Chapter 31 #2
Perhaps Ma had wanted to protect me from the judgment of other witches.
We both knew how poisonous gossip could be, especially considering how witch girls involved with humans had rough fates, and how Lana Barclay bore the brunt of the consequences of her sister’s mistakes and grew to become reclusive.
Perhaps Ma had taught me to spurn my magic for that same reason: to avoid village gossip and alienation.
But at the end of the day, she hadn’t truly been there when I needed her.
“That doesn’t change how I feel when I’m around her,” I said, sniffling and wiping my nose. “That doesn’t undo what she has done to me.”
“I know, Gigi.” Chrissy came to stand next to me, taking my arm and resting her head on my shoulder. “But will you please come visit me sometime?”
“I will,” I promised. “And you should come visit me too, now that Ma is miraculously amenable to coming aboveground. And if you ever decide you want to live up here instead, let me know. I’ll make space for you at the boarding house I’m staying at. We can be roommates.”
She smiled. “Thanks, Gigi.” She pursed her lips after a moment—something else was bothering her. “You know, I was never interested in Maddox.”
The sudden comment caught me off guard. “Pardon?” I blushed when I recalled how uncomfortable I’d been witnessing Maddox and Chrissy’s closeness.
“We were only chatting because he had interesting stories to tell. And he wanted to know more about you and your life at the village.”
“About me? For what?” I asked, stunned.
“That book he’s writing, apparently.” At my baffled expression, Christabella only shrugged. Evidently, she didn’t know much about it either.
I cleared my throat, not knowing how to feel. I decided to turn the conversation away from me. “Whatever happened to you and Alexander? Still engaged?”
“We are. And we told Ma,” Christabella said with a nod.
I knocked her shoulder with mine. “Good for you!” Her engagement had been her first act of defiance to Ma—Chrissy must’ve truly liked him. “How did she react?”
“She told us to wait until we’re older,” she said. “But after the screaming session and lengthy lecture...I think she approves.”
Ma came to find us a little later after thoroughly questioning the receptionist about her life aboveground.
“This doesn’t seem like a terrible place,” Ma said with a sharp nod. “Your grandmother started like this. She was an apprentice to a milliner before opening her own shop.”
I raised my brows, surprised and warmed. This was practically high praise coming from her.
“And what about that human you left with?” Ma asked.
Edmund again. I still didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of being right.
“Now that the assignment is over, I have no reason to speak to him,” I said stiffly.
Ma nodded. “Good.” She set her hands on her hips. “Well, Giselle, if you decide to get engaged to anyone in the near future, I’ll expect at least a letter. Don’t hide it like your sister.”
Christabella blushed.
I saw Ma and Chrissy off. Once they disappeared down the street, I turned back, relieved that Ma hadn’t lectured me after all.
I supposed Christabella was right—Ma cared for me in a way I didn’t understand.
I preferred that she didn’t hurt me by proxy, but she was very much set in her ways, and it would be beneficial for both of us to spend time apart.
I breathed a sigh. Nothing was solved, but for the time being, all was well and there was much to look forward to.
After apologizing profusely to Kiara, I headed to the back room to work on sorting embroidery beads—one of those mind-numbing and oddly soothing tasks I did occasionally around the shop. I had barely gotten settled on my stool before Kiara called out from the front.
“Giselle, you have a client!”
There was a light knock on the doorframe. As I set the wooden tray of seed beads on the table, I looked up to see Maddox hovering at the threshold. I’d nearly forgotten that I had told him to come over today.
“Ah. I have your order,” I said before he could get a word in.
I rummaged under the desk for a cloth bundle and untied it on the table, revealing the new wardrobe Maddox had commissioned last month: two shirts, two waistcoats, one coat, and two pairs of breeches.
Maddox came in, his brows raised as he lifted a waistcoat to his chest—teal with ochre pinstripes.
“Thanks. This is nice,” he said.
“Anything for my most loyal customer.” It came out more earnest than I wanted it to, but I ignored the rush of embarrassment this brought.
Maddox had been the most frequent patron of my dress shop ever since it opened.
I hadn’t considered this at the time, but perhaps the reason he always brought his clothes over for mending, even when he could have very well let his servants do it for free, was to support me.
