“Okay, start by telling me what Puck has to do with this. No, tell me why my boyfriend’s suddenly a lunatic.” She stopped to think. “Or you could tell me why you people are so interested in my family.”
“Why don’t I just start at the beginning, Grace?” Miles asked.
Grace leaned her head against the soft leather headrest. “That would be fine. Just start talking.”
Miles pushed a button next to the roof light, and said, “Jean-Paul, drive me home.” The car started and pulled onto the deserted street. “I’ll tell you everything, but you mustn’t be petulant. No arguing and no interrupting. I know it’s not in your nature to sit quietly, but you must try.”
“You don’t know anything about my nature.”
“I know more about you than you know about yourself. If you’d like to share in that knowledge, then you’ll need to bear with me.”
Grace folded her hands neatly in her lap and waited for Miles to continue.
“Tell me what you know about your mother’s family,” Miles said.
A picture of Grace’s mother, Emma, flashed through her mind. Perhaps because she had so recently sat studying the small box of treasures that belonged to her mother, it was a memory of the day these things had been given to her that came into her mind. It was before the cancer had really taken hold. Emma was still getting around well, and most people wouldn’t have guessed that she was dying from just looking at her. On a rainy afternoon, twelve-year-old Grace had sat listening to her mother explain the significance of the few pieces of jewelry that she wanted to make sure that Grace kept safe. They were family pieces that Grace would inherit from people she had never met.
“Her parents died when she was young. They were from an old Irish family that came through Ellis Island.” That really was the bulk of what Grace knew.
“What about her brother?” Miles raised an eyebrow.
“What brother? She was an only child.”
“No, Emma just didn’t tell you about me. I’m not surprised.”
“That’s ridiculous. You’re insane,” Grace snapped.
“Careful, you’re being petulant.”
Grace crossed her arms and glared, but she was quiet
Miles went on. “We had a major falling out when she married Theo. She chose to turn her back and walk away from her abilities and lead a normal life. I couldn’t understand her choice and shut her out. I didn’t even hear that she died until months after the fact.”
Grace just stared at him. There was nothing he was saying that could possibly be true. Then, he did something that would change everything for her. As she sat there, she felt movement in her pockets and she clamped her hands onto her jeans. Under her hands, her keys in one pocket and her phone in the other were moving. She looked down and saw the contents of her pockets slide up and out. Once freed, they darted upward and dangled in the air in front of her face. A little scream escaped her and she pulled her legs up onto the car seat in retreat.
Miles reached over and patted her knee in a fatherly way. “Relax, dear. These are just parlor tricks. Here, take your things back.” The keys and the phone landed on the seat between them.
Grace backed toward the other side of the seat. “What the hell was that?”
“That, my dear, is the reason your mother never mentioned me. She wanted a normal life without the complications of magic. She married Theo and swore that she would live like normal people do.”
“What? Like Bewitched?” Grace remembered watching the old sitcom with her mother and wondering why Emma found it so amusing. “She could do that?” Grace pointed toward her things, now still on the seat.
Miles nodded.
“Can I do that?” Grace asked.
“I don’t know. Have you ever accidentally moved something without touching it?” Miles asked.
“I don’t think so.”
“Then it’s hard to say. Puck was pulling his toys toward him as soon as he could sit up. He’s a natural, and his powers have the potential to be very strong someday. But some people need to be taught. If you want to explore the issue more, I’ll be glad to assist you.”
Grace pulled her hands through her hair. This night just kept getting weirder. “So you’re my uncle. Does Theo know this?”
“No. It’s better if he doesn’t. When I heard that Emma died, I kept an eye on you and your father. I looked out for your needs, threw a case his way now and then, anonymously of course, just to make sure you had enough money. But now you’re getting older, and out of an obligation to the family, I felt I needed to have you closer, to help you carry on the family legacy.”
