Wishes and Wellingtons

by Julie Berry

  Not to my mind, it wasn’t. The thought of being taught alone at home was only slightly less boring than sitting home alone with nothing to do. I looked at Alice to sympathize, but she was too busy grinning to notice.

  “Of course, we wouldn’t wish our dear granddaughter to be lonely,” said Mr. Bromley.

  “Certainly not,” said Mother.

  Mr. Bromley nodded. “When we heard from Alice that your family had also removed your daughter from the school…” She paused.

  “We did indeed,” my father said.

  I coughed.

  “We thought,” Mrs. Bromley said hopefully, “seeing how beautifully the girls get along with one another…”

  I took a deep breath, and held it. Could it be?

  “We wondered,” Mr. Bromley went on, “whether you might consider allowing Maeve to join us at our home and be educated with Alice?”

  Mother and Father looked at each other. Mother’s mouth hung open.

  “We realize it’s a great deal to ask, parting you from your darling girl,” Mrs. Bromley said apologetically. “We can arrange any visits you wish.”

  “Oh, no,” my mother said quickly, “it’s not that—”

  Dad put a hand on Mother’s. “We would miss her.”

  “Please don’t give a moment’s thought to any expense, my dear lady,” urged Mr. Bromley. “You’d be doing us the utmost courtesy to allow us the pleasure of sharing our home with your daughter.”

  Mother gulped. “No expense?”

  “No expense will be spared in ensuring these girls receive the finest education to be had in London.” Mr. Bromley answered the question my mother had never thought to ask.

  Mrs. Bromley watched the stunned looks on my parents’ faces. “I hope you don’t mind our coming here to propose this idea. I’m sure you’ll need time to think it over?” She rose.

  My mother rose, too. “My dear Mrs. Bromley, it’s an offer too generous to refuse!”

  Father rose also. “We should consult with Maeve, shouldn’t we?” He turned to me. “What do you think, Maeve?”

  Alice’s hopeful face made me want to laugh. How could she even think I wouldn’t jump at this chance?

  “Thank you, Father, Mother,” I said, and curtsied, in a rare moment of remembering the proper thing to do. “Mr. and Mrs. Bromley, I don’t know how to thank you for this offer. I think I would enjoy staying with you very much, and studying with Alice and her tutors.”

  Alice clapped her hands. Mr. Bromley hoisted himself off his chair, beaming like a lamp, and shook hands with my father. My mother was all in a flutter, and could barely answer Mrs. Bromley’s questions about my care and keeping.

  It was soon settled that I would return to the Bromleys’ home in four days’ time. Before they left, Alice came and spoke with me privately.

  “I’ve told my grandparents about what you did for Tommy,” she said. “Of course, I had to fudge a bit around the djinni. But they know you got into trouble with the school for sticking up for him. They think it’s simply wonderful of you.”

  I shrugged. I didn’t want to be praised, after all the trouble I’d caused. All the ways my friends could’ve been hurt even worse. The Persia trip. The Darvill House robbery, and Tommy’s run-in with the police. The malice of the sorcerer king. I hugged my arms tightly around my ribs. We were all lucky to be alive. I was grateful to be rid of Mermeros and Family for good.

  “One thing puzzles me, though,” Alice said. “Why did you bargain with Mr. Poindexter for the djinni, instead of just giving him to Tommy?”

  That had been my original plan, to be sure. I tried to think how to put into words how I felt.

  “With Mermeros,” I said slowly, “Tommy could’ve wished himself out of the orphanage, away from the mills, and even into a life of wealth,” I told her. “But I doubt there’s anything Mermeros could’ve done to give Tommy a family.”

  Alice squeezed my hand.

  “My grandparents have promised we can go visit the Oddity Shop often.”

  I gave her a hug. “It’s just the place for the three of us oddities.”

  “Oh, Maeve,” Alice whispered. “Just think what fun we’ll have!”

  I smiled. “I already am.”

  Acknowledgments

  The idea for a story about a feisty boarding-school girl who finds a djinni in a sardine can was first born on a red-eye flight. So I suppose I should first thank JetBlue Airlines for their unlimited snack policy. I must also thank my father-in-law, John Seney, for presenting to me, at my wedding shower, a gift-wrapped tower of sardine tins, after learning that his son’s fiancé actually ate them. I did eat them, though not, I hasten to add, at the shower, nor at the wedding.

  My agent, Alyssa Eisner Henkin, has kept long-suffering faith with this project, and with me. My editors, Heather Alexander at Audible, and Molly Cusick at Sourcebooks, have showered Maeve and me with constant support and encouragement. I thank them both for helping her to sparkle, and for inviting her to pursue additional adventures. Many thanks also to the entire team at Sourcebooks for bringing Wishes and Wellingtons so joyfully into print for young readers, including Heather Moore, Michael Leali, Lizzie Lewandowski, Jackie Douglass, Ashlyn Keil, Valerie Pierce, and Margaret Coffee. Thanks also to Danielle McNaughton, Brittany Vibbert, Jordan Kost, and Chloe Bristol for their artistry in making the book such a visual treat.

  Jayne Entwistle, actress par excellence, brought Maeve and Company to life with her brilliant audiobook performance. Through our collaborations, she has become a dear friend. Hers has become the voice I hear as I write.

  My husband, Phil Berry, who has given me a highly amusing father-in-law, four entertaining sons, and twenty-five hilarious years, is the reason I first began to write stories, and the reason I write them still. If a djinni granted me three wishes, I’d wish for him three times.

  About the Author

  Julie Berry is the author of the New York Times bestseller Lovely War, the Printz Honor and Los Angeles Times Book Prize shortlisted novel The Passion of Dolssa, and many other acclaimed young adult and middle-grade novels, as well as picture books. She holds a BS from Rensselaer in communication and an MFA from Vermont College. She lives in Southern California with her family.

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