Changeling (Sorcery and Society Book 1)(68)

The Mother Book,” I whispered. “They say they don’t trust me with the Mother Book because they don’t know anything about me. They expect results. And then I sassed them. I sassed them severely. What if they look into my background? They’re going to find out about me.”

“Stop,” Owen said, giving my shoulders a light shake. “You can’t talk like that, not now when there are ears everywhere. Mother will fix it. You’ll see. Mother will find some information or some weakness in the men on the commission and she’ll exploit it. You are going to be fine. I need you to listen to me. You are going to be safe. I promise. I just need you to take some deep breaths and go back out to the party before the guests start to suspect something is wrong.”

I nodded. I just needed a moment of quiet and calm. “Could I have a few minutes to myself?”

“Of course,” he said, stepping away from me. “Just a few minutes. I am going to go get you some water. I’ll be right back.”

I nodded and closed my eyes. I had to keep calm. I had to keep that courage that had me firing back at Mr. Crenshaw as if he had no right to question me. I had to look every inch the confident Coven Guild member. I took deep breaths, commanding my heartbeat to slow. I wished Phillip was here to chirp and coo in my ear. That always seemed to help.

Within moments, someone threw the door open. I turned toward the noise to find Mary standing there in her black and white maid’s uniform, her face purple with rage. I stepped back, hindered by my giant skirts. My fingers fanned out, and I felt a hot energy running down my arms, gathering in the metal on my palms.

“This is your fault,” Mary growled at me in a way that had me reaching for my reticule and the blade hidden inside.

I gasped. “What’s my fault? Are Mum and Papa all right?”

“If you’d just been a decent sister to me! If you’d just done what I asked! But no, you had to be selfish and steal the life I wanted, the life I deserve. I’m the one who should be out there, in a fancy dress, laughing with Owen. I shouldn’t be stuck back in the kitchen working my fingers to the bone.”

I tipped my head back and rolled my eyes so hard that they ached. After all this, that was Mary’s main concern. Owen. My life hung in the balance. Magical society could be at stake. The dead were walking. And Mary was still obsessed with Owen.

“I’m so sick of hearing about your stupid crush on Owen Winter, Mary,” I sighed. “There’s more happening in the world beyond your doomed, pointless feelings for a boy who doesn’t want anything to do with you. But you can’t see past yourself. You’ve never been able to see past what you want, the shiny thing just out of your reach. Well, I’m done protecting you from yourself, Mary. You’re just going to have to grow up!”

“Owen loves me.”

“Owen’s first instinct is to turn around and run away whenever he sees you.”

“You’re lying.”

“Tell me one thing you love about Owen,” I asked her. “Tell me one thing about him, that doesn’t have anything to do with his money or his looks, that makes you think he’s the love of your life.”

“He’s so… he… well, you can just tell by the way he looks at me that he’s thoughtful and kind and courtly,” Mary stammered.

“Owen Winter is a lot of things, but courtly is not one of them,” I told her. “Owen is kind, sometimes, and he can be thoughtful. But you have to work through a lot of layers of self-interest and sarcasm before he lets you see that. He has no patience for people who only want to be near him because he’s a Winter. I know this because I’ve taken the time to be his friend. Mary, the person you think you’re in love with doesn’t exist. You’ve risked us all, you’ve embarrassed me, made me cover for you when you misbehaved, all because of some fairy tale in your head.”

“Well, I’m not the one pretending to be someone I’m not!” Mary practically shrieked. “I’m not a Snipe in Guild Guardian clothing! You think you’re one of them, but you’re not! You’re just like me, Sarah! You’re nothing special!”

A sly, new voice asked, “Is that so?”

Over Mary’s shoulder, I saw Callista framed in the doorway, a triumphant smile curling her carefully painted red mouth.

“Callista, don’t,” I said.

“Are you saying Cassandra is a Snipe?” Callista asked Mary, her tone ingratiating as she stepped closer, removing her Queen of Hearts mask.

“Yes, Sarah is my sister. We’re both Snipes,” Mary insisted, shoving her mussed hair back from her face. “We’ve served Raven’s Rest all of our lives, until Sarah was sent to your fancy school.”

“Mary, be quiet,” I said, shoving her back behind me. “Callista, she doesn’t know what she’s saying. I think she’s ill or enchanted. Something is obviously wrong with her.”

“I’m not ill!” Mary shouted. “I’m telling the truth.”

And for the first time in my life, I struck out at Mary, not with my fists, but with magic. Wit slid out of my reticule, and I drew a symbol for “quiet” with its point.

Mary was thrown against the wall with the force of it, her lips pressed tight together.

While Mary tried to scream through her sealed mouth, I turned to the door. “Callista, surely, I can count on your discretion. Embarrass me all you want at school, but I don’t think you want to cross Mrs. Winter over an incident with a servant. Not when she’s put so much work into this ball.”