A horrible thought suddenly occurred to Grace. “But you wanted me to date Cam. He’s my cousin. That’s just wrong.”
“No. Cam isn’t your cousin. Puck is.”
“I’m so confused,” Grace whispered. Mentally, she was trying to synthesize this bizarre collection of new facts, but it was all coming at her too quickly. In a world where her keys could fly out of her pocket and levitate, she could learn to accept that her mother had walked away from Miles and the life he led. At this moment in time, Grace was fully sympathizing with the need for simplicity. But it just wasn’t possible for one brother to be her cousin and for the other to not be.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she was feeling calmer, she looked up at Miles. “Explain.”
“Cam isn’t my son,” Miles said, and Grace wondered if he had ever admitted that to anyone before. “When Puck was a baby, I had a mistress. She was incredibly beautiful and kind. Cam is a lot like her. Anyway, Cam was her son from another relationship, and I grew close to him. The affair would have lasted longer, but she was killed in a car accident. She had no family and Cam would have become a ward of the state, so I took him in. I told Puck’s mother that he was a distant relative. She took to the boy right away. Even as a toddler, he had a magnetism and warmth that drew people to him. When Puck’s mother died, I lost both of the women I loved in the same year.”
“And Cam doesn’t know?”
“Maybe I should have told the boys the truth, but in my mind, Cam is mine. Telling him would be to risk losing him.”
Grace remembered how devastated she and Theo had been when her mother died. Was Miles really wrong to try to avoid more loss in his life?
“Is that the whole story?” she asked.
“There’s always more, but that’s what you need to know tonight. Now we need to talk about your choices. I believe you left a bit of a mess back there in the park.”
“I almost forgot.” One loose end still lingered in her mind. “How did Puck know where I was?”
“Who do you think is responsible for this mess?” Miles asked and laughed quietly. “My son tries to follow instructions, but unfortunately, he has poor impulse control. I suspect that he’s strayed from the plan.”
“What makes you think that?”
“I’ve been watching him torture Cam for fifteen years. Let me guess, Cam is suddenly in love with Chloe?”
“How did you know?” Grace couldn’t believe there was anything left that could surprise her at this point, but there truly was no way Miles could know this.
“Call it fatherly intuition. Now, we can talk about how to fix it.”
Midnight
As soon as Miles and Grace arrived at the building in which they lived, Miles hustled her up to the penthouse. He was already subjected to a great deal of rumor and conjecture about his comings and goings. The last thing he needed was for someone to see him entering his building with a seventeen-year-old girl in the middle of the night. He guided her by the elbow as they scurried through the lobby of the building. Julius held the door for them and looked at Grace. “Are you all right, Miss Gracie?”
Grace smiled at Julius. “I’m fine, just tired. Mr. Oberon saw me out walking and wanted to make sure I got home okay.”
Looking at Grace, Miles could see the wear and tear of the evening on her face. Her normally bright eyes looked dull a
nd her lids looked heavy. The girl was clearly exhausted, but he needed for her to stay up just a bit longer. There was still a big mess in the works, and three of the people involved were part of his family. As the elevator door closed behind them, he asked, “How are you holding up?”
She leaned against the brass handrail that wrapped waist-high around the middle of the elevator. “I’ll be fine. I’ve just never had a night quite like this one. I think it’s taken the wind out of me.” She went quiet for a moment before she put her hand to her stomach. “Actually, this is strange, but I’m starving. Is that normal? I’ve just learned about a new half of my family, that they are some kind of magicians or something, and suddenly all I can think about is food.”
Miles looked at his watch. “It’s nearly midnight. Dinner was a long time ago.” The elevator reached the penthouse and they stepped off. “Titania’s in the house, which means she’s had the refrigerator stocked with good food. Her tastes are a bit more extraordinary than what we three boys like to eat.”
