by Nora Lee
Fern crawled into Caedmon’s lap and he stroked her hair as she gave him a big hug.
“I’m glad you’re here,” she said.
“Me, too.” Caedmon looked over at Rafe again. “The other reason I stopped by today is that I wanted to invite you to the wedding. Fern and Ori would like you there, I’m sure.”
Fern hugged Caedmon tighter.
Rafe looked at his daughter and her soon-to-be stepfather. He then looked around the room at everyone else. After a moment, he got to his feet and crossed to the window to look outside again. He seemed to Enid to be eager to get away from Secret Hallow and all of them. She recalled Orianna calling elementals restless spirits and saw now what she meant.
“Thank you for the invitation, but I can’t stay right now.”
“Aww…” Fern ran to her father and tugged on his hand. “You can’t. I need you to teach me.”
He knelt so they were eye level. “I have to take care of something, daughter. Your friends can help you until I come back.”
“I’ll see you again?”
Rafe nodded.
Enid noticed Caedmon looked relieved that Rafe declined the invitation to stay for the ceremony. While he’d done his best to be civil, he still didn’t seem to like the other man much. Not that Enid could blame him. Having Fern’s father show up at such an awkward moment couldn’t have been easy.
Hephaestus smiled and nodded in response to Caedmon’s look. He then turned to Enid and gave a little shrug. “The young man found himself in need of advice so I offered my assistance. I believe he and young Miss Westerly will make a fine couple and good parents for little Fern.”
“I agree.”
He moved his hand as though he wanted to take hers, but stopped short.
She looked around to see if anyone else had noticed.
All the other adults sat in the center of the floor watching Fern work with the bowl of water. None of them paid the couple against the wall any attention. Though Gemma did glance over once or twice during the course of the lesson to give Enid an encouraging smile. She appreciated her sister’s concern, but wished Gemma wouldn’t keep acting as though she had some kind of illness.
“She cares a great deal for you,” said Hephaestus. “Your sister.”
“Yes.”
“I am glad. You need someone to care for you when…” His voice trailed off.
Enid knew he’d started to say ‘when I go back.’ She’d been thinking the same thing. In fact, she’d thought of nothing else since she came to the realization she couldn’t keep him with her. The time for the Samhain ceremonies would soon be upon them and then he’d go back to the other side once more.
If only she knew a spell to stop time. She could live in this moment forever.
16
Enid yawned and stretched as she stood at her kitchen sink waiting for her coffee to brew. She hadn’t slept well since she’d come back to the Living World and needed all the energy she could muster to get her through this difficult day. She’d also slept later than she would have liked today because she’d been awake so late the night before. The hands of the kitchen clock pointed to 11:30.
She’d been happy to see the late morning of Samhain to be clear and bright. Everything in her yard looked clean and fresh and she thanked the stars the ghouls hadn’t attacked her few crops. Enid felt for everyone else they’d attacked and promised herself she’d help them put their property to rights no matter how long it might take.
Bacon sizzled in the cast iron pan on her massive iron range. She’d already scrambled a few eggs with some fresh onions and a touch of mint from her garden, her own secret recipe, and one others seemed to enjoy as much as she did. Enid might not be as good a cook as Nana Winterblossom, but she had a few tricks up her sleeve.
She’d heard no sounds from upstairs since getting out of bed and thought she must have the house to herself. Gemma and Fox may already have gone up to the Castle to help clean up the mess left by the ghouls. They’d have to replace all the jack-o-lanterns and strengthen the wards to try to keep the little monsters at bay so they could redecorate in time for the ceremony.
Pouring the brew into her mug, she dropped in a couple spoonfuls of sugar and a dollop of fresh cream from the Leif’s cow. She held the steaming mug in both hands. Since she’d gotten back, she also couldn’t seem to get warm, so Enid wore a thicker skirt than normal, a full blouse, and even a jacket to try to chase away the chill. The range warmed the kitchen air to a pleasant temperature yet she shivered so hard her coffee splashed over the rim of her mug and scalded her hand.
