“Abigails can’t hide. And you aren’t hiding, you are protecting yourself. I understand the difference, even if I am still determined to uncover your secret. I can help you, Sadie. If you let me.”
Her hand rose and pressed against her chest, rather than closing around the amulet at her throat as she so often did. Nicholas wondered if the charm he had given her was still in her bodice.
“I don’t need help.”
“You don’t have to need it to accept it.”
Sadie dropped her hand to her lap and cocked her head to the side. “Do you need your mother’s help to find a wife?”
Nicholas narrowed his eyes, knowing exactly where she was going with that question. “It is hardly the same thing. If I were actually looking for a wife—which I’m not—”
“Yes, you’ve made that clear.” She rolled her eyes.
He continued as if he hadn’t heard her. “If I were looking for a wife, I’d accept Mother’s help even though I don’t need it. Her interference is not helpful.” Nicholas glanced over at where his mother and Abigail sat engrossed in conversation. “Though I am quite surprised that she isn’t interfering right this second. She has surely noticed we finished our game by now, yet she hasn’t interrupted to make me divide my time between you and Abigail.”
“I’m not surprised at all.”
Nicholas turned his attention back to Sadie. “What part of your acquaintance with my mother has convinced you that she’d let things play out naturally?”
Sadie waved her hand through the air, a gesture he recognized from how often his mother used it. “The only other potential bride in the room is Abigail. Madeleine knows when to cut her losses. She wants you amenable to marriage, not terrified into hiding in the forest for the rest of the month. The surprising fact is that Abigail herself hasn’t interrupted—I wouldn’t have expected her to even wait for our game to end. Your mother must be telling her some very interesting things to keep her occupied.”
His gaze snapped back to the women on the divan. “Damn it. I recognize that smile. Mother is telling stories about my childhood.”
Sadie twisted around and looked. When she turned back, her brown eyes were bright with amusement. “Given how engrossed Abigail is, your childhood must have been very interesting. But,look on the bright side, you could probably slip away right now without needing to talk to Abigail at all.”
“If I do that, you’ll join them and demand to hear all the most embarrassing stories.”
She smirked. “Don’t worry, I’ll do that even if you don’t make your escape.”
She stood, and he reached for her, not touching but silently asking her to wait. “Sadie, I mean it when I say I want to help.”
She shook her head. “I appreciate the thought, but, just like your mother’s attempts to marry you off, in this case, any interference is not actually helpful.”
Eighteen
???
The second weekof the month started off subdued, with little more than meals on the social schedule for a few days. Then Madeleine declared they would all enjoy a brisk walk to Valway, visit the shops, and dine at the tavern in the village. Sadie considered pleading a headache to get out of it. Few people from Valway visited Ferman’s Exotic Goods, but it wasn’t impossible that a villager would recognize her. Besides, if she stayed at the manor, she’d have the brewing room to herself.
In the end, though, it didn’t take more than a token protest from Pippa to convince her to go. Sadie didn’t want to miss seeing how Nicholas handled himself on this outing with all six—seven, including his mother—women. She allowed Pippa to help her into a walking dress that was nicer than her fine work frocks and went downstairs to meet everyone.
She didn’t trace the glyph on the back of her amulet with water first. If Nicholas was right, and the only way to learn to control her power was to practice using it, then this was the best possible time to get in that practice. She didn’t want to invade anyone’s privacy, but at least with the guests and residents of Marstede, she wouldn’t learn a secret she’d have to pretend not to know every day. Once she left the manor, she’d never see them again.
As she approached the front door, she stretched out her power, which felt more like relaxing her grip than actually exerting effort. Nicholas was right in that at least; using her magic was instinctive. The other night, during the chess game she had cheated her way through, she had discovered that when she purposefully used her power to read one person’s thoughts, it had the side-effect of closing off the other thoughts around her. While she had monitored Nicholas to know how to move her pieces, Madeleine and Abigail’s surface thoughts had stopped intruding on her awareness.
Seeing who was already waiting, Sadie chose to practice her telepathy on Helen. Her thoughts would hopefully be calm and lacking in any secrets. It also meant Sadie didn’t have to hear Lenora’s wish to go home over and over.
I hope Lady Marstede doesn’t ask me to walk with the baron. I haven’t had to talk with him privately since Sadie told him I don’t want to marry him—did Sadie tell him yet? Oh spirits, what if she hasn’t told him? Our parents would both be so happy with the match, but I don’t want to leave Renvale, especially not for Marstede!
An image of open plains and bright sun flashed through her mind, only to be replaced with one of dark woods oozing black mist.
Sadie drew back her power, surprised at how Helen saw the Gloaming Forest. Instead of dappled light and beauty, she saw only shadows and terror. And she was still scared that she’d have to give up her life in Renvale to live in Marstede after marrying Nicholas.
Since she was already breaking all her normal rules, Sadie decided not to ignore what she had heard in Helen’s thoughts. She’d still try to hide her telepathy, but talking to the other woman was completely reasonable. She stepped up to her. “I meant to tell you the other day, but then everything happened,and I completely forgot.” Sadie lowered her voice. “I talked to Nicholas. He promised not to propose to you.”
“He did? Thank the spirits.” Helen bit her lip. “You don’t think he’ll change his mind, do you? Our mothers are friendly and would consider it an excellent match.”
Sadie patted her hand. “Nicholas does not care whom his mother wants him to marry. Though I should warn you, he may try to spend more time with you now that he knows you don’t want to marry him.”
