Page 50 of The Seven Miracles of Beatrix Holland
“Astrid wouldn’t like it.”
“That just makes me want to keep it more. Pretty please?”
Cordelia’s cell pinged again. Blowing out a breath, she said, “Okay. But I need you to look in my eyes and promise with your whole heart not to open the page that’s folded in on itself. The one in the middle that’s sealed with wax.”
A chill raced down the back of Beatrice’s neck. “What is it?”
“I can’t even tell you that much. I just need you to promise that you won’t unseal it.”
“I promise I won’t.”
“Thanks. It’s really important. Okay, make a list of the new questions you come up with, and we can go over them tomorrow. Come by Which Craft when you can? Shit, Ihaveto run.”
Unexpectedly, she kissed Beatrice on the cheek.
Long after the door had shut behind her, after the boat had stopped its tiny movement from her disembarking, Beatrice could still feel the kiss there, warm against her skin.
CHAPTER TWENTY
You know why those who have passed over come to talk to us? It’s so we won’t be scared, so we know that there’s life after death. But do we listen? No. We scream and pull the covers over our heads. Imagine how that makes them feel! Why are we such assholes all the time?
—Evie Oxby to Stephen Colbert onThe Late Show
Confusionwas too clean and simple a word for how Beatrice felt after Cordelia’s visit. Questions stacked in her brain, growing more bewildering the harder she thought. She sat with the grimoire for an hour, but every page she turned deserved dozens more Google searches, which were almost impossible without Wi-Fi. She did her best to ignore the sealed page, only running her finger along the waxed edge once.
Then Beatrice tucked the grimoire into a bag and headed out for the civilized world. She’d almost made it to the library, where she planned on setting herself up with the book and some of that sweet, sweet high-speed internet, when someone called her name.
“Beatrice!” Minna stood in front of the barbershop across the street. She looked both ways and then scampered across, giving Beatrice a hug that was a full-force flop of bodily joy. “I’m so glad to see you!”
“Well, I’m glad to seeyou. You look adorable.”
Minna had draped a lacy red capelet over a black tank top. Black-and-white-striped pants came up high on her waist, and the flat black boots that laced up to her calves were painted with silver sparkle. “I do, right?” She tugged her hand through her black hair. “Thanks. Good thrifting a couple of weeks ago. You ready for that tattoo yet?”
Beatrice laughed. “Not yet. But thanks.”
“Always worth a shot. What are you doing right now?”
“I thought I might do a little reading at the library. Later Reno’s going to work on a bookcase for my new houseboat, but I gave her the spare key yesterday, so I might spend all day here reading—who knows?”
Minna pressed her hands dramatically over her heart. “You bought theForget-Me-Knot. You’restaying. I knew it.”
“For a while, yeah.” If staying meant getting to know this kid better, there was no better reason to stay.Even though I might be dying.
No, come on. She wasn’t. She’d have to make sure Cordelia didn’t mention the prediction to Minna. It wasn’t real, but Minna would probably genuinely believe it.
“Wait, and youhiredReno?”
“Yep.”
“Seriously?”
Uh-oh. “Should I not have?”
“No, she’s the absolute best, but… she just doesn’t trust many people. It’s kind of a big deal she agreed.” Minna’s eyes widened. “Which I think isgreat.”
“Well, I’m glad.”
“And you trusted her. Just like that.”