Instead of the kitchen, Miles walked her toward the office and held the door for her. “I’ll go make you some food. Wait for me here. I have something I want you to see while you’re waiting.” He motioned toward an enormous chair that was upholstered in luxurious chocolate brown leather. Grace climbed into it and for a moment Miles was afraid she would fall asleep.
“Stay awake, you’ll want to see this.” He walked behind his desk and pulled open a low drawer. From it, he pulled a leather-bound photo album. “This is from when your mother and I were growing up. I have a feeling you haven’t seen any of these pictures.”
Grace suddenly sat up straight. She didn’t seem quite so tired anymore. Miles approached her and handed her the album. He sat on the edge of her chair, but not too close. He didn’t want to make her nervous. “I can’t tell you what your mother would have wanted, but I want you to be part of our family. There’s more to this whole story, and we’ll get to that, but I think that the first thing you should do is get to know your history a little. Then we can talk about the future.”
Miles stood and walked out, closing the door behind him. There was more to the story, and Grace was smart enough to find the path to it if he gave her a few minutes. She was overwhelmed and tired, and he couldn’t force any more information on her tonight. However, once she found a couple of clues, she would ask for the rest of the story. She would demand it. And he would answer her questions.
The last thing he expected to see when he walked into the kitchen was a half-naked Titania making an enormous vegetable sandwich. Her dark hair slid over the white satin of her short robe. Her dark bare feet padded across the bright marble floor tiles as she went to the refrigerator and began to dig around.
“What are you looking for?” Miles asked casually. Titania didn’t ever eat anything as unrefined as a sandwich, and there certainly wasn’t room in the refrigerator for a bale of hay. He couldn’t think of what else donkeys ate. Was it oats?
At the sound of his voice, Titania turned toward him. Her face was flushed and her eyes had a sort of blissed-out look to them. “Oh, it’s you.” She muttered and turned back to her hunt through the icebox.
“This is quite a feast, dear. Have you taken to eating in the middle of the night?” He knew that he’d have to call Tadhg for an antidote eventually, but watching Titania cook for donkey boy was too great to end right away.
“My lover is hungry. He needs a lot of food to keep his strength up.” Titania stated simply.
“Why not send Ana to get his food?”
“Ana has gotten him food, twice. She must think I’ve gone mad.” Titania leaned against a counter and slumped a little. “My lover requires a lot of care.” When she looked up again, she was smiling broadly. Miles could tell that she was more than willing to exhaust herself for the love of this idiot boy.
Miles walked over to her and pulled a strand of hair out of her perfect face. In his most sincere voice, he asked. “Do you love him?” He choked back the laughter that was desperately trying to escape. She nodded quietly and when she looked up at him, he saw the way she used to look at him before India was born. It was potion giving her this illusion, but Miles knew that in this moment, she was feeling true love for the first time in two years.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a stapled set of typed documents. From another pocket, he produced a pen. “You should be with him. Sign this and you’ll be free to go. You can take him wherever you want to. You don’t ever have to see me again.” He intentionally didn’t mention India, hoping that the spell was strong enough to temporarily remove the child from the forefront of her thinking. To make a mother forget her child was a tall order, even for one of Tadhg’s potions. Miles held his breath as Titania picked up the papers and began to flip through them. When she reached the last page, she found the appropriate spot and scribbled her name and the date.
“Take care of any details without me.” She gathered up Bottom’s sandwich, slid it on a plate, and turned toward the door. “We’re leaving in the morning,” she called behind her as she left.
When she was gone, he stood staring at the papers for a long time. He had been trying for months to get her to sign. Now that she had, he couldn’t figure out why he didn’t want to touch them. This should have been a time for rejoicing. He should have broken out the champagne and danced a jig, but all he felt was loss.
“Did she finally sign them?” Miles heard Puck’s voice behind him. “Did this work?” Miles hadn’t even heard Puck come in.
Miles quickly scooped up the papers and shoved him back in his pocket. “No. She was in too much of a hurry to get back to bed,” he lied, not caring whether or not Puck believed him. “It’s time to clean up our mess.”
