Enchanted at Christmas (Christmas at Castle Keyvnor Book 2) Read online

  “Well, you’re right,” he said, feeling a bit ashamed of how much he’d drunk in one, short morning. “I am quite inebriated.”

  “You should sleep, then.”

  If that was even possible with his head pounding so.

  “I will come back, I promise,” she went on, and her words gave him a bit of hope. “There may be someone who can help us now that I know I, too, have an effect on you.”

  More than she knew.

  There was silence, and he was certain she’d gone already. But just as he was about to go back to his spot before the fire, she asked, “Are you still there?”

  Despite the pounding in his brain, his heart was quite happy. “I am.”

  “Oh. Well…you said that it was only part of the reason you sought me out. What is the other part?”

  Ethan’s heart was racing, but between the brandy and not actually having to face her, he was feeling rather bold. “You are quite the most intriguing and beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes upon. Even before I realized it was you who healed my ache, I was drawn to you. If we ever figure this blasted mystery out, I pray you will allow me to court you properly, without a door between us, and preferably with you conscious.” There was a little snort of laughter from the other side of the door, and Ethan smiled while he awaited her response.

  “You don’t know anything about me.”

  “I know enough.”

  “I’m not like other girls.”

  “All the more reason to pursue you.”

  Silence.

  “Did I frighten you away?” he asked.

  “No…but I should go. We will never solve the mystery unless I do.”

  “Be quick about it, will you?”

  “Good-bye, Your Grace.”

  “Good-bye, Miss Quinn.”

  Chapter 13

  It was a little dog that greeted her at Sacha’s cottage upon her return. Small and white and fluffy, Angel thought she might like to take it home with her, if it weren’t for the blue satin collar it wore. The same blue satin that Gretchen Nox had been wearing that morning.

  “Hello, Gretchen,” she said, closing the garden gate behind her and following the pup up the path.

  Gretchen barked until Rowena came to the door – the human version, thankfully – and let them in. Once inside, in a whoosh and a whir, Gretchen appeared before them, fully dressed as before.

  “Let me call for Sacha,” Rowena said, moving to the back door. The cottage sat nestled amongst the dunes with a breathtaking view of the ocean from the windows along the back of the house. Between that and the flourishing garden in the front, it was quite picturesque. “Sacha!”

  Through the window, Angel caught a glimpse of the dark beauty. She was standing on the beach, watching the waves, her arms wrapped about her, as if to guard from the wind. But at Rowena’s summons, she turned and walked toward them, reaching the door moments later.

  “You’ve returned,” she said, noting Angel’s presence.

  “With news.” Sacha gestured for them all to sit, so Angel took a seat in a little spindly chair that creaked under her weight. “He says I take away his pain.”

  “His pain?” Rowena repeated.

  “An awful headache that plagues him night and day. He says the only time he feels relief is when I’m in the same room with him, and then it’s as if it was never there to begin with.”

  “You’re healing him,” Sacha said. “Which explains why you’re losing all your energy.

  Gretchen clapped her hands together. “A healing witch!”

  “A healing witch?” Angel repeated.

  “Well, this explains everything.” Rowena turned to Sacha, who had remained silent and stoic throughout all this. “When shall we perform the ceremony?”

  “As soon as possible. Come tomorrow morning, before sunrise.”

  Angel wasn’t certain what was going on, but she couldn’t very well miss her cousins’ weddings. “Can’t it wait? I’ve come all this way for the weddings, and I simply can’t miss them.”

  Sacha cocked her head to the side. “Is your duke going to be at the weddings?”

  By her wand, she hadn’t even thought of that. She nodded, feeling defeated. “He will be.”

  “Then you’ll only cause a scene when you faint in the pew.”

  Sacha was right, of course. She couldn’t very well make it through an entire wedding ceremony in the same room as His Grace. “What is this ceremony you speak of?” she asked, accepting that she’d have to miss the weddings.

