“It’s summer out there. Be sure to wear light clothing for the ceremony. Otherwise you’ll have a heat stroke.”
Chelsea brushes crumbs from her mouth. “Summer?”
I grin. “With no humidity.”
“Sounds like heaven.”
“It is.” I nibble my bottom lip. “But back to the balls?—”
“Addie, can we please get through my mama’s funeral before we start talking about those?” Ovie snaps.
Shame floods my cheeks at her scolding. “Yes, of course. You’re right. I’m sorry. I don’t know what got into me.”
“Love’s what’s gotten into you,” Chelsea announces, her voice sparkling with delight.
“Yeah, I guess so,” I murmur as I stuff a cookie into my mouth.
Blair just watches me. Her dark eyes are loaded with suspicion. She knows I’m lying, that something’s off.
“Just because you had that weird magic happen doesn’tmean you have to marry him,” she murmurs. “How well do you even know him?”
Not at all.“That’s why we’re taking our time with the engagement.”
She doesn’t look convinced. “Ovie, is there any way to break the spell?”
“It’s fae magic. When I poked at it, I couldn’t feel where it began or where it ended.” She shakes her head. “Only a fae can break it.”
My sister frowns. “Addie, are you sure about this?”
I force a smile. “As sure of it as I can be.”
Ovie brushes crumbs from her hands and rises. “Girls, we need to get going.”
My stomach falls. “You’re leaving?”
“I’m afraid so. We only wanted to bring the dress and see how you’re doing.” I hug each of them, Ovie last. “If you need anything, let us know.” She holds me at arm’s length, studying me. “Be careful, Addie. Here. I brought your cell phone.”
Tears spring to my eyes as she shoves the cell and charger into my hands. “Thank you. Now I’m not cut off from the world.”
“No, you’re not.”
I escort them to the front door, which isn’t far away, thank goodness. The last thing I need is for my family to see me stub my toe on an invisible wall.
They leave and I take the hatbox up to my room, where I settle it on a table and pull out the dress. It’s beautiful—emerald-green tulle with small flowers stitched on the skirt. The bodice is a fitted corset, shaped with bone, and the sleeves are made of more translucent tulle, flowy and relaxed. It’s a gorgeous gown.
I hang it up and move to close the box when I spy something peeking out from under a slip of tissue paper.
“What’s this?”
The round object’s covered in multicolored beads that are glued to the top and bottom. There’s a lip on one edge, and I open it to find a mirror.
A smiling face stares back at me. “Hello, Addie.”
I grin. “Why hey there, Elmore.”
14
FEYLIN
