This only made Marigold feel wickeder. She hadnāt even thought of the servants.
āI didnāt realize youād left for good,ā Collin continued. āI donāt think anyone knew until the next morning. Your parents went into a panic, you know, when you didnāt turn up at breakfast. They asked everyone in the palace if we knew where you were, and I said Iād seen you run toward the wildwood. Then the king said he couldnāt believe a princess of Imbervale would do something as reckless as that, and the queen said, āIt is Marigold weāre talking about, dear,ā and the king said maybe it was an accident, and the royal steward said it certainly wasnāt, and the king said, āI may scream, Amelia,ā and the queen said, āFor heavenās sake, Collin, would you please stop gawking and do something?āā Collin let out a long breath. āSo I left right away to find you and bring you back.ā
Marigold hadnāt considered that her parents might be upset to discover she was gone. They didnāt tolerate wickedness; everyone in all the kingdoms knew that. āDidnāt they banish me?ā she asked.
Collin hesitated. āThe steward said they should, and Rosalind said they shouldnāt. They were still arguing about it when I left.ā
Marigold launched another peach in the Thingās direction. āYou were kind to come looking for me,ā she said to Collin, āand Iām glad to see you, but Iām not going back to Imbervale. I donāt belong there.ā
Collin squinted toward the moat, where a tentacle was snatching up the peach. He looked out at the dust and gloom. Then he looked hard at Marigold. āAre you sure you belong here?ā
āIāve been trying!ā Marigold cried. Couldnāt Collin see her awful wizardās robes? Hadnāt he noticed her impressive scowl or how her heart was probably starting to shrivel at the edges? āItās just that everythingās gone wrong. I wanted to put a curse on Rosalind, but it didnāt work at all, and Pettifog is sure heās about to get slurped, and I promised to help the Miseries because I couldnāt think what else to say, and I might burst into unquenchable flames or get turned into a marmorated beetle, and Iāve got to get rid of these peach trees somehow, and I have no idea what to do about Torville!ā The last few words came out mostly as a wail, which was somehow the most mortifying thing of all. āDonāt you dare give me a handkerchief,ā she said ā fiercely, she hoped ā as Collin started digging through his damp satchel.
āI wonāt!ā Collin promised. āBut I brought you this.ā From the bottom of the bag, he pulled out a mass of tangled wires and parchment: a little bent, and more than a little wet from the moat, but still unmistakably Marigoldās biplane. āYou left it at the palace,ā he said, passing it over. āI figured wherever youād gone, you might be missing it.ā
Marigold held the biplane carefully in the palm of one hand. Its little propeller still wouldnāt spin, and the whole thing needed more repairs than ever after its journey in the satchel, but even so, she was glad to have it back. She had been missing it. āThank you,ā she said to Collin. āYou should come inside to dry off ā unless youād rather not set foot in a wizardās fortress.ā
Collin thought for a moment. He touched the spot where the Thing had tried to chomp his leg. āIs anything else in there going to eat me?ā he asked.
Marigold laughed. āI donāt think Pettifog would dare.ā
āThen Iāll come inside,ā said Collin. āHeroes arenāt afraid of wizards.ā
Pettifog was standing on a chair in the kitchen, using a long pair of pruning shears to do battle with one of the peach trees. āItās no use,ā he said from behind a branch as Marigold came into the room. āThe enchantmentās too strong; these trees canāt be cut. I suppose weāll just have to live with them.ā Pettifog pushed the branch aside and peered through the leaves at Collin, who was hesitating in the doorway. āWho have you conjured up now, Princess?ā
āThis is Collin,ā said Marigold. āHeās a friend of mine.ā
āFriends of yours,ā grumbled Pettifog, āare the last thing we need.ā He hopped down to the floor and poked Collin with the dull end of his shears. āAre you supposed to be a wicked child, too?ā
Collin shook his head. āNo, sir. Iām a kitchen boy, sir.ā He took a step back from the pruning shears. āIām sorry to disappoint you, sir.ā
Pettifogās eyes lit up. āSo polite!ā he cried. āSo respectful! I like this one.ā He studied Collin from top to toe. āDo you know how to make peach turnovers?ā
Collin nodded eagerly and said that he did, Pettifog complained that his own turnovers always leaked butter, and the two of them fell into an earnest discussion of pastry dough that Marigold had no hope of understanding. She put away her contraption materials, tucked the biplane into her wardrobe, fetched a towel and a mug of warm milk for Collin, and tried her own hand at pruning the peach tree in the kitchen, though she wasnāt any more successful than Pettifog had been.
āWizard Torville!ā someone shouted from outside the fortress. āWizard Torville!ā
Marigold wobbled on the kitchen chair, and Collin almost dropped his mug. Even Pettifog fell silent.
āIs it the Miseries?ā Marigold asked. āI thought we had more time!ā
āThat doesnāt sound like Vivien.ā Pettifog shoved Marigold aside so he could see out the wide window. āAh. Itās only Countess Snoot-Harley. Sheāll be wanting Torville to give her that spell he promised her.ā
āThe garlic potion?ā Marigold had almost forgotten about that.
