Antonia turned her face to the sunlight that dappled through the few leaves that remained upon the dark limbs and the ground crunched beneath her steps.
She loved being at Nightshade Manor.
It wasn’t the grand house or the gardens, but the seemingly endless forest filled with wildlife. When she had set out on a walk today, she was not certain what she would find as she’d not ventured so far before, but she had had the most amazing and delightful experience. She had encountered animals that she had never expected to see, let alone speak with, and she could not wait to share with her friends.
That was one of her gifts—the ability to talk to animals. Antonia could not start fires, change the weather, transport from one place to another, or even make a garden grow. She talked to and understood animals, reptiles and even fish, if she were to take a swim. She still wasn’t certain what purpose such a gift served, but she had no complaints that it was one she possessed.
Antonia would also much rather spend time with animals than with people anyway. Animals were easy to understand, as were their personalities. People were difficult, if not confusing, and the very reason she was glad the dozens of guests had left Nightshade Manor.
“Did you know that there are wolves in the forest?” Antonia announced to Petra, Maia and Samantha as she entered the parlor where they sat taking tea.
“The forest?” Maia asked in alarm. “You went to the forest? We are not allowed.”
“Your mother granted permission,” Antonia answered. She would have never gone further than the gardens or orchard without asking first because it would have been rude to do so.
“She has never allowed us to go there.” Maia frowned.
“You did say wolves?” Petra asked.
“A wolf, but he says there are others,” Antonia answered.
“Are they not extinct?” Maia asked.
“Everywhere in England except here.” Antonia grinned. She could not believe that she’d met an actual wolf. She’d seen drawings, but never thought to encounter one, especially since they had been hunted to extinction over a century ago.
“Where did they come from?” Petra asked.
Antonia settled on a stool. “Amarok, a grey wolf, greeted me in the forest with a growl. He feared me until we spoke.” She sighed. “He told me how several packs, though small in number because of the hunters, had fled the north, only to be stopped in Cornwall because of the sea.” She still got chills from the experience. “A witch, who was married to a Drakos, had a gift similar to mine and when he explained their plight, she allowed them onto the estate where they would be protected. The Drakos husband purchased the neighboring estate, which is several acres, and let it fall to ruin so that the forest and flowers could reclaim it.” Oh, how she would like to venture further. “Amarok told me that no humans were supposed to visit the forest because it was a home for the animals, and they feared hunters.”
“That must be why we were never allowed to venture so far,” Petra offered. “I had assumed the rule was in place when we were children because our parents feared that we’d get lost. After I was older, I never thought much about going there.”
“Supposedly there is a large stone house, not that I saw it.” Though Antonia would have liked to. It would be a perfect place to live—alone in the forest.
“Sometimes I think you like animals more than people,” Samantha complained.
“I do,” Antonia answered honestly. “Though if Amarok was a man instead of a wolf, I could change my mind.” She laughed at the absurdity. The wolf had charmed her, but it was Chedworth that she wished would do the charming.
Her three friends frowned.
“His personality was kind, understanding and he didn’t treat me as an inferior. I had no fear of tripping over my words or embarrassing myself while we spoke. Such a gentleman does not exist in England. They are as extinct as wolves are in the rest of the country.”
“It is a shame that you could not turn him into a man then you’d have your perfect husband,” Maia laughed.
“He did ask me to do so,” Antonia said, even though she would never do such. “But only for a day so he could know what it was like to be human.”
“I wonder if there is a spell for such?” Petra asked. “To turn an animal into a human.”
“Then we could all find a perfect husband,” Samantha laughed. “There are certainly none in Society.”
“While all that sounds fun, it would likely not work out as we hoped.” Antonia sighed. “Besides, I have been warned against upsetting the balance of nature.” Nor would she ever consider changing man nor animal, just as she knew that her friends were not serious about the prospect either.
“Have you ever even tried?” Maia asked.
“No. Animals trust me, and I trust them. If I go about changing them, then the trust will be lost.”
“Is there even a spell?” Petra asked.
Antonia shrugged. “I have no idea, but even if there were, I would not cast such.”
