The Revenge of Bridget Cleary by Mathilda Zeller

Author:Mathilda Zeller
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Mathilda Zeller
Published: 2022-10-04T00:00:00+00:00

In Which Our Heroine Confronts a Villain

IN THE MORNING, BRIGID awoke to see Florence’s dark eyes peering straight into her soul from two inches away.

“Good morning to you, too,” she said, squirming away. Florence caught her and held fast.

“You were out fairying last night.” Florence narrowed her eyes.

“Someone had to keep an eye on Adelaide.” Brigid disliked the feeling of being caught, especially when it wasn’t exactly something she felt she should apologize for.

“You went someplace where the magic is so thick you could eat it with a spoon. You reek of it.”

“Then perhaps you ought to draw me a bath, oh lady’s maid of mine.”

That was enough for Florence to release her grip on Brigid and wallop her with a pillow. “You have to take me with you next time! Where was it? It was Stonehenge, wasn’t it? I can smell it, it smells like Stonehenge.”

“You said you didn’t want a fairy life.”

“I said I didn’t want to return to the fairy courts! I didn’t say a blasted thing about not wanting fun anymore!”

Brigid sat up and rubbed at her eyes. This could get complicated fast. “I’ll ask Adelaide if she minds us taking you along.”

“Oh of course. Her ladyship should have full control of everything when it comes to magic that isn’t even rightfully hers.”

“Her ladyship....has control of far less than we think, I suspect. Maybe we should let her have this.”

“‘Maybe we should let her have this,’ is how they ended up with all this,” Florence said, waving a hand vaguely at the grandiose bedroom, “While you and I freeze and starve and lie and sell ourselves to fill our bellies.”

“A socialist, are you?”

Florence rolled her eyes. “A realist, more like.”

“Her ladyship is the reason we have this job in the first place, and it would do no good to trifle with that.” Brigid looked at the clock on the side table. “And I’m expected downstairs within the hour. Can you help me back into that corset?”

Florence scowled. “As you wish, m’lady.”

“Did your roommate notice your absence last night?”

Florence grinned. “It turns out my roommate has a few secrets of her own. She is not in a position to wonder where I am at night.”

“Sounds like trouble.”

“Sounds like security. It’s convenient, too. Your bed is far more comfortable than that old tick mattress.” Florence set to pulling clothes out of the closet. “Edmund likes the pale green on you. Let’s have you wear it today.”

Brigid laughed, a little too heartily. “What does it matter what Edmund likes?”

“If he marries you, we can keep on this charade forever.”

“I’ll not marry in order to keep living a lie.”

“But what about in order to keep lying in a bed that soft? Anyway, the only way it would be a lie is if you didn’t love him.”

Brigid’s heart skipped a beat. “I don’t.”

“You don’t not love him,” Florence thrust the pale green dress towards her. “That’s the only one I’ll be helping you into this morning. If you want something else, you’ll have to figure it out yourself.

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