Following Jade’s lead, I marched up the porch steps and knocked on the door. The wind chimes created a chaos of noise while we waited, clacking and clinking in the soft breeze. I knocked again, praying that even with the signs, she would open the door.
I turned away, ready to give up, when a voice croaked from the other side. “Who’s there?”
“Uh, my name is Sage, I’m your…great niece.”
There was a pause. I waited for the door to open, but nothing happened. “Who?”
I jumped at the voice. “I’m Sage Lightwood-Black!” I called, raising my voice. “Leo Black’s daughter and Celeste’s granddaughter!”
A grating sound like a deadbolt being pulled back sounded through the door. I heard another, then yet another. I couldn’t believe one person could have so many locks on their door, especially in such a remote place.
The door finally flew open, revealing a stooped woman with frizzy white hair and glasses that made her bright green eyes look huge. She wore a purple nightgown with a purple shawl over her shoulders. Even her feet were encased in fuzzy purple slippers.
She gasped, pressing a hand to her heart. “Good Lord, you’re the spitting image of Celeste. You’re Leo’s girl?”
I gave a shaky nod. She shook her head, tsk-tsking. “I thought Leo got away from here.”
“He did. I moved back because Celeste left her house and the shop to me.”
Faith’s huge eyes grew, if possible, even larger. “She did what?”
Trying to hide my impatience, I opened my mouth again, but she shook her head again.
“I can hear you, young lady. I just can’t believe my sister did something so abominably foolish. Come in, then, I’ll get you some tea. Oh, you’ve got a cat…”
Her voice trailed off as she looked down at the animal. She crossed her arms while Jade lifted her chin defiantly.
“As I live and breathe! It’s Jade. How are you doing, you grumpy little thing?”
Thoroughly enjoying life as a cat. Are you going to let us in or not?
Faith gave a jolly chuckle. “Yes, come in, both of you.”
The house had a similar layout to Grandma’s house, with the stairs immediately opposite the front door and a formal living room off to the left. Faith led me to the right to a cozy den with brown leather couches and a large television.
“Come and sit. What kind of tea do you want? I’ve got herbal or green or black or Earl Grey…”
I blinked slowly as I sat down. “Um…maybe peppermint?”
Faith nodded approvingly. “Any sugar or milk?”
I shrugged. “Maybe just some sugar?”
She nodded once more before bustling off towards the kitchen. I gazed around the room, which was packed with the most random assortment of knick-knacks imaginable. Several stuffed owls sat on the large bookshelf in lieu of books, staring at me with glassy, amber eyes.
The books themselves sat in stacks around the room. Most of them were trashy romance novels, which made me suppress a laugh. It looked like all the Black sisters had a weakness for steamy romance.
A stack of larger, older looking books caught my eye. Leaning over, I peered curiously at the cover of one.
Enchanting Enchantments: Spells for Safeguarding Yourself and Fending off Others.
I frowned as I studied the cover, on which a woman was turning a man into a toad. The title struck me as odd. From what I’d gathered, Faith was capable of casting complicated spells, but this book made it look like she was afraid.
“Tea’s ready.”
I jumped up guiltily as Faith approached with a tray in hand. She gave a little chuckle as she saw the book I’d been looking at.
“That’s a handy little manual. Got all sorts of nasty spells in there. You digging for ideas? Got some enemies of your own?”
“I uh…”
The rapid-fire series of questions caught me off balance. “I was just curious. I only found out recently that I’m a witch.”
Faith’s mouth opened in a little “o.”
“Did you really? Didn’t your father ever say anything about it?”
My face fell as I sat back down on the couch, accepting the steaming mug from Faith. “He didn’t like talking about Woods Crossing or his family.”
Faith sat down with her own tea, setting the tray on the intricately carved coffee table. Her expression sobered. “Yes, I suppose he probably wanted to forget it all. That would mean he was furious with his mother for giving you the inheritance.”
“He definitely wasn’t happy about it,” I agreed.
She took a tentative sip, wincing at the heat. “I don’t blame him. And if you were my child, I would have told you there was no way you would inherit Celeste’s house.”
I gave an irritated scowl. “He tried, but I’m twenty-six. He had no say in it.”
With a sigh, Faith leaned back against the couch cushions. “I suppose that’s true. But he had good reason for being angry about it.”