  “A witch must be initiated into her magic, especially a healing witch. Of all the witches, you are at the greatest risk of harming yourself.”

  “How so?” Angel wondered.

  “Because using your magic means giving of yourself,” Rowena said, her voice lilting and gentle compared to Sacha’s.

  “A healing witch sacrifices her own health for the sake of others.”

  “Meaning, you lose energy more quickly than any other type of witch.”

  “However,” Sacha said, putting a stop to the twins’ back-and-forth, “it is odd you lose so very much energy with only this one man. There is something else there.”

  “Then will the ritual even work?” Angel asked.

  “It will help, if nothing else.” Sacha looked past Angel out the window. “You need to return to Keyvnor quickly.”

  Angel followed the witch’s gaze to see storm clouds on the horizon. Sacha was right – she didn’t have much time.

  “We will see you in the morning,” Gretchen said.

  “Before sunrise,” Sacha reminded her.

  And with that, Angel darted out of the cottage and ran all the way back to Castle Keyvnor. She made it to the start of the long drive just as the first few raindrops began to fall, so despite the fact her lungs were positively on fire, she couldn’t stop. By the time she arrived at the steps of the castle, she was spotted with rain, but blessedly not soaked through. Morris greeted her and took her coat. With a thank you to the butler, she took herself off to her chambers, eager to change into her nightclothes and go to bed early. She thought of going to dinner, but surely the duke would be there again, and she didn’t fancy the idea of fainting into her soup. So she rang for Betsy, and when the little maid arrived, Angel requested her supper be brought to her chamber.

  Once she’d eaten, she nuzzled beneath the covers and opened the book her aunts had snuck into her carpet bag. Mystic Wisdom: A Guide for Beginner Witches. But she’d not even got past the introduction before there came a knock at her door.

  It couldn’t be Betsy – she always barged in without any sort of warning. But Angel wasn’t interested in getting out of bed just then, so she called, “Enter!”

  “I wish I could,” came a familiar voice through the door.

  Heavens!

  She threw the covers back and darted across the room. “Your Grace?” How she wished she could open the door.

  “Did you find the person who could help us?”

  She nodded, even though he couldn’t see her. “I did. Are you still foxed?”

  His laughter permeated the thick wood of the door. “Thankfully, no. But I can’t stay long. Please tell me you have good news.”

  “I do. I will know more tomorrow.”

  “Will you be at the wedding?”

  “No,” she replied. “So you may attend without worry.”

  “When will I see you next?”

  Angel pressed her cheek against the cool wood, wishing more than anything that she could see him face to face. “I don’t know. But I will find you.”

  “I will wait.” There was a pause, and then, “Goodnight, my Angel.”

  Her heart felt lighter than it ever had, knowing that tomorrow she would fix what was wrong between them. She barely knew him – they’d hardly spent five minutes at a time in one another’s company – and yet, she knew that tomorrow’s ceremony was for him just as much as it was for her.

  Chapter 14

  Angel knew she cou
ldn’t tell Betsy where she was going, or why, so she decided to sleep sitting up to ensure she was up in time to be at the cottage before sunrise. It proved to be a good idea, since sitting up was a dreadful way to try and sleep. By the time four o’clock came around, Angel was too uncomfortable and too anxious to try to rest anymore. Dressing alone and by the light of a single candle proved to be rather difficult, but she somehow managed it, and she was on her way to the cottage in no time.

  The cold nipped at Angel’s nose and made her eyes water as she trudged through the darkness toward the village. It was still and quiet, a peaceful balm to her anxious soul. She wondered what the day would bring. Would she feel differently after the ritual? How long would the ceremony take? What would she have to do? So many thoughts and questions whirled around in her head, until at last she was faced with the gates of the cottage. No animals greeted her this morning, and when she arrived at the door, there was no answer.

  She followed the garden path around the side of the house and then through the dunes until she saw them. There, on the beach, were the three witches, positioned around a roaring fire. Rowena saw her first and offered a big smile as she bid Angel to come join them.

