Page 90 of Potions & Prejudice
“Have you thought about inviting Grandmother to visit?” Georgie asked, shifting in her seat.
“I haven’t,” I said slowly. Georgie hadn’t mentioned her grandmother since the ball. “Is that something you’d want?”
Georgie gave a half shrug as she took a bite of her soup. “Maybe.”
Well, that wasn’t particularly helpful.
“Would you want to go visit her?”
Georgie’s eyes lit up at that. “Could we? And we could get some of Mother and Father’s old spell books that she has? There’s a few things I want to look at.”
My jaw locked. I’d never actually asked Georgie what she wantedbecause I assumed I knew best. But maybe that was selfish of me. Maybe this entire thing had been selfish. I took another bite of my soup, but it tasted like ash as I thought through my options.
I glanced over Georgie’s shoulder at Elspeth, who was laughing and talking with her sister. She had the kind of relationship with her sisters that I could never have with mine. I wasn’t like Elspeth. I wasn’t warm and caring and personable. I worked too much. I liked to keep to myself. But mostly, I wanted Georgie to thrive, and I just wasn’t sure it mattered where I moved her. Maybe the location wasn’t the problem.
Maybe the problem was me.
I knew what I had to do. I just didn’t want to do it.
Thirty-Eight
ELSPETH
Istood on the front porch, sweeping away debris and leaves that the wind had blown in. The wind whistled around me, and a random vine snaked out from the side of the cottage, whipping me in the butt.
I jumped and rubbed the affected area, glaring at the house. “You know, it would do you good to be grateful for all we’ve done here. You’re practically shiny and brand new. No more cobwebs or dust or debris.” I pointed to the sparkling windows above. “We even figured out how to clean the grime off your windows.” The vine slowly slithered back into its place. “That’s better.”
Prue appeared from in between the trees, carrying a stack of books she’d gotten from the bookstore. Her face was flushed with excitement. “I just found the most amazing section in the bookstore full of books about the history of magic and how all the laws surrounding our use of magic came to be.”
That sounded incredibly boring, but Prue was so excited about it, I couldn’t do anything but feign my own enthusiasm. “That’s wonderful, Prue. I’m so glad you’re finally getting to experience the bookstore of your dreams.”
She nodded. “And I think the bookstore might be interested inhiring me. I was reorganizing some of the books.” She shook her head. “The catalogue system just didn’t make sense. Then a customer came in, asking for a recommendation for books about the Orc Wars. I have so many of those.” She waved her hand in the air. “So I helped them find a few, which they bought. The owner was so impressed, he said if I was looking for a job, he’d love to have me.”
“Wow, Prue.” I continued to sweep leaves off the little porch. “That’s amazing.”
Unless we were leaving soon . . .
Prue walked up the stone steps and set her books against the house. “I’ll turn it down,” she said quietly. “I know we’ll probably be leaving soon. Mama told me the cart is finally ready. I knew this couldn’t last forever.”
My heart stopped. The cart was ready? Mama hadn’t told me that yet. In truth, I’d forgotten about our cart recently, so caught up in Draven and whatever was happening between us. Adelaide had been making the payments, and she must’ve made the last payment for it to finally be fixed.
For some reason, disappointment filled me at the realization that we were free. We could leave Thistlegrove. Leave our cottage. Leave Draven.
Adelaide would likely choose to stay with Elm, which would change everything.
It would be so good for Prue to get a job in a bookstore, to interact with people every day. I thought of Draven. Could I really say goodbye to him forever? I knew the answer. If it came to protecting my family, I could do it. I could do anything to keep them safe. But I didn’t want to. And I was starting to think I didn’t have to. No one was suspicious about us here. No one looked twice or asked about our magic. Everyone loved our soup. We had a thriving business. A home.
My sisters were doing better than ever. Even Auggie, with all her secrets, was happier, less snarky than usual.
“Don’t,” I said to Prue. “Turn it down just yet.”
“Really?” She pushed her spectacles up her nose and gathered her pile of books in her arms. They teetered precariously. “We’re not leaving?”
“Well...” I said, my gut twisting as I spoke the words. Staying would be a risk. I thought of Draven, of all the nights I spent in hisarms, of how effortless it was to just be with him. Maybe it was time to admit our relationship to my family. Well, first I’d have to confirm we even had a relationship.
But maybe it was time to come out of hiding. To stop being so afraid of everything. To stop running and start living.
Mama and Auggie appeared, and I smiled brightly, about to tell them the good news until I noticed the way Auggie’s skin had lost all color, the way Mama’s eyes were wild with fear. My stomach dropped as Adelaide emerged from the cottage.
