Page 7 of The Journal of a Thousand Years
“In 1891,” Myrtle said.
“That’s not a year many of us who lived through it will forget.”
Gabe and Alex exchanged knowing glances. It was the year Gabe’s parents had set in motion the emergence of magicians from the shadows. Laws had been implemented to prevent their persecution, but it had taken time for the situation to settle. With the well-made products of magicians flooding the market, and with their more efficient practices, they’d quicklyasserted themselves as the makers of superior merchandise. Artless manufacturers and craftsmen had suffered, leading to tensions in London and elsewhere. Those artless who hadn’t repositioned themselves as producers of lower quality products and priced accordingly had gone out of business, causing further resentment.
Naomi peered through the magnifying glass at the photograph. “Oh, yes, I see him now. That’s Melville. He lost most of his hair.” She handed the magnifying glass to Rosina.
“So he did.” Rosina sounded satisfied to see her brother suffer in that small way.
I asked to see the photograph and Naomi handed it to me. She pointed at Melville, standing in the front row of what must be a hundred employees. I didn’t need the magnifying glass to recognize him.
It was the man I’d spoken to on a few occasions, the one who accused me of coveting a share of the Peterson fortune. He’d come across as cantankerous and rude.
“It doesn’t confirm whether he’s your father,” Myrtle told me with a gentleness I’d not experienced from her before. “It just confirms that Cooper is Melville.”
When I didn’t respond, Gabe answered. “Sylvia’s mother was known as Marianne Cooper at one point. The man she lived with in 1891 was also known as Cooper, so we believe they were married, although that may not necessarily be the case. If the paper magician Melville Hendry disappeared around that same time, and reappeared as Cooper here at the factory, and Sylvia’s mother was also known as Cooper and Sylvia’s father is a paper magician…” His eyes became hooded as he looked at me, his voice gentled. “Then it stands to reason that Melville is her father.”
The evidence was compelling. No one could deny it. No one did. A weighty silence filled the office, as oppressive as the smoky air outside.
Until Naomi broke it. She blinked back tears as she took my hands in hers. “We have another niece. Isn’t it wonderful, sisters?”
Rosina threw her arms around me and hugged me fiercely. “My children have cousins.Andyou’re a magician, too. How I’ve longed for another in the family. Both of my children are artless.”
My eyes filled with unshed tears, so I closed them. When I could be sure I wouldn’t cry, I reopened them. Myrtle filled my vision as she hugged me, too. “Welcome to the family, Sylvia. It’s lovely to have you.”
Finding three aunts and two cousins was everything I’d hoped for. More. It made the trials of my complicated past less bitter. I didn’t even mind having a man nobody liked as my father if his connection to these women meant I had a lovely family.
When Myrtle pulled away, I caught Gabe smiling at me over the top of her head. His fingers briefly touched mine in a featherlight flutter before slipping away.
Alex clapped me on the shoulder. “You’ll have to telephone Daisy to give her the good news. She’ll be thrilled for you. As am I.”
I found I couldn’t speak to thank him, as tight as my throat was, so I simply nodded and smiled instead.
Walter had slipped out of the office, but now returned with a piece of paper. He handed it to Gabe. “Cooper’s address. Are you sure you don’t want me to come?”
Gabe shook his head, but it was Myrtle who answered. “It’s now a family matter, but thank you for all your help. Before we go…” She glanced at her sisters. “Before we go, can you tell uswhat you know about our brother? It’s been decades since we saw him, so perhaps he has changed.”
“He’s a good employee. He works hard and is prepared to put in extra time when necessary. The others respect him, but I think that could be because they fear him a little, which is not entirely a bad thing for a foreman.”
“I mean on a more personal level. What was he like?”
Walter shrugged. “I can’t say I know him well. He’s always respectful to me and Evaline.”
“Speak for yourself,” his sister said. “He was often curt when he had to deal with me. I got the distinct impression he resented the times he had to answer to me instead of you. Particularly in the early days, when I first came to work here. Our father was still alive then, and he praised Mr. Cooper for his strong work ethic, but to me, Cooper was rather rude. I think he thought I wasn’t up to it. It took years before I felt as though he respected me as a magician and a manager.”
“Because you’re a woman,” Rosina added with certainty. “You had to work extra hard to prove yourself to him. He treated Myrtle and Naomi abominably because they were artless, and he was little better with me. He was a much stronger magician than me, you see. When we were young, he’d taunt me. He called me weak and pathetic whenever I performed magic. He tore up my origami creations and left little pieces of them around for me to find to prove that my magic didn’t last as long as his and wasn’t as strong.”
“He wasn’t always like that,” Myrtle said. “When we were small children, he was a normal brother. It wasn’t until he was thirteen or fourteen that he changed.”
It was an age that a lot of youths changed, both physically and emotionally. It was a trying time for some. Probably even more trying for a boy who realized he was unlike others in a way society wouldn’t allow. But that was no excuse for his cruelty.
“He never performed magic here at the factory?” Gabe asked.
Walter shook his head. “Not that we know of. Evaline and I are the only ones who use spells on our luxury paper line.”
“When did he start working here?”
Walter looked to Evaline, but she merely shrugged. “I’d have to check his file,” he said.
