Blood and Gold Trilogy

Chapter 5: Home Away From Home

It wasn't until I started down the hall on Kate's heels that I felt the brush of Sassafras against my leg. He took her at her word, it seemed, prepared to follow us around and indeed make himself comfortable in his new home away from home. He ignored me, obviously still miffed by the imagined slight I'd given him. I had to admit to myself being trapped inside a wicker cage for hours on end and treated like a common animal, which he most certainly was not, must have been irritating and uncomfortable for him.

I would apologize later. Perhaps.

"I'll show you everything tomorrow," Kate told us, immediately including Sass in the conversation. "For now, the lavatory is here," she showed us a well appointed room with its own indoor plumbing that even contained a lovely large bathtub I instantly craved the moment I spotted it. "It's only we ladies in this wing, so you don't have to worry."

The thought hadn't occurred to me. How proper these British people were.

We arrived back at the staircase we'd only recently ascended, meeting up with a black and white clad maid with a plain but honest face, who curtsied better than I could ever manage.

"Dinner, ma'am," she said.

"Thank you, Clara."

At the bottom of the steps, Kate led us to the right, Clara trailing along behind. We didn't have servants in New York so having the girl there felt odd. We didn't have royalty or titles either. Still, I supposed I'd get used to it-either that or I'd be back home in plenty of time I wouldn't need to acclimatize.

In the foyer, Kate paused and pointed directly beneath the stairs to a corridor leading to the left. "To the kitchens and the stables," she said. "The ballroom and side parlor are this way," pointing to the right, "and this," she gestured for me to precede her through a double set of already open doors, "is the dining room."

Just as massive, it had ceilings that seemed to go up forever. A huge table sat in the center, easily big enough for thirty or so, surrounded by incredible carved chairs, heavy and obviously old. A beautifully woven carpet quieted the tread of my boots as I transitioned from the polished marble. Georgina and Bernard were already seated, Hugh speaking to his mother as we arrived. The Brindles were on their feet and smiling the moment they spotted us.

Georgina came forward, letting out a delighted squeal as she bent and retrieved Sass from the floor, snuggling him to her chest. He purred for her immediately.

"Oh, Sassafras," she said, stroking his fur, "I didn't realize that was you with Burdie when you arrived. Forgive me, dear."

"Lovely to see you, George," he said.

She giggled and tapped his nose with one finger. "Dear Sassy," she said. "I've missed you, too." Again the tears welled. I wondered how the woman survived with her emotions as volatile as all that. But she smiled through it, practically beaming at me, so I could only assume it worked for her.

"Please," she said, turning toward the table, "join us, won't you?"

She set Sass on the table at his own place setting with a lovely red velvet pillow for his seat. He preened himself carefully, every hair in place before settling to wait for his dinner.

Meanwhile, I was guided to the chair next to Georgina who sat at the head of the table, directly across from Bernard. Hugh slid into his chair beside his father while Kate joined me on my side of the table.

The moment we were seated, the food began to arrive. The Brindles ignored their servants, Clara among them, Georgina instead leaning toward me and taking my hand. "You can't imagine how thrilled I am to have you here, dear."

Rather than answer, I reached into my small bag and retrieved the letter Mum gave me for Georgina. I'd read it a number of times on my long journey to England, not just because I wanted to know what was in it, but due to the fact my mother embedded air magic in the pages, so the reader instantly experienced the lovely scent of Mum's perfume and caught a whisper of her laughter every time the pages unfolded. I knew them so well by now, I would be able to time the expressions on Georgina's face as she read.

Instead of keeping it to herself however, she eagerly flipped open the envelope and began to read, out loud.

My dear, dear George,

Forgive me-it's been so long since my last letter, I'm ashamed to think about it. That being said, a much longer one than this shall follow shortly, once the coven power succession is completed.

Let me now express my gratitude to you and Bernard for your kind offer to foster my dear Auburdeen. She is the light of our hearts and the next generation in what will soon be the Hayle coven dynasty. I know you will treat her as if she were your own. That being said, please feel free to act as you deem necessary when it comes to discipline and matters of deportment. My daughter is already aware that she is to treat your instruction as if it came directly from me.

Georgina looked up from reading, her kerchief in her hand, waving at the tears in her eyes, two bright spots of emotion lighting her cheeks.

"Oh dear," she whispered. "I do miss your mother, Burdie."

Bernard patted her shoulder awkwardly, but it made the woman smile at least.

"There, there, dear," Bernard said. "We have Auburdeen to fill that void, now."

Her emotion was contagious. I felt my own throat tightening as she went on.

I've sent Sassafras with Burdie to assist in communication between our covens. Please do not hesitate to contact me if required.

I know you will adore my daughter as much as we adored each other. And I'm thrilled your own dear girl, Katherine, is near the same age as Burdie. We had always intended that our two sweethearts meet at some point, and this seems the perfect opportunity for the next generation to become good friends.

I glanced sideways at Kate who blushed and smiled. I wasn't so sure this quiet girl was exactly my type of friend, but I was at least willing to give it a go. Considering my choices seemed limited at the moment to Kate and her awkward brother whom I caught staring at me only to have him look away in haste.

Georgina finished the letter as my mother's voice softly repeated the last two lines, her magic wrapping around me in a warm hug.

All my love,

Your Thad.

Georgina's hand dropped to the table for a moment, the pages fluttering, almost landing in her soup as Clara set it before her. Georgina didn't notice at all, forcing the girl to slide the bowl out of the way with some haste.

"Oh my dear," my hostess said to me, gesturing with both her handkerchief and the vibrating letter as she used them for emphasis. "I just know we're going to get along splendidly. And your mother is right. Did you know you and Katherine were born exactly one year apart?" Georgina let out a gusty sigh, sitting back, the magic letter pressed against her. "I felt Thad with me the entire time, you know. I knew when you were born. Both of you are so special, so dear." She smiled at Kate. "Every coven leader's dream is to have a girl of her own, to carry on the name and the family magic." My eyes caught a flicker of something and went immediately to Hugh. He scowled in his soup, one hand clenching around his napkin. When he noticed me watching, his expression smoothed out, but he seemed embarrassed, redness climbing from the collar of his crisp white shirt.

I considered his obvious unhappiness while I devoured my soup, only half listening to Georgina as she went on and on about how happy she was I was there through slurps of her own first course. It made me wonder if Damon and Pharo were jealous of me and the potential power I would one day wield over them.

I loved my mother and would never want anything to happen to her, but to be honest, I was excited to lead my coven and when the day came for me to take her place, I'd be more than up for the task.

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