“Very.” Liberty tucked a strand of hair into place and smiled at her reflection. She was a striking woman and must have been stunning in her youth. She turned to me and smiled. “I was, thank you. Arguably the most beautiful Brighton.”
Her psychic abilities grew by the day, thanks to that infusion by me. Regrettably, it made her better at shielding her own thoughts, but sometimes I got around her by communicating with Harold. He wouldn’t betray her, but if he thought I could help keep her safe, he’d cut me some slack.
“And the most reviled,” Mr. Bixby said, cheerfully. “Whereas Janelle is both lovely and well-liked.”
I laughed. “Not that well-liked. At least not in Wyldwood.”
“Piffle. You have friends. Liberty has none.”
The two had a brittle relationship because she’d nearly drained me dry, although it was unintentional. She’d been abandoned and starved for decades. I didn’t blame her and was gradually becoming fond of her. Cautiously fond, as she was temperamental and reckless.
“Other than Harold, I need none,” she countered. “Friends make you weak.” She glanced at Ren and Sinda. “Present company excepted.”
“Thank you,” Sinda said. Despite being closer in age, she had been the most intimidated by Liberty. Now that we were all living in the huge Brighton manor, we were getting used to each other.
Harold looked up at Liberty in an unspoken communication and she nodded. “Quite right, Harold. I completely forgot the reason I came.”
“We assumed that as matriarch you detected a threat to the Brightons and rushed to Janelle’s aid,” Mr. Bixby said. His snark earned him a small eddy of wind from Harold. It was enough to blow my dog’s long ears back and make his beefy paws slide along the hardwood.
“Harold, please,” I said. “Mr. Bixby is understandably on edge after that felon left nose prints on our window.”
“We could only wish Angus were a convicted felon,” Bixby said. “He beat it down the street footloose and fancy free.” My dog swept his nose upward in a bid to escape the wind by moving back to the counter and I lifted him.
“Further to fall, wiener boy,” Bijou said. “Better to keep four on the floor in a cyclone.”
“Enough,” I said. “Or I’ll stop rescuing ghost dogs.”
Three voices said “Good.” None belonged to a human.
Ren laughed and called Bijou over. “Surely you’ve saved all the lonely canine souls in Wyldwood, Janelle.”
“Not based on Sinda’s jewels. There seem to be more arriving all the time. Word must have gotten out about my calling.”
Sinda nodded. “I’ve wondered. This morning I felt called to make a Chihuahua in our private collection.”
Bixby weighed in from his perch. “I detest Chihuahuas. Delusions of grandeur. Did you hear the story about—”
“Excuse me,” Liberty said. “You’re all giddy. Understandable after what happened, but this is serious business. And these make it official.” Taking three envelopes out of her purse, she handed one to each of us with a flourish. “Read it and weep.”
CHAPTER FOUR
My envelope was already open, perhaps the result of a damp wind from Harold.
“You read my mail?” I asked. “That’s overstepping, even by your standards, Liberty.”
She adjusted the fox across her shoulders and shrugged. There was something eerie about that thing, all the more when it was moving. “It fell out and I’m as curious as the next witch. Congratulations!”
“On what?” There was no return address to give me a clue. No address at all, for that matter. This had been hand-delivered.
“Nailed three of you with one trip,” Bixby said, chuckling. “Pretty sure I can guess what this is about from Liberty’s smirk alone.”
Checking her reflection, Liberty shook her head. “I don’t smirk. Even with all the modern skincare lines, I don’t invite unnecessary wrinkles.” Turning back, she risked a smile. “Speaking of invitations…”
I had already intuited what it was, so I left the big reveal to Ren, who exclaimed, “Oh, no! Witch school.”
Sinda opened hers next and read aloud, “Her Worship Ruthann Longmuir formally invites you to join Wyldwood’s inaugural training program for novices.” She read the next bit in silence. “It starts this afternoon at two.”
“Today?” My voice spiked. “We have businesses to run. I hereby decline the kind invitation.”
“Read the bottom,” Liberty said, with a hint of glee.
Ren did the honors. “Attendance mandatory. Bring your own grimoire.”
Grimoire. The word made a spell book sound so dark. The beginner manual I’d inherited from Liberty was called Everyday Spells for Everyday Magic. The title felt light. Innocuous.
“She can’t make us come.” I was mad enough to sprout a sunflower and only a stern reprimand from Bixby quelled my diaphragm. “I’ve done a lot for this town already and I shouldn’t have detention just because I…”
My words trailed off. I hadn’t yet told Liberty about what had alarmed Ruthann so much that she decided to create a training program. I wasn’t entirely sure Liberty could be trusted with knowledge of the sentinels. When she first revived, she’d been all about grabbing power and this certainly presented an opportunity. If I could reveal them, perhaps she could, too.
Liberty straightened, instantly on the alert. “Because you vanished Minerva?”
“Shields up,” Bixby said, on our inside line. “You’re right to conceal the rest. For now, anyway.”
Picking up one of Sinda’s pendants, I examined it closely as I answered. “What happened to Minerva was awful. But I got her back. No harm done.”
Liberty’s green eyes, so like mine, were penetrating. “Ruthann was attacked in her own office, Janelle, and news like that gets around. No one will know how Angus gained access and her enemies will try again. So, I’d say there was some harm done.”
I put the pendant down and rubbed my midriff, where a sunflower was stirring. “Then I suppose I’m getting the punishment she thinks I deserve.” Glancing at Sinda and Ren, I added, “Sorry to drag you into this.”
