Sylvia held the door ajar as bleary-eyed Isabella dragged herself from the bedroom. Her hair was not as glossy as usual, and she looked like she’d had quite a night. Not that I felt any pity for her. After all, she’d stumbled in around two in the morning and had flopped unceremoniously on the bed, waking me up with all her noise and fussing.
“Come on, sweetie, don’t be tardy. There’s a lot to do at the shop today.”
Judging by the twinkle in Sylvia’s eye, I suspected she rather enjoyed inflicting a little torture on Isabella in her current state.
I shared a knowing grin with Sylvia and closed up my own bag, which was all packed and ready for my trip to the Abbey. Hah! No work for me today! “Morning, Isabella. How’s the head?”
Isabella grunted an inaudible response and stepped into the hall. I assumed that meant she’d had a good time.
“Well, hello, inside!” Henry appeared, knocking on the open door, his handsome smile fixed on his face as he surveyed the action within. His gaze met mine. “Hey, you! Are you all set? I have a cab waiting downstairs.”
“Yup, just about.” I got up, fighting the impulse to run out of the apartment, desperate to keep my cool. I pulled on my poncho and went to grab the bag, but Henry beat me to it.
“I’ll take that. Is this everything?”
I had packed just the one bag, which hadn’t been too heavy until I’d shoved the magic book inside. Henry threw it over his shoulder like it was nothing at all and went to join Isabella, who was waiting in the hall, surveying the carpet.
With a wave of her hand, Sylvia had everything locked up. We all bundled inside the elevator, and Henry hit the down button. I totally ignored the meaningful looks Isabella kept shooting me and tried not to feel too smug about having these few days off.
Once we were all through the revolving doors that led to the sidewalk, Sylvia gave Henry and me one of her European kisses. “You guys have fun, and Henry, don’t work Cat too hard. I want you both back fit and able to work in the shop, okay?”
“I promise I’ll be gentle,” Henry said.
Even Isabella managed a faint grin at that. “Don’t stay away too long,” she said. “It won’t be much fun without you.”
I kissed Isabella on the cheek. She really did look sorry to see me go. There was an unusual sadness in her eyes, and I wondered if she’d had as much fun last night as I’d assumed she’d had. I gave her a gentle squeeze. “I’ll see you soon.”
Isabella nodded, and from her weak smile, I knew I was right. Something was up. Since I had to go, I decided to text her later when I got to the Abbey.
“Come on, the meter’s running.” Henry had opened the cab door and was waiting for me to jump inside.
“Sorry, I gotta run. I’ll text you later.” I turned and bundled ungraciously into the back of the cab. Henry squeezed in beside me, and once the door was closed, we were off!
Wally the troll was our driver again. He’d picked us up a few times now, and I remembered his name from the medallion inside the cab.
It felt surreal, just me and Henry, like we were off for some strange dirty weekend, only sadly without the dirt—though I lived in hope. “This feels weird, don’t you think?”
Henry turned to look at me. “What does?”
“This. Not having Isabella squeezing in beside us, with John in tow.”
“Ha-ha, yes, it does feel weird, doesn’t it? Nice weird, not creepy weird.” I would have liked him to carry on in that vein, but Henry’s phone buzzed. He pulled it from his pocket and stared at the screen. “It’s Sylvia. She’s probably being nosy. Hold on.”
While Henry texted a response, I turned to look out of the window. We were heading uptown toward the Upper East Side. I kept smiling, excited to be here at last, free of distractions and interruptions. I breathed in deeply, relishing the hope and anticipation, wanting to bottle this moment forever.
When I turned back, Wally was watching me via the rearview mirror. I noticed he had some new, pink furry dice hanging there. I didn’t think I’d seen them before.
“Are they new?” I pointed to them.
Wally raised a chubby finger and gave them a little push. “Yes. They’re a present.”
He was crunched up in the front of the cab, all four hundred pounds of him, and was driving much slower than the flow of traffic, totally oblivious to the mayhem he was causing in his wake. Not surprisingly, NYC’s impatient drivers were somewhat vocal about this.
“Get the hell off the road, you big moron!”
“Ain’t you got some place to be, ya loser!”
