In the Wake of the Wind Read Online Free Page B

“Can’t hurt, can’t hurt, nice clean bone after all,” she muttered. Throwing on a stained apron, she bent over the cauldron again and sniffed the brew. “Hmm. A little more mugwort, I think,” she said, poking in a canister. “Oh, and Serafina, dearest, I need some strands of your hair.”
    Serafina rolled her eyes. “What for now?” she asked with exasperation. “I’ll be bald if you keep plucking me. Can’t you use your own?”
    “Certainly not. My entire head is gray and the hair has to be dark or the spell won’t work. Just fetch a few from your hairbrush, won’t you, dearie? Have you had your supper?”
    “Tinkerby and I ate ages ago. We had the last of the stew.”
    “And did you feed my dear Basil?” Elspeth asked, shooting a stern look over her shoulder.
    “Yes,” Serafina said absently, looking down at her books again. “He threw most of his food on die floor, made rude comments, and tried to bite Tinkerby—nothing out of the ordinary. I put him back on his perch upstairs. Auntie,” she said cautiously, knowing exactly what reaction she was going to get, “I’ve been going over the household books, and I think we need to make a few adjustments in our budget. There are some receipts here from an order you recently made…”
    “If you’re going to start in again about how much I spend on my special ingredients, I shall become very cross, Serafina. You can be a big Miss Bossy-Boots, you know. And answer me this—without my spells, where would we be?”
    “Well …” Serafina said, “we’d still be living in the west wing, for one.”
    “Oh, that,” Elspeth said, waving her hand in dismissal. “A little too much sulfur in the mixture, that was all. I couldn’t help it that the wind was up and the draperies caught on fire, now could I?”
    Serafina put her forehead in her hands and sighed. “But deer antler tips? And red jujube dates? And really, Auntie, precious eye of newt? These things are awfully expensive, and you know there’s no money to spare. Are they really that useful?”
    “Well, won’t you just find out, Miss Know-Everything?” Elspeth said smugly. “Especially now that he’s come back.” She wiped her hands down her front, leaving a dirty wet streak.
    “Who’s come back?” Serafina said as patiently as she could manage, wondering whether her aunt was referring to an actual person or one of the earth deities. Elspeth might have tried to conjure anything up tonight, and given her suddenly superior expression, she probably thought she had, and wanted Serafina to serve tea to it. As much as Serafina loved her aunt, the woman really could be trying.
    “Aubrey’s back,” her aunt said, setting her hands on her bony hips. ‘You didn’t know that, now did you? Ha!”
    “Aubrey?” Serafina said, her heart nearly stopping in her chest. “Do—do you mean Aiden?”
    “I don’t know what other Aubrey there is.” She scratched her head with one finger. “Now where did I put Delaware’s letter? Let’s see … maybe under the salt cellar.” She pulled out a grimy piece of paper, curling at the edges. “No, that’s my recipe. Oh, silly me, it’s right here in the pocket of my apron.” She reached in and produced something crumpled that Serafina thought might be a letter, although it had some greasy splotches on it.
    Serafina eyed her aunt suspiciously, hoping against hope that this wasn’t another one of her aunt’s vivid flights of fancy. She didn’t think she could bear it if it was. “Auntie—you’re absolutely sure you have it right? Do you think perhaps I could see Lord Delaware’s letter?”
    “See it? Certainly not—it’s far too complicated, and in any case, young girls should not be involved in legal matters. He just says that it’s all been arranged and Aubrey is waiting at Townsend for you. So appropriate to receive the news on Beltane, the day that honors the wedding of the god and goddess.” She shoved her glasses up on her nose