Pettifog nodded. āYouād better go and fetch it from the workroom. And try to get rid of her quickly. Sheās nosy ā like you ā and I donāt want her poking around. If she finds out what happened to Torville, the news will be all the way to Foggy Gorge by midnight.ā
Collin looked interested. āWhat happened to Torville?ā
āNever mind!ā called Marigold. She was already heading for the workroom.
By the time Marigold had found the little bottle of garlic potion, hurried back downstairs, and slipped out the front door, Countess Snoot-Harley was running out of patience. āWizard Torville!ā she shouted again from the far side of the moat. āI wonāt be kept waiting any longer. Lower the drawbridge at once!ā She stamped her foot on the dirt. Either the Thing was full of peaches, Marigold guessed, or it wasnāt interested in eating someone as bad-tempered as Countess Snoot-Harley. She couldnāt say she blamed it.
Marigold turned the crank to lower the drawbridge, and the countess strode across it as though the fortress and everything inside it was hers to command. Her nettle-green gown was made of the most lustrous silk, and her hair was arranged in elaborate loops and swirls on top of her head. Even the dust and dirt didnāt dare to stick to her shoes.
āCountess Snoot-Harley?ā Marigold stepped in front of her. āIāve got your spell here.ā
She held out the little bottle, but the countess didnāt take it. She did stop walking, though. āWho are you?ā she asked Marigold. āTorville didnāt mention he was getting a new imp.ā
āIām not an imp.ā Marigold tried to stand a little taller. āIām ā er ā Torvilleās student.ā
Countess Snoot-Harley wrinkled her nose. āI hope you arenāt the one who made my halitosis curse.ā
āOf course not.ā Marigold guessed that was what the stuff in the bottle was called. āTorville made it himself ā though Pettifog and I did help with the mincing. Iām sure it works wonderfully.ā
āIt had better,ā the countess said. āIāve been waiting all day for it. Torville was supposed to deliver it to my home in Whitby by noon, but he never showed up. I specifically told him I needed the potion before Duchess Teasewhistleās party tomorrow.ā She plucked the bottle from Marigoldās hand and swirled the golden liquid inside. āI want to have a word with him about my expectations. Where can I find him?ā
āYou canāt!ā said Marigold. āHeās busy.ā
āNot too busy to speak to a paying customer, I hope.ā Countess Snoot-Harley gathered up her nettle-green train and swept past Marigold toward the fortress door. āI wonāt be paying Torville if he wonāt come down to see me. And Iāll tell all my friends in the kingdoms to take their business elsewhere.ā
āYou donāt need to do that!ā Marigold scrambled after the countess. āThereās no charge for the potion. Torville is very sorry about the delay.ā
āHeās sorry?ā Countess Snoot-Harley frowned at Marigold. āThat doesnāt sound like him at all.ā She reached the door and rapped her fist against it. āWizard Torville!ā
Marigold tried to wriggle between the countess and the door. āYou shouldnāt be here.ā
āIf Torville had done his job properly,ā the countess snapped, āthen I could have stayed at home. Believe me, I didnāt relish the journey. Thereās a dismal swamp between here and Whitby, and I had to leave my coach on the far side of it.ā She stood on her toes and tried to look through the peephole. āIs Torville going to answer the door?ā
Marigold tried to imagine the blob of glop oozing down the grand staircase. āI really donāt think he can.ā
āThis is ridiculous!ā Countess Snoot-Harley reached for the doorknob. Marigold stood in front of it. Countess Snoot-Harley tried to go around her. Marigold pressed herself against the door. Countess Snoot-Harley leaned in close. āWhatās going on here?ā she asked. āWhat are you trying to hide from me?ā
āHide?ā Marigold could smell the expensive perfume on the countessās wrists, tinged with the faintest hint of swamp mud. āIām not hiding anything.ā
āI donāt believe you for a moment,ā the countess said flatly. āIs there a secret Torvilleās keeping? Iām very good at coaxing out secrets.ā She smiled, as though the thought amused her. Then she squeezed past Marigold, turned the doorknob, and strode into the hall.
āPettifog!ā Marigold shouted, running after her. āCountess Snoot-Harley is here! Inside the fortress!ā
Pettifog appeared in the kitchen doorway at once. āCountess,ā he said with a bow of his head and a flutter of wings. āItās an honor to see you again. What can I do for you?ā
āYou can get out of my way,ā the countess said. āItās Torville I want. Where is he?ā
Over Pettifogās protests, the countess showed herself into the kitchen. Marigold almost admired her determination as she pushed aside the branches of the peach tree. āThis isnāt at all how I imagined a wizardās house to be,ā she remarked. āOh, there you are, Torville!ā
Marigold widened her eyes at Pettifog. He nodded toward the kitchen table.
Someone was sitting there ā someone about Torvilleās height, in Torvilleās robes, with his face to the wall and his hood pulled up to keep himself in shadow. In one hand, he clutched a handkerchief embroidered with daisies. He let out a low and miserable moan, and as the countess approached him, he blew his nose with relish. It was clear to Marigold that Collin was enjoying himself.