  While Angel had been a part of many a ritual with her aunts over the years, what happened in the hours that followed her arrival were completely foreign to her. They danced about the fire for some time, then the three women all threw something into the flames to represent themselves –a bird feather from Rowena, a bulrush from Sacha, and a blue satin ribbon from Gretchen – all while reciting an incantation three times over.

  It wasn’t until they made Angel lie down in a circle of translucent crystals that she felt the transformation begin. While inside the circle, with her palms turned up to the heavens and her eyes shut tightly, she could feel the strength of the moon within her. Her senses came alive, and everything felt more real than it ever had. She could hear every droplet of water in the waves that crashed upon the shore. She could feel every grain of sand beneath her. Everything had life, everything had a soul. She had never felt so alive, so filled with light and joy and awareness. She didn’t want it to end, and at the same time, she wished to experience life as the new person she knew she’d just become.

  Ethan’s headache wasn’t any better in the morning, though he felt a little glimmer of hope as he sat in his seat between Holly and Ivy. If all went well, there was a chance he’d be able to be in the same room as Angel sometime soon. Of course, he hoped sooner than later, for he simply could not tolerate this pounding in his head much longer.

  Ivy shifted beside him, drawing his attention to her. She seemed a bit restless and distracted this morning. “Are you all right?” he inquired.

  She smiled up at him, though it didn’t quite meet her eyes. “Of course, I adore weddings, don’t you?”

  Ethan frowned. “You don’t seem like yourself.”

  She shrugged with the nonchalance of a petulant child. “You, of course, seem exactly as you always do.”

  What the devil was he going to do with her? He shook his head as he turned back to the reverend, who was just beginning the ceremony. Blessedly, it was short and to the point, ending with the happy grooms kissing their happy brides at the reverend’s bidding.

  The crowd began to mingle and disperse, and before they could manage to leave the Great Hall, Lord Michael Beck appeared before them. But he didn’t pay much mind to Ethan, rather he marched right up to Ivy and lifted her fingers to his lips.

  “My lady.”

  Ivy stared up at Beck as if he’d personally hung the moon and all the stars in the sky. “My lord,” she replied, batting her lashes.

  And then, without warning, he turned to Ethan, hand outstretched, and said, “Westbury, I would appreciate an audience if you have a moment.”

  Ethan looked to Ivy and then back to Beck, a bit confused. What in the world had he missed here? “Indeed?”

  Ivy didn’t seem too keen on the idea, though. “Lord Michael, I hardly think—”

  “My lady,” Beck stopped her, “I did not request an audience with you.”

  Ivy clamped her lips together, and Ethan had to work hard to keep his lips from turning up into a smile. It seemed his little sister had finally met her match. “As luck would have it, Beck, I do have a few moments to spare right now.”

  “Ethan!” Ivy cried, reaching out to grab him. But he sidestepped her before she could make contact.

  “If you would like an audience with me, Ivy, you’ll have to wait your turn.”

  Ivy gaped at him. He was quite enjoying this, in spite of the pain in his head.

  “After you, Beck.” Ethan gestured to the opposite side of the hall, and Beck led the way.

  Once they were tucked into a private corner, Lord Michael took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. “I would like permission to court your sister.”

  After that little display, Ethan suspected as much, but even with his blessing, it wouldn’t do Beck any good. Ivy had very specific ideas about how her life would play out and whom she would share that life with. Beck was neither his father’s heir nor his spare. Ethan blew out a long breath. “I could grant you my permission, but she’ll never accept you. You must know that.”

  Beck’s face contorted just a bit. “She might have me,” he said, his tone quiet, his demeanor unsure. Poor man seemed to have fallen for Ivy already.

  “And the sun might burn purple in the sky tomorrow instead of its usual yellow,” Ethan said, trying to be realistic and not crush the man’s spirits at the same time. “But the odds are that it won’t. You are simply not the sort of fellow she has her heart set on. I’d hate to see you think otherwise.”

