Sense and Succubus by Adrienne Blake

Author:Adrienne Blake
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-64898-094-7
Publisher: City Owl Press

Chapter Nineteen

Highly Strung

“Ooh, do you think he will have asked her yet?” Margaret walked on top of a garden wall; her arms splayed like an airplane as she attempted to maintain her balance. She tripped, but a friendly weeping cherry pushed her gently upright so that she didn’t fall.

“Get down from there!” Mary said. “You’ll hurt yourself.”

“And probably break the wall with your head,” Elinor added for good measure.

Margaret had been asking similar questions all morning, usually with her kissy-kissy face, which Elinor found really annoying. On the fifth or sixth time, Elinor had shared one exasperated look with their mother, and seeing she was in total agreement, they had both marched her annoying kid sister out of the cottage on the pretext of going into town to do a bit of shopping. Margaret was never one to pass up on the chance of a candy bar, and now they were returning home. Marianne said Willoughby would be there at ten, and it was now almost eleven. Surely that was enough time for them to have discussed their business.

The consensus of all was that he intended to bond with her, and all that remained was the blessing of some guardian or relative, assuming incubi cared about such things, which it seemed they did.

So they were all surprised when they got near the front door and Marianne came running out past them, her eyes glistening with tears.

“Wait, what?!” Elinor exclaimed.

“Oh, just leave me alone, will you?” Marianne disappeared behind some trees. Their branches moved as if stirred by a breeze, but there was no breeze; the trees had sensed Marianne’s distress and were calling to her. The replanted Norland Park shrubs were especially upset. For the first time, they shared their feelings with the tall, aloof Maine pines surrounding them. Their different branches reached out to each other and touched in a tender, almost human gesture. Elinor swallowed hard and looked away. Hell, too many feelings….

Margaret was about to go after her, but Elinor caught her in time and shook her head. Whatever was going on, Marianne clearly needed some time alone. “Give her a minute,” she whispered. “Go inside. We’ll find out what happened later.”

Margaret frowned, but she knew better than to go against Elinor, so she stomped into the cottage and was soon heard running upstairs. Margaret’s bedroom door slammed just as Elinor and Mary went inside.

Willoughby was standing in the kitchen. Though not crying himself, he looked upset.

“What’s going on?” Mary asked. “What did you say to my daughter to make her cry?”

“I, um, that is to say, I, er, have to get out of town for a bit.”

“Oh?” Elinor said, desperately trying to keep the cynicism from her voice. “Why’s that?”

“My boss, um, well, he’s given me anoth––I mean, a new assignment.”

“Well, okay,” Elinor said reasonably. “I’m sure Marianne will be happy to wait until you get back.”

“Yes, well, the thing is––that is to say––I’m not exactly sure when that will be. It might be some time, maybe even a year or so.

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