Luckily, Maddox didn’t seem to be in the mood to tease me. “Guess what?” he said, a smile on his face.
“What?”
He settled onto the stool beside me and slammed something heavy onto the table, rattling the seed beads in their tray.
“I finished my book,” Maddox announced, gesturing with a flourish to a giant pile of papers covered in his scrawl, some sporting ripped edges and tea stains.
I blinked at the hefty manuscript, hardly believing that he had finished what he set out to do and ashamed because of it. I had been a terrible friend to him, thinking he wasn’t serious about his pursuits. That he was never serious.
“Wow. Congratulations,” I said, this time really meaning it. “What is it about?” I wondered if Chrissy had been telling the truth—that the contents of the book involved me.
Maddox arched an eyebrow. “I guess you’ll find out when it’s published,” he said mysteriously. “I’m heading down to Sternfeld Press after this, so wait for good news.”
I smiled, growing uncomfortable at the words I wanted to say. I’d never properly apologized for our fight in Witch Village, and I figured now was as good a time as any. I drew in a breath. “Maddox. I’m sorry for not taking you seriously. That was rude of me.”
Maddox shrugged. “I don’t blame you. I’m the captain’s spoiled son to most people and I slip into that role easily enough. Some days I don’t even take myself seriously.” He looked at me for a moment. “But for some reason, I wanted you to see past that.”
His experience wasn’t unlike mine. I’d never been a romantic interest to anyone—most boys saw me as a friend, someone to fight and banter with. I had fallen into that role just as easily. Yet somehow, I wanted Maddox to see past that without giving him a reason to.
I had been half annoyed at him this entire time because of the incident that happened last winter. His apparent rejection of me.
But Maddox had become more than just a casual friend lately. He had become a source of reassurance and steady companionship. My biggest supporter, next to Christabella. When I thought back to our last interaction in Witch Village, I dared to think that his rejection hadn’t been a rejection at all.
He began to gather his new clothes back into its bundle, whistling a cheerful, though off-key, tune.
I suddenly didn’t want him to leave, but I didn’t know what to say to make him stay.
I grabbed his wrist instead, his skin warm and surprisingly smooth beneath my fingers. “Maddox. About the...incident.”
He blinked owlishly at my hand, as if surprised I had touched him out of my own free will. “What incident?”
“You know.” The words stuck in my throat like a lump of sticky rice. “During the tour. There was music and food. We...um. You know.”
Maddox furrowed his brows. “What are you talking about?”
I took a deep breath. “Do you remember going to a tavern in Alevine during the winter tour?”
He nodded slowly. “Yeah. The potatoes were fantastic. And they had free drink refills.”
“Well I came a little after,” I said.
Maddox blinked. “You were there too?”
“You don’t remember?”
He shook his head. “There were free drink refills.”
I let go of his wrist and sat back. “Are you saying you don’t remember anything?”
Maddox laughed. “I don’t even remember how I got back to the opera house the next morning.”
Horsefeathers. He didn’t even remember our kiss. Relief crashed over me like a wave, leaving me as limp as a strand of seaweed. All this time, I thought that moment had made things strange between us.
“Wait. Did I...” Maddox trailed off, his eyes meeting mine. I tensed again. “Did I vomit on you?”
I cracked a smile. “Something like that.”
The sunlight filtering through the doorway illuminated his eyes just so, alighting the stormy grey of his irises to a pale quartz.
Just do it, Gigi, I told myself.
I stood from my stool and grabbed the back of Maddox’s neck, pulling him toward me. Our mouths met, causing heady warmth to burst from the top of my head down to my toes. He made a startled noise. I only hoped Kiara wasn’t watching.
Maddox broke away first, gazing at me with a mixture of shock and satisfaction. “Finally,” he breathed.
I flicked his forehead.
“Ow!” He rubbed at the spot with his fingers. “What was that for?”
“Do you seriously not remember the last time we did this?”
Maddox frowned. “The last time you flicked my forehead?”
“No,” I said, grabbing the front of his shirt. “This.” I kissed him again.
He tipped his head back, his eyes half-lidded. “Huh,” he said with a contemplative air. “So that wasn’t a dream?”