“Um.” He pulled at his collar, looking everywhere but at her. Debbie, perched on her skull of violets, fluttered her wings and muttered,“Never mind,”rather ominously, but Mr. Grimm shot her a quick glance and shook his head. “Well, you see . . .”
“It’s all right,” Luna assured him. “I’m not judging. Not by any means! But I should probably know in case . . .” Now it was her turn for her voice to trail away.
Mr. Grimm looked at her from beneath his worried brow. “In what case, Miss Talbot?”
She chewed the inside of her cheek. “In case a wardsman shows up.”
“Ah.”
He had to understand, of course. She’d had too many close calls as it was. It wasn’t just the prospect of imprisonment—though that was chilling in its own right—but if she were to beincarcerated, how could she manage to stay one step ahead of . . . well . . .
As though on queue, the shop bells began to ring.
Luna turned, a polite greeting on her lips, only for her heart to drop like a stone in her gut. “Speak of the devil!” she gasped.
None other than a wardsman had just stepped inside.
He wore an officer’s uniform of pea green, double-breasted and fitted all over with many bright gold buttons and buckles. His boots were up to the knee, his firearm worn at the hip, and he removed a hat from his head as he ducked through the door, for otherwise he risked losing it to the lintel. He was shockingly tall. And broad enough that the shoulder seams of his uniform strained to contain his magnificent masculinity. His hair was black as a raven’s wing, clipped neatly short save for a boyish curl that insisted on drooping over his brow. His jaw might have been carved from granite, so hard, so firm with resolve. Eyes like a cat’s, green and quick, scanned the displays of blossoms before him, as though expecting law-breakers to spring out any moment from behind each pot and petal.
Luna’s mouth dropped open. In all her life, back in the sleepy little town of Greater Snoring, not once had she encountered a man of such impressive physical proportions. But in that moment, the glory of his person wasn’t her first concern.
She exchanged a look with Mr. Grimm. Mr. Grimm’s gaze flashed down to her wrist, and Luna hastily put both hands behind her back. “I’ll um . . . I’ll handle this, shall I?” she said.
“Miss Talbot, wait—” Mr. Grimm began.
But she was already stepping out from behind the counter and hastening between the potted hydrangeas. “May I help you with anything, sir?” she asked brightly, determined to keep any quaver from her voice.
The wardsman turned from inspecting the double-delight rose, his mouth open to speak. He stopped, however. Andhis gaze ran swiftly down Luna’s figure then back up again. His eyebrows rose in mute surprise. It was such an obviously admiring gaze, and Luna couldn’t help the pleasant flush of warmth flooding her cheeks. She’d beenlooked atbefore, of course. But never by so extraordinary a specimen of manhood.
“Good morning, miss,” the wardsman said and, reaching into the front of his jacket, withdrew a badge, which he flashed her way: two swords, crossed over a rather bug-eyed seagull, the emblem of the local law enforcement. “Officer Ward. I’m with the Ballycastle SSSD.”
“SSSD?” Luna echoed.
“Special Sorcery Suppression Department.”
That pleasant flush vanished, replaced by a knot of tension in Luna’s gut. She kept her voice cool, even as the fingers of her right hand squeezed her left wrist a little tighter. “Oh? And has there been any sorcerous activity on Addle Street?”
“None of which I’m aware,” the wardsman answered with a grin which might, under other circumstances, have made her toes feel funny. “Unless you know of something worth reporting?”
Luna shook her head.
“Glad to hear it.” The wardsman cast his eyes over the shop once more. “I’ve been on the tail of an elusive magical practitioner, who’s been dealing in enchanted face creams. It was all innocent enough at first—blemish corrections and so forth. But it’s gone far beyond that, and now we’re having instances of face-swapping and impersonations.”
“Goodness!” Luna exclaimed.
“Wickedness, you mean.” Officer Ward winked, then schooled his face into sterner lines. “Dark sorcery of the blackest nature, you know. But you needn’t fear! The SSSD is on the lookout and will protect Ballycastle at whatever cost.”
Luna chewed her lips and swallowed. She’d not had the money to indulge in even ordinary face creams for months, much less anything black market. But thoughts of that enchanted shampoo upstairs in Mr. Grimm’s bathroom flashed through her brain. Was there a chance he could be mixed up in this somehow?
“Um, and what could that possibly have to do with um, this flower shop?” she asked, hoping Officer Ward couldn’t hear how her heart pounded in her ears.
“The key ingredient to the cream in question isfayfaneblossoms,” Officer Ward replied. “A magic-infused flower, sourced directly from Fairyland. Someone’s been supplying this sorcerer, and I’m trying to figure out who.”
“Oh. I see.” Luna glanced around the shop again. Despite the magical influence in the atmosphere, she’d not seen any overtly enchanted flowers. She cast a look toward Mr. Grimm, but he was once more pretending to be very busy with his logbooks at the counter and wouldn’t catch her eye. “Well,” Luna said, facing the wardsman again, “you’re welcome to have a look around the shop. We only just opened a few days ago, and we certainly haven’t sold any magical blooms.”
“Thank you, miss.” Officer Ward offered a polite nod. “I’ll have a looksee regardless.”
With that he strolled down the aisle. Luna couldn’t help wondering if he seemed so enormous simply because of the confines of the shop, or if he would appear equally gigantic out in the street. He moved gracefully, however, for a man of his size. The dahlias sighed a little louder as he passed, and she could almost swear she heard the tiger lilies purring, actuallypurring. The little traitors.
