Safer to insist she had none.
She stayed on the edge of the room while Nicholas crossed to the divan and handed Lenora the mug of tea. Madeleine made her way to Sadie’s side. “Is everything all right?”
Damn it, she must not have schooled her expression as well as she had thought. She shrugged, trying to relax. “I’m not the one who had a scare.”
“No, but you are the one dealing with my son.” Madeleine lowered her voice, “I gather he hasn’t accepted our story of your origins as readily as I had anticipated.”
Sadie found herself grinning. “He doesn’t believe that story at all, but that’s fine. I can handle him.”
When it came to the dowager’s lies, Sadie had no worries. It was only her own lies that scared her.
“Yes, I do believe you can.” Madeleine nodded once, then moved off toward the divan.
Sadie glanced that direction, unsurprised to see that Nicholas had moved aside as soon as he had delivered the tea. Lenora had her hands wrapped around the mug, as though she needed the heat, despite the warm temperature. She looked calmer already, though, and Sadie allowed herself a moment of pride that her efforts with the tea had helped.
Then Abigail looked across the room, directly at Sadie, and glared. Her thoughts came unbidden, harsh and clearly directed at Sadie, though Abigail couldn’t know they’d be heard.She had to go and make something to help Lenora, didn’t she? Now Lenora is calming down and won’t want to leave before the month is up. And she had to lure Nicholas out of the room right as I was showing how sweet I can be, comforting stupid Lenora.
Sadie reminded herself that people were allowed to think what they would never say aloud without deserving judgment. It was a rule she had established for herself years ago. Not one she always managed to implement faithfully, but still something she tried to live by. It was as much for her own benefit as theirs, too.
If she judged people based on their private thoughts, then she was more likely to betray she heard those thoughts. It wasbest to pretend she never even heard them—and to trace the glyph on her amulet as often as possible to reduce the risk of hearing them. Of course, this time, it hadn’t taken her telepathy to ruin things. Sadie had managed that quite well on her own, by adding a little magic to Lenora’s tea.
When Abigail looked away, and therefore no one was watching Sadie, she slipped out of the room. She needed space. Time. A chance to think without others’ thoughts mixing in with her own.
She had agreed to stay at Marstede because she could treat it as an exception to her rules. She should have known better. She should have remembered to always heed her grandmother’s advice.
Live in the present. Learn from the past. Plan for the future.
She had decided not to plan for the future because her future wasn’t here. But Lamsdel was in Marstede lands, and the lord of those lands now suspected she was a witch. Sadie had to decide how risky it was to remain at the manor now that she had betrayed her water-affinity. She had learned from the past that hiding her magic altogether was the safest route. Letting out a sliver of the truth always led to the discovery of all her secrets.
Sadie had made it halfway down the hall when the parlor door opened and closed once more. She glanced back, but it wasn’t Nicholas following her.
And she wasn’t disappointed about that. She didn’t want to face him until she had a chance to think through everything.
She didn’t.
Helen stood in front of the door for a moment, as if unsure which direction to turn. Her thoughts poured out in a wave.I don’t want to live here! How can the dowager stand to be so close to a haunted forest?
With an internal sigh, Sadie walked back the way she had come and put an arm around Helen’s shoulders. “Come on, I’llmake you a mug of tea, too. I bet you could use it after sitting with Lenora like that.”
“How are you so calm?” Helen asked, letting Sadie steer her toward the kitchen. “Doesn’t it worry you that Lenora was attacked?”
“A bat isn’t really that dangerous, and the situation is completely out of the ordinary.”
“That is worse. Whatever spirit haunts the forest must have driven the bat out.” Helen studied Sadie for a moment. “Does it really not bother you that you’d be stuck here if you marry Lord Marstede?”
“Honestly? I don’t think Nicholas plans to marry any of us. That is Madeleine’s wish, not his. But even if he did propose, you don’t have to accept, Helen.”
“I couldn’t refuse!”
“Then tell Nicholas not to propose to you.”
“I couldn’t.”
Sadie sighed. Ladies couldn’t do a lot of things, it seemed. “Do you want me to tell him for you?”
“You’d do that?”
“I would.” In fact, Sadie anticipated taking great pleasure in making the report.
