile.
“Thank yousomuch, Omnimancer.”
“Are you going to the general store?”
She hesitated. “Yes, but I’d intended to come see you first.”
That couldn’t be good. “Has the calf or its mother taken a bad turn?”
“Oh, no,” she said, her smile filling out, dimpling her cheeks. “As healthy as you please, thanks to you. No, it’s my ankle. I … I seem to have twisted it.”
“On the way here?”
She shook her head. “On the farm.”
And then shewalkedall the way here—in icy slush? The Sedereys obviously had his telephone number because Mr. Sederey had called to ask for the aphid help, and besides—everyone in town had his telephone number.
“Well, come with me to the house,” he said. “I’ll take a look.”
And then he would talk to Beatrix.
But Croft shook his head. “No, no. My store’s much closer, and you need to go there anyway, Miss Sederey. Come along.”
It was perfectly reasonable. Just as getting Miss Sederey in the first place, and leaving the house with Croft, was reasonable. Still, Peter began to suspect a setup.
Miss Sederey looked at him, blue eyes projecting vulnerable innocence. “If I … if I could just have a bit of help getting there?”
He offered his arm to the girl who had walked half a mile under her own power but wanted assistance for the remaining hundred feet. Croft let them into the general store, and Miss Sederey limped to a chair in the adjoining office. Peter kneeled to examine the ankle.
“The left?” he asked.
She had to think about it, the faker. What had Beatrix promised her in exchange for this act?
“Yes,” she said. “It’sverypainful. You will be careful, Omnimancer?”
“I promise this won’t hurt,” he said dryly. “Would you like to remove the shoe or should I?”
“Oh,” she said, cheeks pinking. “If you would, please …”
It reached about an inch above the ankle, a porcelain-button boot with a narrow heel that had to be just about the worst choice for slippery walking conditions. When he got itoff her foot, he cast a diagnostic spell that would indicate if something was wrong.
“Oh,” Miss Sederey said, staring at the green glow lighting up her ankle. “What is that doing?”
Telling him that nothing at all was amiss, not counting her misuse of the truth. He decided to return the favor.
“It’s a spell to heal sprains,” he said. “Can’t you feel it working?”
Her eyes widened and she bobbed her head up and down enthusiastically. “Oh,yes. My goodness, yes.”
He smothered a laugh and stood, intent on finishing the rest of the sidewalk as quickly as possible. But Croft interceded again.
“Miss Sederey shouldn’t walk home, and I need to mind the store,” the mayor said. “Could you take her when she’s done shopping, Omnimancer?”
Oh, comeon. He thought of arguing that Miss Sederey’s “sprain” had been miraculously fixed and she could safely walk anywhere, but the silver lining occurred to him.
“I’ll go fetch the car,” he said. “Take your time.”
