Chapter Seven #2
“The dowager, that’s how.” Sadie was glad she had taken the opportunity while she walked upstairs to trace the glyph on her amulet, for otherwise Pippa’s thoughts would no doubt bombard her throughout this conversation.
Sadie explained how her arrival at Marstede Manor had gone from the baron opening the kitchen door to his mother inviting her to pretend to want to marry him.
“I’m fairly certain she wants me here to make the other women look better by comparison. ”
“What?” Pippa surged out of the chair she had taken at some point during the narrative. “How dare she imply others would look better standing next to you! You are lovely! You put all the other ladies to shame!”
The exaggerated compliment owed more to friendship than truth, especially since Pippa hadn’t even seen the other women, but Sadie appreciated the sentiment all the same.
“I don’t mean physically. It’s all about manners and ladylikeness.
If I understood what Madeleine didn’t say correctly, then I have free rein to insult the baron, talk back to him, and all around make a nuisance of myself.
All while wearing beautiful gowns and eating delicious food. ”
“Madeleine?”
“Lady Marstede. We are apparently supposed to be informal this month and only use first names. For which I’m grateful, for it is hard to remember that I am supposed to answer to Miss Pentry.”
Pippa shook her head. “I don’t know what is harder to believe: that you are calling the dowager baroness by her first name, or that you argued with Lord Marstede. You.” She sat back down. “Sadie, you are the least confrontational person I know.”
Sadie winced, hating that her closest friend only knew such a controlled version of who she really was.
She hated that she essentially lied to Pippa, especially when not even her thoughts were a secret from Sadie, but the last time she thought she had made a friend and admitted the truth, that “friend” was the one who made it impossible for Sadie to remain in that village any longer.
Pippa misinterpreted her wince. “That’s not a bad thing. I’m proud of you for standing your ground while facing a baron. I doubt I’d have been so brave.”
“I’m not sure my argument with him deserves to be called brave. It was more a matter of annoyance. He didn’t even let me pull the soap out of my pocket before telling me to leave.”
“Still. I wish I’d seen it.”
“Maybe you’ll see something similar in the coming weeks. That is, if you are all right maintaining the ruse? I don’t expect you to actually wait on me like a maid, obviously.”
“Of course I don’t mind.”
For a moment, Sadie wished her amulet would fail again, for she very much doubted Pippa’s thoughts were as sanguine as her response.
Then she hated herself for the very thought.
A single morning spent allowing herself to use her magic, and she wanted to fall back on it without good reason. The temptation was simply too much.
Since she still couldn’t read Pippa’s thoughts, though, Sadie gave in and asked the question she wouldn’t have dared to utter if she knew for sure what her friend was thinking, for fear it would give too much away.
“Really? You really don’t care that you are pretending to be my maid while I hobnob with nobles? ”
Pippa grinned. “Do I wish I could play the lady? Of course. But this is still the most exciting thing to happen to me in years. And I’m too happy for you to really be envious. You could marry a baron, Sadie!”
She scoffed. “No. That is the one outcome that is not possible.”
“Nonsense. You are a wonderful person. He’s sure to fall in love with you.”
“Did you forget I am here to argue with him and make him fall in love with the other women?”
“That might be Lady Marstede’s plan, but the baron won’t be able to help falling for you.”
Though she seriously doubted Pippa’s prediction, Sadie decided to play along. “And then what happens when he realizes I am not Sadie Pentry, but Sadie Winsel, a shop girl with no connections whatsoever?”
“He’ll be too in love to care. He’ll marry you, and you’ll never have to work for Mr. Ferman again.”
As pleasant as never dealing with her employer again sounded, Sadie wasn’t sure being a lady was any better. For a month, it would be a fun lark. But for the rest of her life? “What would a baron’s wife even do all day?”
Pippa shrugged. “Whatever you wanted.”
Sadie thought of the way most of the women had reacted to Jane’s admission to enjoying making potions. “I don’t think ladies have that much freedom.”
“More than Mr. Ferman gives you, I bet. Come on, Sadie, you can’t honestly say you wouldn’t be excited to become the Baroness of Marstede.”
“It doesn’t matter, since the baron will never marry me.”
“Don’t be so gloomy! You are a wonderful person, of course he’ll fall in love with you. How could he not?”
“You said that about Tom, too. Yet he’s happily married to Charlotte now.”
“Because you refused to flirt with him!”
Sadie had never really been tempted by the village blacksmith.
She’d been glad he had given up on her and turned his attention to Charlotte within weeks.
But even if she had been tempted, she wouldn’t have flirted.
Getting close to people only increased the odds she’d betray her magic.
Friendships were hard enough; romance was out of the question.
She stared her friend down. “I’m not going to flirt with the baron, either.”
Belatedly, Sadie remembered the way Nicholas’s eyes had darkened as she had eaten her slice of peach at breakfast. She hadn’t been trying to flirt or distract him, but she had almost repeated the action right before he swore to figure out all her secrets.
Her cheeks grew warm, and Pippa gasped. “You have flirted with him!”
“I have not,” Sadie insisted.
Pippa’s eyes went sly. “But you want to. Do it, Sadie. Enjoy yourself for once.”
That, Sadie couldn’t do. Even if Pippa was right and she could make the baron fall for her. Hells, even if she could only manage to flirt with him and tempt him physically, Sadie couldn’t risk relaxing her control enough to enjoy herself.
It was bad enough that she picked up surface thoughts without meaning to. But her telepathy wasn’t limited to hearing thoughts. If Sadie truly relaxed, she might accidentally send thoughts, too. There was no hiding that sort of mistake.
Another denial would only make Pippa press harder. Sadie shook her head. “It won’t matter, because there is one more thing I forgot to tell you.”
Pippa’s eyes narrowed. “What?”
“Nicholas knows something odd is going on. He confronted me over breakfast about the fact that I didn’t arrive in a carriage.”
Her friend’s excitement dimmed all at once. “Do you think he’s going to throw you out for lying? Would the dowager intercede?”
“If he figures out I’m not really one of the guests his mother invited, there wouldn’t be a reason for Madeleine to allow me to stay.
” Sadie thought over her conversation with him in the breakfast room.
“But I don’t think he’s going to kick me out.
He wants to figure out exactly what is going on first, and since I don’t plan to tell him … ”
“Oh good. I don’t want to go home early. I’m looking forward to a month away from the tavern.”
“Hey! If you are so desperate to get away, then why are you always trying to make me take a job there?”
“It’d be more fun if we were working together.” Pippa rolled her eyes. “Besides, even without having a friend nearby, working at the tavern is better than working for Mr. Ferman. I just … I want to run my own place. But my parents will be running the tavern for decades longer.”
“You could open your own shop.”
“And what would I sell?”
Potions. It was one of the only non-luxury goods that Lamsdel didn’t have a ready supply of. But no one in the village brewed potions. For a moment, Sadie let herself imagine it. She’d work in the back, making their stock. Pippa would run the shop and deal with customers. It would be perfect.
Until people asked what her power was. Then they’d watch her with suspicion.
Eventually, fear and hatred would make her an outsider.
People would only visit the shop if they had no other choice, and refuse to talk to her.
Pippa would avoid her as much as possible, too.
She would probably return to working in the tavern, and the shop would die.
And Sadie would find herself on the road again, looking for a new home.