Page 53 of Potions & Prejudice
“But you’ve never thrown a ball before. So it can’t be that traditional.”
“It was my parents’ tradition,” I said. “They used to throw these balls for everyone in Thistlegrove to celebrate Marhloth.”
“What is Marhloth?” Edgar asked with awe in his voice.
“It’s the anniversary of when the first Witch Superior founded the Witchlands over five hundred years ago, a place for all witches to find safe haven.”
I opened the door and walked out into the hallway, which formed a square with a railing overlooking the ballroom below. I strode to the railing and looked down. Edgar was right. Everything was impeccable. The white-tiled floor was sparkling, fairy bugs flitted in the air, their light casting a gentle glow over the room. Musicians sat in the corner, tuning their instruments. My gaze traveled to a long table with a white cloth over it, brimming with shining crystal goblets, and a crystal fountain of bubbling wine.
“So what happened to your parents?” Edgar appeared next to me, and I jumped.
“Witch’s tits, Edgar.”
“What? I’ve been here the whole time.”
“Well, I forgot.” I shook my head. “They died.”
I swallowed, still remembering being called into Witch Superior’s coven hall, told that they’d been trying to break a particularly nasty curse. It rebounded and killed them. I’d just stood there before Witch Superior as she spoke, staring dumbly, not able to speak or move. Not able to believe what she was telling me. I’d always seen my parents as invincible, unshakable. Now they were gone.
“It was a little over a year ago. They died while on assignment,” I said. “It’s been a hard year for Georgie, and this place brings back a lot of painful memories.”
Edgar blinked a few times, taking in all this information. “Is this where you lived with your parents?”
“It’s where Georgie lived with them. I moved out over fifteen years ago when I attended Coven Institute, then got a job...” I trailed off. “I didn’t think it would be good for Georgie living here with all these memories. At first she lived with her grandmother, but...”
“She got in trouble,” Edgar offered.
My head snapped to him. “What do you know about that?”
Georgie didn’t speak about it. Not ever.
“Not a lot,” Edgar admitted. “She just told me that she disappointed you, disappointed everyone. And that being at the tavern with you washer punishment. She also said I was her punishment, which felt a little harsh.”
I mulled over his words. Surely Georgie didn’t think this was a punishment. It wasn’t. It was just our only option after what had happened. I wished I knew how to explain that to her, but every interaction between us was like casting a spell with a blindfold on. Something I just fumbled my way through.
“Open the doors!” a voice yelled.
“Will you get Georgie?” I asked Edgar. The dragon nodded and flew off down the hallway toward her room.
Far below guests began filing in, the women all wearing dresses, while the men dressed in their finest trousers, shirts, and overcoats. I stilled when I saw one particular witch, her brown hair swept halfway up, the rest of it cascading down her back. Moonlight glowed over her pale collarbone and shoulders. She patted her silky green dress, the straps made of little gold chains linked together, each of them gleaming in the light. She entered, looking around in awe.
I swallowed, turning my back and leaning against the railing.
I just needed to get this night over with and avoid Elspeth Moonflower and everything would be fine.
Twenty-Three
ELSPETH
Our carriage came to a stop in the huge circle drive outside the manor.
Every window was alight with flickering candles as hordes of witches streamed inside, the huge double doors open.
My sisters and Mama gasped at the grandiosity of it all. The carriage door swung open, and I stepped out, arching my neck to take in the view.
I’d never seen a manor before.
Stairs led up to the wide, open doors where everyone entered. Tall gray columns held up a patio on the second floor with a round stone fountain. Several people stood on the patio, leaning against the railing and drinking from crystal goblets. Everyone wore gowns, some glittery, some frilly, all of them sleek and hanging in straight lines to the floor, much like all of ours. The fashions had definitely changed in the last few years. Instead of big poofy skirts often held up by metal hoops, everyone wore much simpler dresses.