Her first bite of bacon and eggs tasted even more delicious today than she’d remembered. Enid had also toasted a thick slice of fresh-baked bread and slathered on a layer of creamy butter and a dollop of marmalade; she didn’t often eat toast, but her mouth watered as she prepared to take her first bite. Everything else she’d eaten in the last few days seemed so bland she might as well have been chewing cardboard. Her enjoyment of breakfast this morning encouraged her to feel she might yet get back to some semblance of normalcy soon.
Enid devoured her meal and took her dirty dishes to the sink. Running steaming water into the deep stone well, she added a touch of the lavender-scented soap made by an Ash cousin. She buried her hands and arms in the hot water up to the elbows and took great pleasure in scouring away the mess she’d made as she looked out the window at what looked to be a fine morning.
“Good day for a wedding,” she said aloud to the empty room.
The feeling of being watched caused her to look over her shoulder.
Bronson loped into the kitchen in search of his breakfast.
She drained the water from the sink and wiped her hands on a soft towel before bending down to pat her familiar’s head. “Morning, buddy. Good to see you up and about. I felt a little lonely.” Enid crossed to the corner where they kept his dish and poured out a measure of the healthy food they prepared him from scratch every week. “There you go.” She then topped off his water dish and stepped back to watch him enjoy his own meal.
The dog licked his food dish clean and turned to eye Enid.
“That’s all you get. You’re too big already.” She knelt down and put her arms around his neck, burying her face in his soft fur. He smelled of the dry shampoo they used to keep his coat clean and the food he’d just devoured.
Bronson rested his heavy head on her shoulder and panted.
Enid felt a damp spot on her jacket from his drool. Pulling back, she smiled into his face. “You’re a messy boy, aren’t you?”
His tongue lolled out the side of his mouth in a way that made him look like he was smiling.
With one more pat on his head, Enid got to her feet and pointed toward the living room. “Go lie down, buddy. I’ve got a lot to do today.”
The St. Bernard rubbed against her leg as he passed her by on his way out of the room. She listened to the sound of his paws clicking across on the floor and the tell-tale creak of him settling into his regular spot at the hearth. Alone again, she took one last look around the kitchen to make sure she’d cleaned up her whole mess before heading out the front door. She couldn’t trust herself to have noticed every little detail. Her mind wandered too much.
Cool air caressed her cheeks as she headed up the path in the direction of the castle. Ghouls skittered out of a nearby bush and crossed the road without stopping to look at her. The fact they seemed intent on reaching some unknown destination worried her. She knew they’d been getting into all kinds of trouble since passing through the veil. Secret Hallow looked worse for wear from their presence. The front window of Java by Candlelight bore some ugly graffiti, the tables on the sidewalk overturned, a few chairs broken. The Penny Spindle’s sign hung at a drunken angle from the single hook holding it in place. Downed tree branches, uprooted saplings, smashed flowers, fallen fences, and cracked windows greeted her as she passed the cottages along her way.
None of her neighbors seemed to be out and about ye
t. She wondered whether they might be sleeping in after having fought off ghouls all night or if they might all be up at the castle already. Either way, she felt a stab of guilt at having been the cause of such trouble to everyone.
Gemma had been right. Enid needed to learn to let go.
She came upon Nana Winterblossom’s cottage and felt relieved to see the little house in one piece. The older witch must have cast and maintained a strong warding on her property to prevent the ghoulish vandals from wreaking havoc there. Hopefully, the strength of Nana’s powers would help the little monsters away from the wedding as well.
She’d paid little attention to the spirits she’d passed along the way. They all continued to stand around staring at nothing in particular in such a way as to depress anyone who came upon them. Enid didn’t need any more reason to feel sad. She had enough of her own already.
Oh, Hephaestus…
“Gemma! Good morning,” she called when she saw her sister and Fox in front of the castle. “Everything okay so far?”
