Price of a Rose by Byrd Nash

Author:Byrd Nash [Byrd Nash]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rook and Castle Press

When Poppy finished the letter, Sir Griffin told her in a tired voice, “Get out.”

Like the good secretary she meant to become, Poppy gave him a short bow and slipped out of the library. The book on butterflies she would retrieve later.

On her previous visits to Thorn Hall, while her sisters were distracted, Poppy had sneaked into the library many times. Her explorations were disappointing, as she had only discovered a few books about magic, and those only primers. It had been a frustrating treasure hunt, yielding no gold. Playing at being Sir Griffin’s secretary meant she could search openly now.

Skipping with joy, Poppy found Lily in the ballroom cleaning mirrors. Looking up at her sister perched on a ladder, Poppy said, “Rose would be angry with you if she saw you. I thought you were to take it easy?”

Lily didn’t pause in her work as she replied, “I’m fully recovered from my ballroom adventure.”

“Why bother? It’s unlikely there will be any entertainments here with Sir Grouchy Garrick.”

“Shush!” Lily chastised her. “Don’t speak of Sir Griffin that way. You should be ashamed of yourself.”

Poppy wasn’t. She asked again, “Don’t you get tired of all the work? The never-ending dusting and laundry?”

“I don’t enjoy the drudgery of it. Repeating chores is never fun, Poppy.” Lily started down the ladder, and Poppy automatically moved to steady it. “But don’t you feel the changes around you? The house is coming alive again after a long sleep.”

Poppy concentrated. It was elusive magic, smoky, fading in and out in a mist-like way. It didn’t want to be seen by her. The house only talked to Lily, which Poppy, with her magical ambitions, found frustrating. She shook her head. “It’s there, but secretive.”

Lily stretched her arms over her head before tossing the rags in a bucket. She linked her arm with that of her younger sister.

“Are you ready for luncheon? We have quite the jolly party with Cook, the girls, Timmy, and Rose. Come along, and let’s see what Cook has for us.”

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