“We’d better get started then,” Puck said, holding up a glass vial of clear liquid.
“That’s not Love-in-Idleness,” Miles stated.
“No, it’s not.” Puck grinned and gave the vial a little shake for dramatic effect. “It’s the antidote.”
“Leave it to Tadhg to think of everything.”
“He didn’t. I asked for it before I left The Cuckoo’s Nest. By the way, I never want to get in another taxi again after tonight.”
“If this antidote gets us through the night, son, “Miles put an arm around Puck’s shoulder, “I’ll buy you a car.”
They walked down the hall to Titania’s room and listened at the door for noises. Miles put one hand to his forehead and concentrated on deepening Titania’s sleep. He waited a moment and gestured for Puck to follow him into the room. The sight they beheld was truly horrible. Titania was wrapped around the wretched donkey creature like a python, arms and legs clutching him. Bottom’s head was lolled to one side in sleep, his mouth wide open.
Puck gagged audibly. “What happened? Who is that?”
Miles laughed. “Wait and see.” He tried to remember Bottom’s human face in his mind, and stifled a laugh at the similarities between his human and donkey forms. He had to push that idea from his mind so that he could get a good image of how Bottom should look, and he said quickly, “Nick Bottom.” In a flash, the donkey head was gone and Nick sat straight up in the bed.
He immediately made eye contact with Miles, who was standing over him. A confused look came over the boy. Miles quietly pointed toward Titania. When Nick looked in the direction that Miles had indicated and laid eyes on the sleeping beauty, he squealed and leaped to his feet.
“I think you may have stayed just a bit too long,” Miles said solemnly.
Nick jumped out of the bed and scrambled amongst the clothes by the side of the bed. His clothes and Titania’s were tangled. As he struggled to free his jeans from the belt of her robe, Miles leaned in close to him and whispered, “Boo.”
The only clothing Nick managed to grab before running out of the room was Titania’s white silk robe. He hustled out the door, and Miles closed it behind him. When they were alone with only the sleeping Titania, Puck and Miles burst out in
hysterical, knee-slapping laughter.
“You have got to teach me to do that!” Puck gasped.
Miles straightened up a little, “I will. When the time is right, I’ll teach you everything I know.”
“You’re afraid I’ll turn Cameron into a newt, aren’t you?”
“Pretty much,” Miles answered. With that, he turned his attention back to his wife, who had slept through everything. He sat on the edge of her bed and looked at her. He was ready to put things right.
As he reached into his pocket for the antidote, he heard Puck behind him say, “I’m confused. I thought you wanted her gone.”
“Let’s just say that I’ve clarified my thinking on the point.” The truth was, he had decided that if Grace could handle the truth, maybe Titania could, as well. She clearly loved him. Titania was the first of his wives to refuse a generous divorce settlement and opt for trying to salvage her marriage instead. In his mind, the willingness of the others to take the cash and run only reaffirmed his decision to get rid of them in the first place. In some bizarre twist of logic, Titania’s unfaltering love for the monstrous Nick Bottom had taught him something about her character that he should have realized a long time ago. Her only motivation was love. He hadn’t met anyone so true to herself and her feelings since Puck’s mother died.
He leaned forward, pulled one of her eyelids open slightly, and administered a single drop of the antidote. Titania instantly put a hand to her eyes and rubbed them vigorously. Miles turned and gave Puck one last direction. “Get Ryder, Chloe, and Cam back here. I need for all of them to be asleep here in the penthouse by dawn.” With that, he motioned for his son to leave. As Puck slipped out of the room, Titania sat up and looked around.
“Are you all right?” Miles asked.
“I had the strangest dream. I was in love with a donkey, and Ana was scratching his ears.” She looked so confused that Miles felt a little bit sorry for her. “Listen,” he said. “Go back to sleep. In the morning we’ll work everything out.”
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