Page 31 of In Dangerous Water

I smiled. “I want to do it on my own. It’ll help me relax.”

“Okay.” She headed for the door and opened it, but paused. “Come over for supper tonight.”

I opened my mouth to decline.

“Five o’clock,” she said. “No arguments.”

“I suppose. Let me see how today goes,” I said, hooking my thumb toward the gardens. “I was planning on puttering and maybe strolling through those formal gardens out there.”

“Come for supper,” she repeated.

“We’ll see.”

“I can always send Estella over here later,” Gabriella replied. “If you even think about refusing, she’ll nag you brainless. Or...I can getreallycreative.”

I folded my hands at my waist. “Understood.”

Gabriella smiled. “Take today and find your bearings. Have your long walk around the gardens, go swim in the hotel pool; and make yourself at home. We’ll see you at five.”

“Thank you, Gabriella.”

“We got your back,” she said. “You’ll be safe here with us.”

She left, closing the door behind her. Making an effort to drop the psychic shields I habitually kept in place, I let them fall and shuddered in relief.

The release—lack of pressure—that I felt at not having to be so shielded to protect myself from other’s emotions was staggering. “This is going to take some getting used to,” I decided. But truthfully, I had nothing on my hands but time to work through the changes in my life.

“One step at a time, Cordelia,” I told myself. Rising to my feet, I grabbed a box at random and started to unpack.

CHAPTER SIX

After working until one o’clock, I was satisfied with my progress. I had tucked away all of my clothes, put my personal items in the bathroom, and set my laptop on the small desk in the bedroom and plugged it in to charge.

Grabbing an apple out of a bowl on the counter, I bit in and made myself a sandwich with the supplies that had so thoughtfully been stocked for me. After lunch, I broke down the boxes and stored them in the garage below.

Letting myself out the lower-level door, I went to go and explore the grounds and gardens. Feeling nothing but my own emotions and simply enjoying nature; it was liberating to simply be.

The mansion gardens were a popular spot for outdoor weddings. Arranged in a formal layout, they were huge with many gravel paths and truly impressive.

I had always loved the cottage style gardens at home on Golden Hill. Brynn’s gardens and her commercial growing beds for her flowers made for a cheerful riot of blooms nine months out of the year in our large back yard. However, the formal gardens at the Marquette Mansion were exquisite.

I came across one full-time gardener named Marlene and discovered that she was busy planting tulip bulbs along the main pathway. Neat and tidy in sturdy jeans and a burgundyMarquette Mansionpolo shirt, Marlene was friendly and suggested I go and check out the walled garden to see the mums and dahlias that were currently blooming.

“It’s quiet here today,” she said. “You’ll have the place pretty much all to yourself.”

With a nod, I wandered along with no real plan and followed the sound of a fountain trickling. Pleased, I came to a small alcove with old stone walls on three sides, a wooden bench and a formal knot garden surrounding the fountain.

The low plants were herbs; I could smell them from where I stood. Enchanted by the private nook, I took a seat on the bench and sat back to enjoy the scenery.

Birds were flying in and out of the area. Some were splashing in the fountain, and others were taking a bath or getting a drink. As usual, being around any sort of water helped calm and center me. Because even something as simple as a garden fountain called to my elemental magick.

The sound of the fountain grew louder as the water within danced around trying to get my attention. It had been a long time since I had simply played and enjoyed my witchcraft. Usually I was so focused on keeping my powers under control and my psychic empathy strapped down, that I neglected the simple joys of magick.

But the water beckoned, and so I lifted one palm and gestured to the fountain. A thin stream of water rose up and reformed into a softball sized sphere. Merely to please myself, I waved my fingers, concentrated, and the floating liquid sphere morphed into the shape of a goldfish.

“I haven’t done this since I was a kid.” Chuckling to myself, I was pleased to see the watery goldfish float along in a lazy circle in mid-air around the fountain.

As I sat there, the light shifted, and ducks and geese flew high overhead and toward the river. The little birds drinking at the fountain became curious about the floating fish, and a few fluttered up to peck at what my magick had created.

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