Chapter eighteen

Eth City

 

They retired to Elizabeth’s study so that Lily could be put through her paces. Sadly, she only knew a few basic spells and the magecraft doodles that Dom had taught her. She tried as hard as she could but it was obvious by the increasing sourness of Elizabeth’s expression that she was not making a good first impression. She felt hassled into performing badly.

The last thing that she tried was a little light spell that formed on her fingers, but it just seemed a bit pathetic, like the dying embers of someone’s abandoned pipe.

‘Is that it then?’ asked Elizabeth

She wracked her brains for something else to show her. She shook her head slowly as her heart sank into the floor.

Elizabeth smiled at her but it seemed to be something of a strain.

‘Well... we have a lot of work to do...’

She paused, her smile drooping into a frown.

‘I can only hope that you’re a quick learner...’

The unspoken or there’s not much I can do with you hung in the air. Lily smarted. She was a quick learner, hadn’t she learned that spell... She stopped herself.

‘I do have another spell Councillor Jenkins... I’ve just remembered it’

‘We’re running out of time, I’m afraid, so I don’t really have time to see any more beginners’ tricks with light, air or water...’

Lily shook her head vehemently.

‘Kathleen... I mean Miss Mannings...’

Elizabeth tut-tutted.

‘I think that you mean Doctor Mannings...’

Lily nodded.

‘She taught me it’ she said, her voice now low and shaky. 

Elizabeth looked rather pointedly up at the beautiful carriage clock sitting on the mantelpiece above her marble fireplace.

‘Go on then...’

I haven’t got all day murmured in Lily’s mind.  She was rapidly learning that it was necessary to read the ends of Elizabeth’s lines not just between them.

‘I need a seed...’

Elizabeth looked puzzled. It was obvious to Lily that neither John nor Kathleen had revealed everything about the time they had spent with her. She felt immensely grateful to her benefactors – she didn’t feel at all inclined to tell Elizabeth anything unrequested at the moment.

Elizabeth took two steps towards the fireplace and reached for a bell rope hanging from the ceiling. She pulled it and there was a distant sound of tinny bells. A moment later the door opened and a red piggy face appeared. Lily’s heart sank – she recognised the face and had already taken an intense dislike to it.

‘Pettifer...’ said Elizabeth, ‘Can you get cook to bring us some seeds’

Lily was surprised to find that Pettifer used exactly the same tone to his employer as he had used to her. His face was equally sour, too.

‘Seeds, Madam?’ he grunted, ‘What sort of seeds?’

Elizabeth glanced over at Lily. Lily gulped out the words.

‘Sunflower seeds – if you have any’ 

 

Ten minutes later there were two fully-grown sunflowers lying across Elizabeth’s floor. Elizabeth had picked up a third one and was examining it.

‘Oh... now I see’ murmured Elizabeth, ‘you really are a quick learner. That’s rather a difficult spell...’.

Lily heard the unmistakable tone of admiration in her mentor’s voice. She felt a surge of exultation. She wanted to cry out and hug Elizabeth but she had already learnt enough about the older woman to know that would be a very bad idea.

Elizabeth placed the sunflower back on the ground, with the air of a woman who has just been handed a dead dog. Lily imagined Marthian in the same position – she’d have been looking for somewhere to plant it. In her mind she knew that she had made a strange connection – gardening was civilised. Did that mean that her mentor was uncivilised? She smiled inwardly – it was too early to say. She was getting a bit less scary though, which was a great relief.

Pettifer appeared again and cleared up the flowers. He grunted and moaned under his breath in a way that she was certain her mother would never have tolerated. Elizabeth ignored him. All her attention was fixed on her new protégé.

‘Let’s have a cup of tea and a proper chat’ she said

Lily knew then that she had passed her first test.

 

***

‘How was it?’ asked Julia, looking up as Lily stepped through the living room door. Julia was sitting in the big armchair knitting, connected by a skein to a ball of rainbow wool shimmering on the floor.

‘A bit daunting’ she said, flopping on to the sofa. Her feet were killing her – it had felt like a long walk back.

‘Oh no...’ said Julia

‘And you?’

‘Fantastic...’

‘What about Sebastian? Has he come back?’

Julia grinned.

‘Yes... smelling of fish and chips...’

‘What?’

‘...All vinegary’

‘That’s a bit odd. What did he say?’

‘He stormed in, told me it had gone “quite fabulously”, had a very quick bath and then went out again’

‘Oh dear’

Julia frowned and shook her head.

‘Don’t feel sorry for him, if that’s what you’re doing – it’s always a mistake to feel sorry for my brother. He doesn’t like it and it won’t do you or him any good’

‘That seems a bit harsh’ Lily couldn’t imagine saying something that nasty about Toby, her brother. He was a bit of a twit, but otherwise in most respects, he was a darling.

