Mark of the Witch (Boston Witches) (9 page)

“So, Jill, when are we going to start my training?” Caroline asked.

“I guess whenever you want; we have nothing but time right now.” She finished her muffin and pushed her plate away. “Do you want to start right now?”

Caroline looked both nervous and excited as she said, “Sure.”

Jilly started Caroline off easy; they worked on simple conjuring spells for about an hour.

“You did really well, Car; you conjured the water into the cup one out of three tries. Next time we’ll try a quick change spell. Until then, I want you to practice what you learned today until you can conjure the water on the first try.”

Looking tired but thoroughly pleased with herself, Caroline nodded and went upstairs to rest.

William, who had been sitting by the fire watching the lesson, came over and sat at the table with Jilly. “You’re so patient with her. I’m not sure I could be as patient if I were teaching.”

“I’m just trying to be how my mom was when she taught me. It’s a lot harder then you’d think to control your power when you’re first learning. It can be really maddening.” She trailed off at the end, looking down at her hands.

Sensing that something was amiss, William asked, “What is on your mind, Jilly?”

“Well,” she said tentatively, suddenly feeling very nervous, “last night I couldn’t sleep. So I went into the den and grabbed a random book to read. It turned out to be Liza’s diary.” She stopped there, trying to gauge his expression.

“I see,” he said in a flat voice. “So I gather you’ve found out about Patrick then, hmm?”

“Well yeah, I did. Why didn’t you tell me about him when we talked before?”

“Some things are too painful to talk about.”

“What happened to him, where is he now? Is he like you?”

William’s eyes darkened in anger as he looked at her. “You should know what happened if you read Liza’s diary.” He turned his face away from her and looked into the fire.

She had never seen him angry in the short time she had known him and it made her feel a bit uneasy.

“There were pages ripped out. Someone obviously didn’t want people to see what Liza wrote. I only know that his name is Patrick and that he is your brother.”

He was still for a while, looking into the fire. Finally he spoke in measured tones. “I do not wish to speak of Patrick; his memory is too painful even after so much time has passed. Give me some time to think.” He pushed his chair back and walked quickly outside to the back porch.

Jilly watched him pace back and forth on the small deck through the window. Seeing the pain in his eyes when he said his brother’s name made her feel guilty for even bringing it up. As he stopped in front of the railing and looked out into the forest, the small bench that sat against the wall raced toward him and he sat down.

After a few more minutes of watching him, Jilly got up and went upstairs to her room. Grabbing the diary, she went into the den and curled up on the couch to read more of Liza’s thoughts.

May 17

Mary has been distant. I do not know how to change her feelings toward me. Her silence is like a knife through my heart; I feel as though I am half a person without her. Papa is talking of sending her to North Carolina to stay with Mama’s sister Prudence. I feel I will die if we are separated. William has also changed; he is short tempered and often melancholy. He is growing impatient with our long engagement; he wants to be married and away from here. I love him now more than ever, but Papa’s feelings toward him have changed and I fear the worst.

More pages were missing after that entry, and the rest of what was left was useless to Jilly. Sighing in frustration, she threw the book at the wall and laid her head back against the armrest.

Hearing the thump from her room, Caroline quickly came in to see what had happened. “Everything ok in here?”

“Yeah, sorry,” Jilly said sheepishly. “I want information and there’s none readily available. I’m just being sulky, don’t mind me.” Wanting to change the subject, she quickly asked, “Have you talked to Jack at all today?”

Caroline frowned. “Yeah, briefly; he left me like thirty voicemails, so I finally called him back. He keeps asking when I’m coming home, but I don’t know what to tell him yet. I told him to just give me the space I need while I try and figure this out. He told me they never did anything; they just talked and listened to each other’s problems. It almost makes it worse for me, that he could share his life with this woman, but he wouldn’t let me in. Was I that horrible of a wife that I drove him to someone else?” She put her face in her hands.

“It was nothing you did; don’t do that to yourself. It was lousy what he did, but if you can find it in you to forgive him, I think you should. And if you do forgive him, you need to move past it and get on with your lives. This could be a good thing for you guys; it can open up the lines of communication between you that he had closed off. I’m not trying to push you either way, I’ll support you in whatever you choose, and you’ll always have a place here.”

