“It’s just good common sense,” I agreed.
“Second, not all witches are bad.”
“Probably most aren’t. Women are always demonized.”
“Very true,” he agreed. “And then, of course, there’s the third thing we learned.”
“What’s that?”
“When you care about someone, you should tell them while you are alone and have plenty of opportunities to put your hands all over each other. Not after the two of you have rescued her father andespeciallywhen that father has already kicked you out of the house for putting your hands on his daughter, so now he’s watching you like a hawk, and you don’t know if you’ll ever get the chance to even so much as enjoy a chaste kiss.”
“Is that so?”
“Brutal lesson to learn.”
“Not too late, you know. For that last part.”
“Is it not?” he said, sounding hopeful.
“Unless you’re too... rickety.”
“For that? I’d have to be dead, banshee.” He warily glanced behind us, and when he turned back around, I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him.
Just a chaste one. At least, it started that way. Then he curled a warm hand around the back of my neck and pulled me closer. Andthatkiss was achingly, dizzyingly thorough. Much too long for a public train platform. We both realized that at the same time when the train whistle blew.
“Probably should”—he cleared his throat and glanced around—“finish that later.”
I nodded quickly. Later sounded good. Yet it was hard to make plans when you didn’t know where you’d be in a week. Because we were going to Paris now, to stay with Jean-Bernard and recuperate. After that it was anyone’s guess. Back to New York? Drop Huck off in Ireland? Father hadn’t decided, and I hadn’t reminded him of the threat I’d made when we were locked up in that horrible cavern. No need. He hadn’t forgotten. I could tell by the way he avoided my eyes.
Speak of the devil...
Behind Huck, I caught sight of my father limping down the platform. His broken arm had been set in a cast in the hospital. It hung against his chest now inside a black sling, and the pain of it along with his sore, hobbled knee made him grumpy. He’d be fun on the train, I could already tell.
And unfortunately for everyone unlucky enough to be assigned to our sleeper car, Father had acquired a Turkish meerschaum pipe when he and Huck were in Tokat—a carved, curving monstrosity that he now cupped in one hand, trailing sweet smoke over the platform when he gestured.
“There you both are. Everyone ready?” he asked in his big, booming voice. “Tickets. Money. Luggage. Anything else?”
“Think that’s it,” I said.
He glanced down at me and made a face. “Good Lord, Theodora. That black eye is awful-looking in this light. You look like a strung-out panda bear who stuck its hand into a wood chipper.”
“Better than looking like a bear who fell out of a tree and broke its arm trying to get to a beehive,” I said.
Father snorted to himself, looking down at me with merry eyes, and then leaned his cast toward me. “Under my arm. Take it.”
I tugged out a slim book. Not a book. A blank journal. Black leather stamped with Romania’s coat of arms. I juggled it on my bandaged hand so that I could poke inside to be sure. “What’s this for?”
“Got it in the gift shop. Every traveler needs a journal. If you don’t write down what you’ve seen, you’ll never remember it.” He gestured loosely with his pipe. “Or you’ll need a rescue and no one will come, because they haven’t cracked your secret code.”
I smiled up at him, a little wary. Heart racing a little too fast. Maybe that was just the painkilling drug. “Travel journal,” I said.
“That’s right,” he said. He glanced at Huck. “Don’t look at me like a wounded puppy. I didn’t get you one because you hate writing. Like pulling teeth to get you to leave a goddamn note on the refrigerator.”
Huck shrugged. “I’m better at talking than writing. Then people can get the full breadth of my charm and dazzling good looks,” he said, gesturing around his face. “All this is wasted on paper.”
Father rolled his eyes, but not unkindly. It was nice to see them joking together. Maybe too nice. I didn’t want to get my hopes up only to have them crushed again.
“Father?” I asked.
