Cassia felt a pent-up breath escape her. She realized then how her heart worked hard inside her, only competing with her nerves. Why did she feel this way towards a man she had harbored so many harsh feelings toward? Those feelings seemed to have dissipated, slowly, and she only now realized it.
Chapter Thirteen
“He was so amiable!”said Mrs. Gareth the next morning as they breakfasted at The Rose and Crown. “I remember hearing of his pretentious bearing and dry tone, but he wasn’t at all condescending! And to invite us to dine! It must be because of you, Cassia.”
Cassia ducked her head to hide her blush.
“Well,” said Mr. Gareth, “if we are going to visit your old schoolmate, my dear, we ought to be going so we are back in time for lunch.”
“Oh, yes,” said her aunt, moving to the door. “Enjoy your letters.”
Cassia nodded. Two letters had come from Gynelle and she wanted nothing more than to read them. What she didn’t tell her aunt, though, was that she planned on doing so in the Pemberley woods. High Mage Darkwood would surely be busy all morning, and it would be the perfect time to explore them alone.
The edge of Darkwood’s property was not more than a three-minute walk from the Rose and Crown. Immediately Cassia set out, tucking the notes in her dress.
The forests here were more mossy than those of Hertfordshire, or even Rosings. The air felt damp, especially with the heat, and the dappled light falling through the trees made for a magical effect. Almost like something one would read in a fairytale, but Cassia suspected real magic lay here.
The first note told of Gynelle’s general doings, her father’s despondency at Cassia’s absence, the antics of Mr. and Mrs. Gareth’s three small boys, etc. The second one, however, was just a forwarded letter of Alyria’s.
Gynelle,
I am so sorry you are stuck at home. How droll! And tending to children too! How awful. I myself have little time to write. But this I thought you would find amusing. We spend nearly all our time here with Lieutenant Deston and Lieutenant Malum, such a jovial set they are! Mistress Reginia didn’t keep our dear friend in London, and he is back with the regiment! He cares nothing for her. Did you know, Malum made good friends with Master Clovis during their time in Hertfordshire? Apparently Clovis’ truffles are truly quite renowned and Malum is having them shipped here. I’ll let you know what they taste like when they come.
Hope you aren’t too bored, write soon,
Alyria
A small postscript was included from Gynelle.
Alyria will be fine with the regiment, right? I thought it liberal of Father to let her go. Should we be worried?
This was disconcerting. Even the optimistic Gynelle could see the negative effect of Alyria’s endless flirting. Cassia shuddered. Perhaps she should have told Alyria and Gynelle about Lieutenant Malum’s bad conduct. She would write a letter tonight to send in the morning’s post, warning Alyria to stay away from Lieutenant Malum. If she felt light enough, she might also warn her sister of the truffles. They had been nothing but sour at Rosings.
Cassia now found herself deep in the woods, having rambled farther during the letter than she realized. Then, from nowhere, the ground shook beneath her. She stepped back and whirled around.
Whatwasthat? She turned on herself again, but no other sounds, nor creature, nor person was in view. She stepped the same way again. Another burst shot through her. It didn’t hurt, it was almost as if it energized her.
She tucked the letters away. What was happening? She tried to pay attention to the feeling deep within her. It was increasing. Could she be gaining more power? Was it possible that this wood could imbue her with magic?
She didn’t know where to start, but some kind of intuition told her to splay her hands. She closed her eyes. Not knowing what else to say, she whispered “out.” She opened her eyes to what she thought was a soft quiver of something coming from her fingertips.
“Hmmm,” she said, turning her hands over. “What can these fingers do?”
She stepped again over the same spot, and she felt a burst surge through her. She closed her eyes again. She remembered her childhood. This time she said, “away” and a bigger stream of something, not visible, felt like it left her hands.
She wanted to attempt to move something or make something rise. She tried focusing on a fallen log in front of her. Taking a swallow, she narrowed her gaze to one knob on the bark.
Then, from behind her, she heard a snapping noise. All concentration fled, and she whipped around.
In the far shadows she saw a man in a dark jacket. Scared, she backed up. She wasn’t entirely sure which way was out, but she gathered her skirts in preparation to run.
“Wait,” called the voice. He sped up toward her. “Miss Cassia, please.”
The only possible person who could know her name in those trees was High Mage Darkwood.
She stopped, feeling caught, and recognized him. He came rushing to her.
“I am sorry to startle you, though I must admit I’ve been watching you for a few moments.” His face looked down. “I know eavesdropping is not proper, but I could feel magic coming from these woods. I thought it was Ember, so I left my ledger and came directly.” He spoke quickly and his voice lacked his usual sedateness.