Wiping a tear from her face, Caroline hugged Jilly before sitting down. “Thanks, Jill. You know, I keep picturing him with her, imagining them on dates or whatever it was they did together, and it makes me want to throw up. I don’t know if I can believe him when he says they never went past talking. How can you let it go on for a year and only talk? As much as I hate what he’s done, I’m glad it brought me back home to you.”

Both of them smiled and Jilly squeezed her sister’s hand.

The sound of the back door slamming snapped both girls to attention. Jilly cringed at the sound.

“That would be William. We had a conversation he wasn’t exactly thrilled with earlier and he went outside to brood.”

“Let him come to you, Jill; he’ll talk when he’s ready. On a lighter note, I’ve been practicing for the last thirty minutes or so and I think I’m getting the hang of it. Watch this.”

Caroline got up and stood in front of the desk. A few seconds later, a glass of water with a lemon wedge appeared in front of her.

“Ok, now you’re just showing off,” Jilly said, laughing. “No, but really, that’s very good. You’re doing much better than I did at this stage; it took me days to get it right. If you want we can move on to quick-change spells now. You seem to have mastered conjuring pretty well. You should be able to conjure most anything now; you just need to picture the item you’re conjuring in your mind as you say the spell.”

Caroline made a face and closed her eyes in concentration, her lips moving silently. Two bowls of ice cream appeared in front of her on the desk. “This magic stuff is actually kind of fun,” she said with a grin as she brought a bowl over to Jilly and sat down.

The girls ate their ice cream while Jilly described the basics of the new spell. “This is a great spell for women; you can change your eye and hair color. Also, you can change the overall appearance of your face and body. It usually lasts about ten hours, so if you need it for longer, you just need to recast before the original wears off. Does that make sense to you?”

Caroline nodded her head while concentrating. By the end of an hour, she had managed to change the color of one eye, and put a black streak on one side of her hair.

“Well, I’m certainly glad this is only temporary,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m going to take a nap. I’ll see you at dinner.”

“Great work today. Go and enjoy your nap; you’ve earned it.”

Caroline left, and Jilly grabbed the phone off the desk and punched in Emily’s number.

Emily answered on the first ring. “Jilly? Is everything ok? I’ve been so worried.”

Jilly assured her that everything was fine. “I just wanted to fill you in on what’s been going on since yesterday.” She told her about Caroline finally accepting what she was and learning to harness her power, and about the kiss she shared with William.

“I knew it! I knew you two would end up hooking up,” Emily said triumphantly.

“We didn’t hook up. It was just a kiss; it didn’t go any further,” Jilly said defensively.

“I didn’t mean anything by it; I just knew you would be good together. Plus I saw the way he looked at you during lunch yesterday. He looked like he’d like nothing better than to carry you around in his pocket and protect you. That mixed with a strong desire to rip your clothes off.” Both girls laughed at the last part.

“He’s staying here for the time being, so we’ll see what does or doesn’t happen between us.”

Jilly wanted to tell Emily about the diary, and Patrick, but that felt like it would be a betrayal to William, so she just asked how the baby was doing.

“Oh, we’re both great. We had an appointment yesterday.” Her voice thick with excitement, Emily blurted out, “We’re having a girl! I broke down and asked the doctor yesterday, I couldn’t wait to find out.”

“Em, that’s wonderful! I bet Adam is over the moon.”

“Yeah, he was so excited when we found out. As much as he’d like a boy, this little girl has already got him wrapped around her little finger.”

“Well, I’m really excited for you guys. I can’t wait to buy all sorts of pink.” There was a soft knock at the door and William’s face appeared in the crack as he opened it. Jilly held up a finger and told Emily she had to go, and she would call her tomorrow. She put the phone down, feeling nervous about talking to him. “I’m sorry I brought up Patrick. I didn’t realize…”

“No, its ok, you didn’t know, how could you?” William came and sat down next to her on the couch. He reached for her hand and brushed her knuckles lightly with his lips. Butterflies zoomed around in Jilly’s stomach. “I’m sorry I reacted that way. It wasn’t your fault and I behaved appallingly. Will you forgive me?” He looked at her hopefully, his eyebrows raised in question.

