Changeling (Sorcery and Society Book 1)(9)

“The pills?” I murmured. “Those vitamins you’ve been giving me every single day since I can remember? They were suppressors?”

A change swept over Mum’s worn face, a sort of determination, stiffening her features. “We were so worried about keeping it hidden, that we didn’t spend too much time thinking about the why’s or what it would do to her in the long run.”

“No wonder the poor girl has been so sickly!” Mrs. Winter scoffed. “She’s been deprived of her magic, as if you could cut a magical being off from the very source of her life’s energy. It would be like keeping one of your Snipe children out of the sun her whole life.”

“She is one of my children,” Mum said stiffly. It was the closest she’d ever come to talking back to any of the Winters, and Mum was sassing the head of the household herself.

“Clearly, she’s not,” Mrs. Winter snapped back. “Now, we could spend this precious time dithering over what was, but I believe it would be better to ask ourselves how we progress from here. It is clear that Sarah cannot stay in your custody any longer.”

Mum made a distressed sound, which Mrs. Winter ignored.

“Being able to perform untutored magic, even with the suppressors in her bloodstream, is evidence of a rare and powerful gift. And frankly, I do not trust you to protect that sort of treasure. You cannot be allowed to care for her. You’ve nearly killed the girl with your idea of ‘doing what’s best for her.’”

“What does that mean?” my mother asked, her tight grip on my hand returned and made me wince.

Mrs. Winter eyed the marks Mum was leaving on my skin and waved her hand. A powerful invisible current separated our hands and forced Mum’s into her lap.

“Simply put, Sarah will become a member of the Winter household,” Mrs. Winter said, as if she hadn’t just psychically divided mother and child. “We will claim she’s a distant cousin, twice removed, or some such thing. There are so many Brandywine family branches, no one will have difficulty believing it. Sarah will be dressed and presented in the manner befitting a Winter relation and stay in the family wing, in the Lavender Room, I think. After a period of rest and recuperation, during which we will allow the poisons you have pumped into Sarah’s body to fade from her system, she will be sent to the Institute to study magic properly. She will be introduced to our social circles and find a useful, productive life within the Guardian community.”

Stunned, I stared at Mrs. Winter with my mouth hanging open. She was joking. She had to be. This was some sort of trick to make me compliant and hopeful before she called the Guild enforcements on me. And if it wasn’t a trick, Mrs. Winter had managed to go quickly, quietly insane over the last few minutes.

“And clearly, I will need to tutor her in etiquette and proper behavior,” Mrs. Winter said dryly. “Lesson One, dear, a lady does not leave her mouth hanging open as if she hopes to catch stray insects.”

My jaw snapped shut with a click of teeth.

“Why would you do that?” Mum asked. “Why would put yourself at risk for my child?”

“Because it will save us from certain ruin, from losing our home, our standing, our fortune, to the Coven Guild as punishment for somehow not noticing that Snipe girl managed to develop magical powers while under our protection, without us noticing. Other families have suffered as much after rumors circulated about lax supervision of their Snipes. I will not have my family name besmirched in any way because of Sarah’s abnormality.”

Mentally, I added, “harsh treatment of housekeeping staff” to Mrs. Winter’s list of qualities.

“I won’t allow it,” Mum insisted. “You can’t just steal my daughter from me.”

“You would rather lose her completely?” Mrs. Winter asked. “Because that is what will happen, when she is discovered by the Guild Enforcement. Do you really think they will just let her toddle along, flinging magic from her fingertips whenever she gets the least bit upset? She is a threat to our entire way of life. Her very existence calls into question everything we have been taught about the origins of our magic. Guild Enforcement will make ‘the problem’ disappear. She will be taken from you in the snap of a finger. And you will never see her again. We will never know what becomes of her. Even Mr. Winter doesn’t have the influence necessary to protect her from that. And you? What sort of punishment do you think you will face for trying to conceal it for all these years? My proposal is the only option available to you, if you want to continue to see your daughter. She will be here, at the house, where you and your family will be able to visit her every day.”

Mum made a helpless noise that sounded suspiciously like a sob. Mrs. Winter’s voice softened as she leaned forward in her seat and gently patted my mother’s hand. “Sarah has potential to lead a better life,” she said. “Education, comfort, and in a few years, a marriage that will elevate her situation. Isn’t that what every mother wants for their daughter?”

“I need to think about this,” Mum hedged.

“You don’t have time to think about it,” Mrs. Winter said. “I need an answer now. We must act quickly if we are to work ahead of this debacle.”

“You can’t expect me to just hand her over.”

“I can, and I do,” Mrs. Winter told her. “And my patience is wearing thin. Now, what is your answer?”