Sadie shrugged. “You’re the only one here, and I want to practice controlling my telepathy, so I probably shouldn’t hide inside your protections.”
It was more comfortable for her, then. He wouldn’t dismiss her determination to master her power; in the long-term it was what she needed. Relying on his wards or a charm wasn’t wise, since he couldn’t always be with her and charms failed. But that didn’t mean he wanted her to suffer. “If it is ever overwhelming, all you have to do is ask. I can make the ward invisible so no one knows it is there and give you a respite.”
Her lips curved, her expression tender. “I know.”
The last of the worry Nicholas had felt since first realizing Sadie was scared of something, but wouldn’t confide in him, melted away. She accepted his need to care for her now. He trusted that shewouldtell him if she was struggling.
He’d never have guessed her fears were about her own powers back when they first met, but now that he knew, it only made him more determined to help her. Apart from her grandmother, Sadie had never had anyone at her side to tackle the difficulties caused by her telepathy.
It hurt Nicholas to know she had toiled for so long alone, but he couldn’t deny a tiny sliver of satisfaction that he got to be that person for her. The one she could rely on. The one she trusted.
It was the first step to becoming her everything, since she was already his.
???
Sadie twisted thering on her finger. She’d had the charm for less than a day and had already developed a nervous habit with it. She tried to relax. If they were right about the demon, then she had already sat through multiple meals with the creature. There was no reason to be more anxious tonight.
And there was every reason not to delay outside the dining-room door, for Nicholas had only had to pull on his jacket to be ready for supper and would already be inside.
She adjusted the ring one last time, ensuring the sapphire was centered, and entered the room with her telepathy as open as she could manage. It did feel easier since Nicholas had made the charm for her. More like opening her arms wide in a storm and embracing the droplets and less like having a bucket of icy water poured over her head. Not always comfortable, but not necessarily unpleasant.
“Sadie,” Madeleine greeted her the instant she stepped into the dining room. “Come sit next to me this evening. I have so much I want to discuss with you.”It’s about time you and Nicky stopped dancing around each other.
Sadie gulped and moved to the chair the dowager indicated. Nicholas’s mother wasn’t about to interrogate her about whereshe’d spent last night, was she? Not over supper with other people around, certainly?
No!The angry thought pushed its way into Sadie’s awareness with the force of a shout.She was supposed to sit next to Nicholas, not at the other end of the table. Now what can we do?
Either practice or the sapphire charm allowed Sadie to follow the thought back to its origin, where Abigail silently seethed. But Abigail should be glad that Sadie wasn’t seated next to Nicholas—it meant less competition for his attention during the meal.
She hurried to take her seat and dared to push a little deeper into Abigail’s thoughts, not caring that Madeleine would notice her distraction.
I already added the potion to the wine. How can I get her to trade glasses?
The tenor of the thoughts changed, becoming darker and causing a now-familiar shuddering sensation as the vitriol poured over Sadie.No trade. Drink, death, celebrate.
Images followed the thoughts, horrible scenes of death and pain. Jane lying in what was clearly her deathbed. Helen toppling down the main staircase in the manor and breaking her neck. A heavy tome slamming into Beatrice’s temple making her crumple to the ground.
And then several came that starred Sadie herself. She clutched her stomach in pain and retched. She ran through the forest, a wolf nipping at her heels, her dress torn and blood flowing.
Sadie recognized the shuddering sensation that came with the second half of Abigail’s thoughts. The demon, responding to Abigail. The demon, who hadn’t been in Abigail the evening before but had previously possessed Jane in an attempt to make a poison. And Jane had gone to the brewing room last night.
The thoughts shifted again and rather than reveling in the pain and death, they seemed to have an angry and desperate edge. Sadie saw one final image of herself. This time she sat at the dining table and sipped from her glass of wine. An instant later, she slumped into her bowl of soup. At her left elbow, Nicholas calmly turned away and directed his attention to Abigail on his other side.
The thoughts accompanying the image were an impatient wail.But I wanted Sadie to drink it! You promised!
It was all the confirmation Sadie needed. There was a demon, and Abigail was working with it.
“Sadie, are you all right, dear?”
She held up a hand. She couldn’t deal with Madeleine yet. Not when there was poison or a potion of some sort in one of the wine glasses. Luckily, Sadie had seen and heard enough to know it had to be at the setting of one of the two people flanking Nicholas. Abigail had one of those seats.
Helen had taken the other.
Nicholas, the demon is here with Abigail, and they put something in Helen’s wine. You need to make sure no one drinks it.
His eyes widened, and he stared at the wine glass in question.A poison? Where’d she even get a poison? Never mind, that’s not important right now.
Nicholas struck up a conversation with Helen, growing more animated with each exchange. Within moments, he stabbed his finger through the air as if to make a point, and knocked over the glass. A shimmering blue ward flashed into existence, saving anyone from getting splashed, and a flurry of apologies and attempts to mop up the wine and calling for a fresh glass erupted at that end of the table.