“There’s nothing to forgive. You had every right to react to that. I took you by surprise.”

They both leaned back into the cushions and William pulled Jilly close to him. He inhaled her scent, losing himself in her magic.

“I do want to tell you about Patrick; I just don’t know if I’m ready yet. Will you give me time?”

“As much as you need, when you’re ready, I’m here.”

They shifted down on the couch until William was lying on his back, with his head on the armrest, and Jilly was lying with her head on his chest. She fell asleep listening to the sound of him breathing. She slept a dreamless sleep.

They woke up three hours later, feeling refreshed.

“I love naps; I think there should be a law saying naps are mandatory every afternoon,” Jilly said, stretching.

“I agree. That was exactly what I needed today.” Looking at his watch, William discovered it was getting close to dinner time. “What do you want to do for dinner? I was thinking I could make steak and maybe baked potatoes and a salad. I’ll probably run to the store and grab what I need; do you need anything while I’m out?”

“Um yeah, pick up some Coke, and some ice cream; I was thinking of making milkshakes for dessert.”

“I should probably go now. I will be back soon. If you have any problems at all, call my cell and I’ll come right back.”

Jilly wanted to make a smart remark, but she bit her tongue when she saw the look of concern on William’s face. She knew he was worried about leaving her by herself, but she was sure she would be fine. “Ok, see you when you get back then.” He leaned in and kissed her before walking downstairs.

Smiling to herself, she wandered into her room lazily and flopped down on her bed. She was happy. For the first time in at least a year, she felt content with where her life was. Sabine not considered. She felt like something could really be happening with William, and she was excited to find out where it went. She lay on the bed, imagining what it would be like to date him when things got normal again. She thought about holding hands at the movies, and goodnight kisses at the front door. She wanted all of that, and with someone who understood her the way he did. She was smiling when Caroline came in and sat down next to her on the bed.

“You look like the cat that ate the canary, Jill. What is that face about?”

“I’m just happy I guess.”

“How on earth are you happy with everything that’s happening right now? First you have me, your crazy twin sister, breaking into your life with crazy drama, and then you have Sabine, who may or may not want to hurt or kill you.”

“I’m happy you’re home, and I’m happy we’re getting close like we used to be. This is what I’ve wanted since we were thirteen, Car. And then there’s William…”

Caroline smiled. “Ah, there is William, isn’t there? I should have guessed. So what’s happened between you two to make you feel so giddy?”

“Nothing really; we’ve kissed a few times. There’s just this connection we have. I feel like I’ve known him my whole life, like my life is complete. It’s like nothing can happen as long as he’s here. Which is silly, I know, not to mention old fashioned, but it’s a nice feeling. I get the warm fuzzies when I’m with him,” Jilly said, laughing.

“Where is he, anyway?”

“He ran to the store to get some groceries. If you need anything, you can text him from my phone.” She grabbed her phone off the nightstand. Caroline shook her head.

“I’m fine for a while. What’s for dinner anyway?”

“William says steak and potatoes and maybe a salad.”

“That sounds great. I could murder a steak right now I’m so hungry.”

Jilly laughed at that. “It’s all the spell work you’ve been doing today; that always makes you hungry. Do you remember me when I started my training? I thought I was going to gain a hundred pounds. You’ll feel a lot better once you eat. Why don’t you grab a snack? Dinner probably won’t be for at least another couple hours.”

“Ok, I’m going to head down then. Are you coming?” Caroline gestured to the door.

“No, I think I’m going to take a bath while I have the time. You go ahead though and I’ll be down in forty-five minutes or so.”

Caroline left, and Jilly went into the bathroom and turned on the water. She poured in some bath salts, and went to grab a trashy romance novel from the den; she always felt like those went well with a bath. Once the tub was full, she turned on the jets and climbed in. She settled herself against the back of the tub and pulled her hair up into a knot and started to read.