The arch of his mother’s brow spoke volumes.
Nicholas cursed. “When did she leave?”
“Just after sunrise. The carriage that dropped her and Pippa off in Lamsdel is already back.”
“I’ll go now.” Forget about all the times Nicholas had thought Lamsdel wasn’t so far away. When he was in the manor and Sadie was in the village, it was an eternity away. He wanted Sadie here. With him.
“Nicky, dear?” His mother said softly before he left the breakfast room yet again.
He made himself pause. If his mother wanted to offer advice, he would listen. “Yes?”
“Just because she’s a telepath doesn’t mean she won’t miss things. If you want her to know how you feel, you need to say the words aloud.”
“Don’t worry, Mother, I’ll be telling Sadie many things.”
Thirty-Seven
???
The ride toLamsdel was tense. Pippa was still mad, and Sadie already missed Nicholas. She should have woken him for one last kiss, but she had thought saying goodbye would be even harder than just leaving.
The carriage pulled to a stop in front of the building where Sadie and Pippa shared rooms, and a groom carried their bags upstairs. After he dropped them off and left, Sadie moved to the chest at the foot of her bed. She threw it open and began pulling her few possessions out. She was wearing one of her two good dresses; the other was in the bag the groom had brought up.
“What are you doing?”
Sadie looked over at Pippa. “Packing. I’ll be out of your way by this evening.”
She might have to spend the night in Valway. She wasn’t sure she could make it farther since she still needed to visit Ferman’s to get her final pay packet and the general store to get a few other items for the journey. But better to spend the night in Valway than remain longer in Lamsdel.
“Out of my way? You’re leaving?” Pippa pulled Sadie away from her small pile of clothes. “Do you mean you are going back to Marstede after you pack?”
Sadie shook her head. “No. I’m leaving the area entirely. You won’t have to worry about me or my power.”
“Is that what you think I’ve been doing?”
Sadie stopped and sat down on the foot of the bed. “Isn’t it?”
“No! I told you, Sadie, I was hurt that you hadn’t trusted me. The only reason I’ve been avoiding you is because I knew if I wasn’t careful I’d say something unforgivable about it. I needed time to get over the hurt. I haven’t been avoiding you because you are a telepath. I’m not going to tell anyone you are a telepath, and I don’t actually care that you are a telepath.” Pippa propped her hands on her hips. “I mean, really, as if it weren’t obvious that you don’t go rummaging through my thoughts before, it certainly is now, since you are so entirely wrong about what I’ve been thinking.”
“But—”
“No buts. Sadie, I don’t want you to leave. You’re still you. Still my best friend. Spirits, if it weren’t for the fact that you are terrified of admitting you are a witch, I’d be begging you to open a potion shop with me. Lady Marstede gave me a bonus for the month, and I can finally afford to start my own shop—if I had any idea what I’d sell.”
Their own potion shop. The thought sent a pang of wistfulness through Sadie. But in such a small village, there would be no way of hiding that she was the one making the potions, and then the inevitable questions would come. Surely by now, Sadie had used up all her luck with finding people willing to either not ask about her power or accept it.
“I wish I could, Pip.”
Pippa sat on the bed next to her. “Hear me out. I haven’t just been brooding this whole time. I’ve been thinking about this. I’d run the shop. You’d just make the potions. You wouldn’t even have to be in Lamsdel, since Marstede Manor has a brewing room. And maybe people would start to ask what your power is, but you don’t have to tell them. And if you aren’t living in Lamsdel, people won’t be able to pester you.”
Sadie frowned. “You do want me to leave.”
“No! But it’s not like you’ll stay here once you are the Baroness of Marstede.”
“Pip, I’m not marrying Nicholas.”
Pippa crossed her arms. “Why not?”
“Because he doesn’t want to marry. That was the whole point behind this past month. He’d let his mother play her games, and in exchange she’d stop pestering him to marry for two years.”