The two women looked like they were in the middle of replacing all the ruined jack-o-lanterns out front of the towering stone structure. Already, about a half-dozen of the orange orbs lined either side of the pathway leading to the open front door. A stack of two dozen or more rested in the back of Nana’s pickup awaiting the carving knife.
“Morning, Enid.” Gemma straightened and wiped a hand across her brow. “Fine here. How’s everything with you?”
“Hey, Sis,” said Fox. “Good to see you. Did you have breakfast?”
Enid stopped when she reached the pickup and hopped up to sit on the lowered tailgate. “You’re starting to sound more and more like Gem every day. She been giving you lessons?”
Fox winked. “No need. I’ve just learned to treat you like my own sister – if I’d had one.” She placed a candle into the jack-o-lantern she held and set the happy-faced squash in the next spot in line before stepping back to check out her handiwork. “I hope you had something substantial. Today promises to be a long one.”
“I know.”
Gemma gave her a searching look as she came to retrieve another pumpkin. “You’re okay?”
Enid nodded.
“I know I’ve been asking that too much, but I’m worried about you. You haven’t been yourself since you came back through. And it’s not just your lack of appetite.”
She laid a reassuring hand on top of one of Gemma’s. “Everything will be fine. Trust me.” Her eyes searched the façade of the castle. “Who else is here?”
“Everyone.”
Slipping back to the ground, Enid adjusted her jacket and skirt. “Guess I’ll go see what I can do to help. I’m sure we need to replace just about everything in the great hall.” She waved a hand over her shoulder without looking back at Gemma and Fox because she could sense their eyes on her back. Both of them probably watched her with the troubled expressions she’d seen on their faces so often in the last few days. Since she couldn’t seem to reassure them, Enid would just go on about her business as much as possible.
A hand caught one of hers.
“You need to talk to him,” said Gemma. “Don’t get caught up in the decorating.”
“I won’t.” Enid crossed her hand over her heart. “Promise.”
Of course, the first thing she did when she entered the great hall was to start directing the group resetting the tables. She then went to track down more candles from the storeroom in order to refill the candelabras. A cousin asked her help in hanging the streamers on the fireplace mantles. She decided to frame the doorway with bunches of golden mums. Chairs needed to be fixed. And the bridal table didn’t have quite the look she’d wanted.
“What did I tell you?” Gemma appeared at her elbow. “No decorating. Go find Hephaestus.”
Enid opened her mouth to respond.
Gemma shook her head. “No excuses. You need to clear the air right now.” She took the napkins from Enid and handed them to Fox. “Go.”
“Where is he?”
“Who knows?” Gemma shrugged. “He must be around somewhere. You spent some time here with him so you must have some idea of where he might be hiding.”
Remembering how he’d retreated to his old bedchamber, she went to search there first. When she didn’t find him, she moved on to the small room at the back of the castle where he’d practiced reciting the vows, then the storeroom, the kitchens, the hothouse, and the library. She couldn’t find him anywhere she’d expected he might be so she determined to go through every single room in the massive structure.
Hephaestus did not seem to be around anywhere.
Just as she felt ready to give up the search, she opened a door into yet another bedchamber, and heard the sounds of laughter. She opened the door wider and said, “Hello?”
“Hi!” Fern rushed over and tackled her knees. “I’m glad you’re here.”
Enid patted the girl’s head. “I’m happy to see you, too.” She looked across the room to see Orianna and Rowan seated together at a dressing table. Two large clothing bags hung off hooks on the wall nearby and she realized she’d come upon the bride’s room where the young women were getting ready to dress for the ceremony. “Big day.”
Rowan looked over and smiled. “One of the biggest.” When she got up, Enid noticed she didn’t have Siobhan for a change. “Nana’s keeping an eye on her until the ceremony is over.”
“You look strange without that little accessory.”
“I feel like I’m missing something important,” said Rowan in agreement and patted her stomach. “Feels like she’s been attached to me in one way or another forever. Even though Garrett watches her a lot.”
