“I cannot be with her at midnight, if it does not work tonight,” he reminded them. “it is when my changes occur. What if I become a danger?”
“We will keep watch,” his mother answered.
Philip didn’t want anyone watching him, and likely Lady Antonia did not want that either, but they had little choice.
Lady Antonia set her tea aside. “I will gather my candles and crystals and meet you in the garden.”
“We can help,” Petra offered.
“Thank you, but I will need the silence to prepare.”
By silence, Lady Antonia meant that she needed to be away from the emotions of others. But he needed to apologize.
“I do not blame you,” he said just as she reached the stairs.
She turned and stared into his eyes. “Yes, you do, but no longer fully.”
“I should not have been lurking in the shadows.”
“I should have been careful in my reading,” she admitted. “I will see it reversed,” she promised. “I will do my best to find the answers.”
“I know.” As he studied her face, Philip noted light circles beneath her eyes that had not been there earlier. “I am more concerned that you should rest. From what you have told me, today should have exhausted you.”
“I do not have the luxury of doing so. We are short on time, and it is not as if I need to gain my strength to prepare for a ball. Emotions have settled within the house.” She looked into his eyes. “And in you.”
“I am not accepting of this,” he quickly offered.
“I am aware, but the newness, anger, anxiety, and alarm has settled. The strongest of emotions are gone…except fear.”
“Nightshade Manor is full of witches. I am confident a spell will be found.”
“Yes, but I am the witch who started it, and I will need to be the one to reverse it.”
“I will await you in the garden, Lady Antonia.”
She offered a grateful smile then rushed up the stairs.
When Philip stepped out onto the terrace, his mother followed.
“You have shown great concern for Lady Antonia given that she is the cause,” she observed.
“As you said, I was the one who put myself there.”
“You care for her.” She stared into his eyes.
This was not a conversation that he was ready to have with anyone. A few days ago, he had wanted to court Antonia, but if he were to become a werewolf, was it fair of him to pursue anyone. Who would want to be married to a wolf and what of children. Would they be pups? What if he was never a man again? That made marriage and certainly children impossible to attain. It would also make his younger brother, Simon, the heir.
Philip may have decided that if he was never a man again that he would force Lady Antonia to remain just so he would have someone to talk to, but that would be too cruel.
“Please do not attempt to match me to Lady Antonia. We both have far more serious matters to concern ourselves with.”
She studied him a moment longer before nodding. “We shall discuss the matter after the full moon.”
At least it gave him twelve days before she’d be questioning him about his future again.
Antonia quieted her own mind and focused all thoughts on the spell that she would need to cast. She often attempted to prepare herself by shutting out others but had never been successful for long. At least not in large crowds. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so difficult in the gardens, outside, with only Lord Chedworth present.
Besides, she could benefit from the heightened magic that filled the circle from decades of witches who had used the place for spells or ceremonies.