  Beck gave a little nod of understanding. “As long as I have your permission, Westbury, I will do my best to acquire hers.”

  Ethan snorted. “You have more fortitude than I would have suspected.”

  There was a pause, and then Beck continued, “In the interest of full disclosure, I feel I should tell you that I am going into trade. I do hope that won’t change your mind on the matter.”

  Ethan lifted a brow. “Trade?”

  “Copper Mining.”

  If the man had thought Ethan would think less of him for going into trade, he was mistaken. Times were changing, and a man had to make the necessary adjustments in order to survive. “I understand there’s a great need for cooper with the war.”

  “A profitable endeavor,” Beck agreed with a nod. “Lady Ivy would never want for anything.”

  At that, Ethan couldn’t help but laugh. “My dear Lord Michael, my sister wants for everything, as we are being honest with each other.” He shook his head, thinking of his headstrong sister. “Though it may not matter at all as I believe you have much more confidence in your ability to secure her heart than I have.”

  “She has my heart.” Beck glanced at something – or someone – over Ethan’s shoulder, and he could only assume it was Ivy. “So I do have to try.”

  Ethan understood. And if he planned to court a witch, he couldn’t very well say anything about Ivy courting a man going into trade. “In that case, I do wish you the best of luck in your endeavors, and I do believe you will need it.”

  Chapter 15

  The sound of waves crashing against the shore brought Angel gently to consciousness. She squinted up at fluffy, silver-lined clouds, and then closed her eyes again. Something had happened. But what? What had transpired that led to her sleeping on the shore?

  Whispers from nearby prompted her to push up onto her elbows and look about. The ocean crashed to the sand beyond her feet, shimmering crystals surrounded her in a giant circle, and not far away sat her three newest friends, Sacha, Rowena, and Gretchen.

  Rowena glanced over her shoulder and then looked again, realizing Angel was awake.

  “Look!” she cried, as she stumbled to her feet and then rushed to Angel’s side. “We thought you’d never wake up.”

  “How do you feel?” asked Gretchen, joining her twin
on the sand.

  Sacha sauntered across the beach more slowly than the others, but her dark eyes said she was just as curious.

  “I feel…” Angel looked down at her gown, the same one she’d been wearing when she’d left Castle Keyvnor that morning. At least, she hoped it was that morning. She didn’t care to find out she’d lost another day. “Much the same, really.”

  “The true test,” Sacha said, kneeling down on the other side of her, opposite the twins, “will be to see if you and your duke can be in the same room together.”

  “He’s not exactly my duke.” Heat infused Angel’s cheeks. It was true he wasn’t her duke, but part of her hoped he might be. Of course, it was too soon to say they’d make a good pair, but after all this, it would be foolish not to at least explore the possibility.

  Sacha looked up at the sky, where the sun was just beginning to make its descent toward the ocean. “It will be dark soon.”

  “And I hear there is a ball this evening at the castle,” Rowena put in, her bright blue eyes alight with excitement.

  “There is.” Angel pushed against the soft, cool sand beneath her until she was on her feet. The others followed suit as she shook out her gown and took a deep breath of the fresh, salty air. “Come to think of it, perhaps I do feel different,” she said, smiling at her new friends as memories of the early-morning ceremony came back to her. “Thank you. All of you.” She hadn’t had a lot of friends in her life, but she knew that there were none truer than the ones who stood before her now. “I will be back soon.”

  “Happy Christmas, Angel,” Gretchen said, stepping forward and pulling Angel into her embrace.

  Rowena was next. “Yes, a very Happy Christmas to you, my dear.”

  Angel smiled at them both and then turned to Sacha, who stood quietly, stoically, to the side. “If you should ever need anything…” She broke off and clamped her lips together into something that almost resembled a half-smile.

  A lump came to Angel’s throat, and she reached out to take Sacha’s hand. “Thank you,” she said. “For everything.”