Chapter 58
William
That evening, we took our celebrations to the top of Buckford Hill and lit a bonfire to mark Mabon, the autumn equinox.
“Please, Mother, will you put some clothes on?” I cried from my perch—sitting with my back against one of the standing stones, snuggled up with Petey. Mum, Karma, and Peggy were dancing around drunkenly in various states of undress.
“Another cider, my lord?” Bramley asked. He’d sloughed off his jacket and was in his shirtsleeves. I very nearly lectured him about standards, but everyone deserves a night off.
“No, thank you, Brammers.”
“It wasn’t a question, my lord.” He thrust the bottle into my hand and joined the women in the dancing.
I turned to Petey Boy. “Are you sure you want to join this madhouse?”
He smiled. “I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life.”
Petey took the cider from my hand and took a swig. The bonfire flickered, making his face glow orange and gold. He was so incredibly beautiful.
“What’s the equinox all about, anyway?” he asked.
“Well, it’s when the night and the day are the same length.”
“I know that. But what are we celebrating?”
“Apart from a successful auction? Saving the estate? Your gran moving in with us? The Love Manor being a box office smash hit for Channel Three, a second season almost in the bag—”
Petey’s grin widened. It couldn’t have been cheekier if it was buried in my backside. “Actually, I’ve got some news on that front.”
I raised an inquisitive eyebrow.
“Indira called. Channel Three are picking up Saving the Love Manor.” I leapt up, heart filled with joy. “They saw the rushes from the auction today and offered for it on the spot. She’s inking the deal now.”
“We should tell everyone!”
“No,” Petey said, reaching out an arm and pulling me back down to him. “Not yet. We’ll tell them tomorrow. Once the deal is done.”
I resumed my perch beside him, putting an arm around his shoulder and kissing his cheek. “I’m prou—”
Petey cut me off. “I know.” He kissed me softly, sweetly, on the lips. “It means the world to me.”
I booped him on his adorable little nose and took a swig of the cider.
“You never answered my question. What are we celebrating? What is Mabon all about?”
“Ah, well.” I was nuzzled beneath his jaw. “It’s the time of year when we show gratitude for the harvest and all its abundance. It’s a time to honour the ancestors. And to let go of things that no longer serve us.”
“Like the trees letting go of the leaves?” Petey asked.
“Exactly.” I sat upright. “Or horrendous paintings.”
“We do have a lot of very empty walls now.”
“I have no regrets.”
Petey turned my face to meet his. He leant in and I thought he was going to kiss me, but instead, he pulled my necklace out from inside my shirt and over my head.
“Speaking of honouring the ancestors,” he said, undoing the clasp on the chain, letting my ring go free. “I think it’s time you wore this.”
Before I could protest, he grabbed my hand and slid the ring onto my pinkie finger.
“You’ve earned it.”
I looked down at the circle of onyx in the band of gold. My father’s ring. My grandfather’s ring. His father’s ring. Generations of Barons Buckford. Now it was mine. Not because I’d inherited, but because I had earned it.
“I’m proud of you too,” Petey said.
A tear rolled down my cheek. I cupped my hands around Petey’s jaw and pulled his face towards mine, gently kissing his lips—then kissing him more passionately.
“I love you,” I said. “So much.”
Petey’s eyes sparkled. “I love you too.”
Three grown witches made noises like mocking schoolchildren.
“Shall we get out of here?” Petey asked.
I nodded. “Let’s go down into the ancient oak woodland and fuck like wildlings,” I said. “I know just the place.”
THE END.