Fern grabbed Enid’s hand and pulled her toward the table. “Come on.”
“What’s the hurry?”
She pointed at the makeup laid out beneath the oversized mirror near where her mother sat. “Mama said I can do her face. You can do Rowan.”
Quirking an eyebrow at the brides, Enid said, “I’m not much of a makeup artist, but I’ll be happy to help.”
Orianna got to her feet. “We should get into the dresses first, I think. I don’t want to get makeup on mine.” She crossed to open one of the bags and pulled out what looked like a creamy cloud. After unzipping the back, she slipped the straps off the hangar. “Would you mind?”
Enid took the dress and helped Orianna climb in. Zipping up the back, she adjusted the straps and then followed the bride to the full-length mirror. Four reflections looked back at her since Rowan and Fern also crowded around them to have a look.
The bodice hugged Orianna’s curves in all the right places down to her waistline and then the skirt flared out into a mass of glittering taffeta. The fabric rustled as she moved.
“You look like a princess, mama,” said Fern in an awed voice. “Just like in the stories.”
“You’ll look just like one, too, once we get you into your new dress.” Rowan appeared with a smaller dress that looked just like Orianna’s in miniature, though in a beautiful shade of yellow instead of off-white, and with a shorter skirt. She helped the child put on the dress and then stood her next to her mother. “See?”
Fern and Orianna’s reflections smiled at each other. They both looked excited and happy.
Her breath hitched and she felt the tell-tale sting of tears. They hadn’t dressed Rowan yet, and she already wanted to cry. This wouldn’t do. Not at all.
Not one for fancy and frilly clothing, Rowan had chosen a sheath dress that showed her full postpartum curves to advantage. “I’m sorry Siobhan isn’t a little bigger. We couldn’t find her anything like this to wear tonight.”
“Babies can’t be princesses.” Fern’s matter-of-fact tone caused her mother to hide a smile. “They’re too small.”
Orianna tweaked her daughter’s nose. “That’s not true, honey. A princess is a princess no matter how little. You’ve been mine since you were a baby.”
“Aw, mama. I’m not a baby.”
&nb
sp; “Not now, but you were once. We all started out as babies.”
The three women laughed aloud at Fern’s shocked expression.
After seating the brides at the table, Enid and Fern got down to the business of applying makeup, which led to a lot of laughter and face-washing. They also fought to create appropriate hairstyles to go with the gorgeous dresses they wore.
“Anyone seen Hephaestus yet today?” Enid tried to keep her tone neutral.
Caught up in laughter at yet another unsuccessful attempt to get her hair into a flattering style, Orianna missed the question.
Rowan glanced at Enid. “Not today. He should be around somewhere, though.”
“There.” Enid patted baby’s breath into Orianna’s hair and stepped back. “How’s that?”
Orianna turned to give everyone a look.
“Beautiful,” said Rowan.
Fern smiled. “I like that one.”
Patting a stray strand of her own hair, Rowan looked back at the mirror.
A loud chime reverberated through the castle.
“That’s too loud.” Fern clapped her hands over her ears.
“Those are just bells, baby. That means we need to go to the ceremony.” Orianna looked over at Rowan. “You ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
The two brides stood and turned to Enid.
“You’re both gorgeous. Your grooms won’t know what hit them.”
Smoothing her skirt, Fern said, “What about me?”
“You’re as beautiful as your mama, Fern.” Again Enid felt as though she were about to burst into tears. To hide her raw emotions from her companions, she moved behind Orianna and pretended to straighten out her skirts. “Could you go open the door, Fern? I’ll follow behind everyone to make sure your mama’s dress doesn’t get caught.”
Fern ran to pull the door open, with a little help from Rowan, and they both led the way out into the corridor, followed by Orianna, with Enid taking up the rear. Once they’d cleared the closed door, Enid moved to the front of the group to make sure the brides weren’t seen too soon. She wanted to check the passageway to find out how far back they’d have to wait.
