Page 64 of Heir of Uncertain Magic

She blinked and saw his concern-crinkled eyes hovering in front of hers, which only made her face heat to an unbearable temperature. “I-I-I already forgot!” she lied. There was no forgetful side effect forthisnugget of future. “That is, I-I’m fine, just clumsy.”Lie, lie, lie.“I thought I saw a mouse.”

“A mouse?” Merritt released her and spun, scanning the floor.

Gravity pulled the heat from her face into her body until it crackled like an egg on a frying pan. Hulda crouched and scooped up the broken ceramic, earning her a minute cut, but it was worth it to pick up andleave, because her skin was ripening like a tomato and she had to get out—

Had she been wearing a ring? She hadn’t seen her hands in the vision. She’d seen Merritt’s, but it was the wrong hand! And it was on her ... on her ...

“I don’t see a mouse,” Merritt said. “Or hear one ...”

“I think Owein is calling.” Her voice sounded strangled. “Be right back!”

And she fled, heart wampishing and mind reeling, gooseflesh covering every inch of her.

Still, as mortified as she was, she had to admit that she was equal parts embarrassed and delighted.

Chapter 14

November 17, 1846, Boston, Massachusetts

Hulda waited outside a local bookshop early the next morning, swallowing a yawn from her less-than-adequate sleep the night before. In truth, she wished she hadn’t had to leave Whimbrel House at all, and not only because BIKER was confusing and she was unsure what to do about Mr.Baillie, or how to act around him and Mr.Walker in light of these new unproved revelations. What shecouldn’tdo was run—she couldn’t abandon BIKER and all she and Myra had dedicated their lives to. But all her studies, experience, and memorized receipt books hadn’t prepared her for all this perturbation.

Crossing the island this morning, the air cold and smelling of winter, a huge swath of trees and plants uprooted, revealing dirt and puddles beneath, had sobered her. She wanted to stay by Merritt’s side. She wanted to help him navigate this. She wantedhim.

But work and justice were unkind taskmasters. And thus she waited outside the bookshop until—

There.

“MissSteverus!” she called as she stepped out into the road, catching sight of the BIKER secretary arriving for work. The woman wore a high-waisted skirt and a clean white blouse. She turned and scanned thearea for who had called her until her eyes landed on Hulda. Her nose was red from the morning chill.

“MissLarkin, how are you?”

Hulda caught up to her quickly. MissSteverus moved to continue walking to BIKER, but when Hulda held her ground, she paused. “Quite well, thank you. I actually wanted your thoughts on something.”

She blinked. “Oh?”

“Your study with stones and magic—”

She smiled. “Ah, yes! How is that tourmaline?”

That was right. Neither Hulda nor Myra had ever caught MissSteverus up on the second source of magic of Whimbrel House, though she was well equipped to guess, thanks to Merritt’s use of wardship at the office. “It’s quite docile,” she answered truthfully. Then, to cover her tracks, she added, “But I was speaking to Mr.Fernsby the other day, and we were debating over the stone for augury.”

“Amethyst?” she asked.

Hulda snapped her fingers. “See? I was correct. It’s the simplest to remember.”

The secretary chuckled. “I suppose it would be, for an augurist.”

“Mr.Fernsby claimed it was azurite.”

“Ah, I can see how he’d be confused.” She adjusted a small purse on her shoulder. “Augury and psychometry are closely related.”

That confirmed azurite as the psychometrist’s stone, then. “One can’t merely store mind reading or the like in a stone, though. What would such a stone do, anyway?”

“Not mind reading, no. But hallucinations, yes. Though I’m not sure such a thing could be procured. It’s illegal here and in England, and truthfully, I’ve not yet heard of anyone in the States who can perform that spell adequately enough to entrap and sell it.”

“Thank goodness for that!” Hulda chuckled awkwardly, but MissSteverus didn’t seem to notice, only smiled. Hulda gestured toward BIKER, and they began walking to the hotel. “Does it react any other way?”

She considered. “A good, pure stone will change in the presence of psychometry. Usually darken, so a paler stone is best. Amethyst would also work, if you want to try it. An amethyst pendant might look well with your complexion.”

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