Strike at Midnight(57)

“Rella,” Mia said with a sigh, and she linked arms with Melody when I gave her my attention. “Are you forgetting what I am?”

“You can magic up gowns?” I asked, thinking that being a witch wasn’t a bad thing to be at all if it meant being saved from the poking, prodding, and jabbing of a dressmaker.

“Let’s just say I can change the appearance of them.”

Her smug face made me smile. “Now I see why you travel light.”

She laughed, and Melody linked arms with me so we were like a daisy chain of people.

“I’ll add it to the package of enjoying this weekend for payment. Do you agree I can stay?”

“Sure,” I said, knowing that I didn’t really have a choice. “Just behave yourself.”

“Never do,” she said, and the four of us entered the castle with laughter on our lips.





*



“Ladies,” Sir Raymond said as he walked over to meet us in the grand lobby of the castle. A few people had started to arrive, so bodies were standing and chattering among servants who were weaving around everywhere to get them sorted. It was polite chaos, and I was relieved to see Sir Raymond. The guy was growing on me.

“Good to see you again, Sir Raymond,” I said, and he came forward and gave each of us a kiss on our hands in turn.

“I see you have made it here with good timing,” he said, standing back with a happy look on his face. It looked like he had hit the red early.

“Thank you for sending the carriage for us.”

“Oh, you’re very welcome, my dear.” He cast his eyes across us and did a double-take at Mia. We weren’t the only ones who had been expecting a witch of a different appearance to turn up. “It’s been arranged for us to convene in the library in one hour if that suits you all.” He leaned in so he could be heard when he lowered his voice. “I thought it best we come up with a plan on how we’re going to go about questioning people this weekend.”

He waved over at two harried servants and reeled off instructions about showing us to our rooms. He glanced at the witch and paused. “Three rooms, weren’t it?” he asked, and I mouthed “four” back to him. “Very well,” he said, doing well to slide past his flicker of surprise. “Please show all four ladies to their own room, and set up an additional one. With haste.”

The servants bowed to do his bidding, and I wanted to ask where the hell all of our stuff was. But Rapunzel saved me.

“Trust me, servants work their own magic,” she said as we followed the servants up a grand staircase. “Our things will probably make it there before we do.”

“We need to make our way to the dungeons,” I said, loud enough for only my group to hear. “That will be our first port of call.”

“Rella,” a voice came from behind us as we reached the top of the stairs, and I slowly turned around, knowing exactly whose voice it was. Shit. I had hoped to avoid him for a bit longer.

“Prince Andrew,” I said, being a good girl and giving him a curtsey as he came up the stairs behind us. The others did the same as the servants bowed, and it looked like it was left up to me to speak to him. “Thank you very much for the invitation to your country ball. We are extremely grateful for such an invite.”

He took a step closer to me and lifted my hand to kiss it. He was obviously pleased to see me wearing one of the gowns he had sent.

“It is I who should be grateful,” he said, full of charm. I could see why he had gotten the name Prince Charming. His moves had to be admired as he gave the rest of the women a warm welcome, and they all looked like they were lapping it up. I made sure I kept a close eye on Mia.

“We are meeting with Sir Raymond in the library shortly,” Rapunzel said, and it was there and then that I decided she needn’t worry about finding a cure for her curse because I was going to kill her.

“I am aware,” he said, and Rapunzel winked at me when the prince turned in my direction. Seriously. I was going to kill her for dragging him further into this. “It was actually my idea,” he continued, with a look on his face that expressed he was very pleased with himself for doing so. “I thought it best we discuss things beforehand.”

Now he was an expert.

“Thank you, Your Highness,” I said, but my words were tight when I spoke.

“I will let you get settled in your rooms, but please…if there is anything you need during your stay, do not hesitate to let me know, and I shall see it done.”

“Rella has a few requests about what you can do for her,” Melody said, and I subtly stomped on her foot. Unfortunately, it just made her laugh, because the day slippers we had been forced to wear on our damn feet were a little bit more than fabric.

“She can have anything she wishes,” he said, his eyes on me and only for me, “and more.”

The gulp my throat had inadvertently conjured up was audible, and I had to save myself before my so-called friends and a witch decided to intervene any further.

“We should get going,” I said, but my eyes wouldn’t leave his. He was looking at me in that way again. The one that was speaking volumes to me in a way where there were no words and my heart was listening. Damn heart. Damn head. Damn everything.

A cough from my right broke the spell and made me jump out of my skin, but I was grateful for it. The disruption forced us to break eye contact, and the spell was broken once more.