‘This is boring’ moaned Julia, ‘let’s talk about what’s just happened to us – not to him’

Lily sat up on the sofa. Her eyes gleamed. Her words came out in a continuous stream.

‘My mentor is a terrible old woman who lives in a big house in the High Lord’s quarter. It took me forever to get there. And she has this awful servant who mumbles nasty things under his breath...’

She had to pause to take in some air. Julia jumped at the opportunity.

‘Mine is such a sweet man – he weaves and he sews. He’s going to teach me how to patch up tears in the universe. He’s gentle and strong. But a tiny bit sad, I think...’

‘Oh’ said Lily, entirely put off her stride. ‘He sounds much better than mine...’

Julia’s face fell. She smacked herself theatrically on the hand.

‘I’m always doing this; I’ve just trampled all over your story, haven’t I?’

Lily couldn’t help but nod.

‘A bit...’

Julia put her hand up to her mouth. Her words were now muffled but still quite clear.

‘I’ll keep quiet until you’ve told all of your story...’

Lily sighed and looked away.

‘There’s not much more to say – she had me casting spells. Most of them were rubbish but a friend had taught me a better one that I was able to remember.’

‘You knew some spells before you came to university?’ It had taken Julia no more than a second to break her promise. Lily was getting used to this – she really didn’t mind. She was more concerned about the dangerous ground she had careered into.

‘Yes – I have a friend who is an apprentice mage...’ Quiet true of course, but not the whole story.

‘And he taught you spells?’

Also quite true. Lily felt rescued by the question’s ambiguity.

‘Yes’

‘I’m glad Mr Floyd didn’t test me like that – my best spell is one that can lift a tennis ball high enough to make it slightly easier to hit’

Lily had seen Julia cast this and despite its essential uselessness there had been something oddly graceful about the way the ball rose into the air, as if it had been coaxed there gently. Lily could pull the ball up as high as she liked but there was nothing attractive about it. Strong and workmanlike – that was how it had been described.

‘What’s your mentor’s name?’ asked Julia

‘Elizabeth Jenkins. She demands that I call her “Elizabeth”’

‘Oh really – that’s nice?’ asked Julia uncertainly

Lily shook her head. Julia didn’t pursue this line any further.

‘My mentor’s first name is “Owen” but he didn’t say what he wanted me to call him... I don’t think that he does a lot of teaching’

‘I’m not sure that Councillor Jenkins does either...’

Julia’s mouth dropped open.

‘She’s a member of the council? Wow!’

Lily kicked herself. She’d forgotten that this was something that John had told her and not something that she had found out today. He had told her that both of her mentors, the revealed one and the secret one, were council members. This was something that she wasn’t meant to know.

Lily’s voice wobbled slightly.

‘She told me’ she lied, ‘it was in confidence but I’m sure you won’t tell anyone, will you?’

Julia shook her head but she looked glum. The ends of her lips drooped a little.

‘I can see what they think of you and me. You get a councillor. And I get this lovely kind man, but there’s no way he’d ever get on the council. They’re looking for movers and shakers not weaver and sewers’

Lily felt dreadful. Why had she said that?

‘Oh, I’m sure that’s not true. Anyway, It looks like he’s perfectly suited to your skills, though, isn’t he?’

Julia thought for a second and then her big smile crept back. It was astonishing that she had room for anything else on her face. It was about the most wonderful thing that Lily had ever seen.

‘You’re right’ said Julia, ‘I’ll just be happy to be a witch of any kind, and if I have to darn my way there then I’m happy to do that too!’

They jumped up and hugged each other, both happy that the stressful day was almost over.  Lily broke free first.

‘I think it’s time to celebrate!’ she announced, delighted to have escaped her self-primed mousetrap for yet another time. She vowed to be more careful from now on. It definitely helped, however, that Julia was so guileless. Anyone else might start to see the holes in her cover story.

‘We should celebrate’ agreed Julia, ‘and what better way to do it than by stealing some of Sebastian’s expensive wine that he’s hidden under a floorboard in his room?’

‘We can’t do that...’

Julia walked over to the wine rack and pulled out a cheap bottle of Oketian white.

‘Oh yes we can. I’m very good at putting corks back into wine bottles – it’s a particular skill of mine’

Lily frowned, this didn’t really seem right to her. ‘Why are you always so horrible to him?’ she asked

Julia considered this for a moment.

‘Because he pretty much deserves it, Molly, that’s why...’

Lily wondered what he could have done to make Julia so nasty, but she drank the wine anyway. It was very good.