Yet despite the honks and shrieks from other city drivers, Wally’s pleasant smile remained fixed on his face, like he had all the time in the world to get where he was going. For once, I didn’t mind either.
“Do you have any kids, Wally?”
Wally’s eyes softened. He spoke very slowly and thoughtfully. “Not yet. But I just met the perfect troll-lady on Trollmatch dot com so maybe one day if she likes me enough.”
“What’s she like?”
His grin widened. “Bigger than I am. She got more strands of hair than most lady trolls. I don’t know how I got so lucky, but to me, she’s perfect.”
Although his head remained down, Henry chuckled at the response. He took a deep breath and stowed his phone away. “You think she’s the one then, Wally?”
Wally’s skin tone darkened, and I realized he was blushing. “Maybe. I just hope I don’t scare her off like the others.”
I couldn’t imagine how. “She’d be lucky to have you. I think you’re wonderful.”
Wally’s blush deepened. “Thank you. You are very nice lady. Your boyfriend very lucky.”
While talking, his focus had been a little off the road, and another Magic Cab driver swerved to miss him, almost crashing into the center island, and was forced to take to the air. “Wally, you complete m—”
Wally put his hand out of the window and waved, though he didn’t slow down. “Sorry.”
“Um, Henry’s not my boyfriend. We, err, we just work together.” Awkward.
“Aww, that a shame. He ought to whisk you up quick, pretty girl like you, before some other wizard does.”
“You think so?” Henry had a wicked glint in his eye.
“Sure. I would. If she were bigger.”
I couldn’t help but laugh and was secretly pleased Wally talked about me that way. Maybe Henry would take the hint and do something about it. Or maybe I should do something about it myself. I sat back in my seat and pondered my options. I supposed straddling him and sticking my tongue down his throat before lots of wild witchy sex was taking it a bit far. I grinned inwardly at my own silliness.
“What are you thinking?” Henry asked.
“Oh, um, nothing much. You?”
“Same.”
I smiled again, wishing I had the guts to show how I really felt.
Henry turned in his seat. Something outside had caught his eye, and by the way he shifted forward, I suspected we were close to the Abbey. He saw me looking at him. “We’re almost there.”
I strained to look ahead but saw nothing remotely abbeyish. “Where?”
Henry pointed ahead of the cab, but I had no idea what he was pointing at.
“All I see is a cemetery in between all those big buildings.”
“Yup, that’s it. Home sweet home. Wally, you can drop us over there, by those iron gates, just before that tree.”
Wally raised a large hand to acknowledge he’d heard and then turned the car into the curb.
Surprise didn’t cover it. I was expecting something grandiose, like the National Cathedral or some such, not a run-down old cemetery in the middle of the most expensive part of town. The tombstones looked seventeenth century. Many were cracked or broken. The grass was unkempt, and weeds had overgrown the stone pathways meandering between the graves. Witch hazel ran wild around the perimeter, and a weeping willow hung forlorn, its branches unmoving, as if it, too, were dead. Heck, there was even a low fog clinging to the ground. Just perfect!
“Lovely.” I hoped my fake smile masked my disappointment. I had this strange overwhelming desire to suddenly be someplace else. Anywhere but here. “Maybe we should drive on. I think I’d like to go back to the apartment, now.”
Henry must have had some idea of what I was thinking because his mouth contorted into a knowing smirk. I suspected nothing was quite as it seemed.
I reached into my pocket to get some money for Wally, but Henry rested his hand on mine and shook his head. “My treat.”
Ever so reluctantly, I climbed out of the Magic Cab and stood by the front window. “Thanks, Wally. See you again soon. Good luck with your lady friend.”
“Thank you. Her name is Ethel. I tell her you say hello.”
Henry passed him a twenty and waived the change, which I thought was generous of him. I guessed he liked Wally too. “That’s okay, keep it. Buy your girlfriend some flowers, Wally.”
“Oh yeah, she like flowers. Very tasty. Good idea. Thank you, pretty man.”
Henry joined me on the curb, and when Wally drove off, he opened the creaky iron gate that led into the cemetery. I looked around, but there wasn’t even a church or any kind of structure. I really, really didn’t want to go in there. It was the middle of the day, but it had the creepiness of a graveyard at midnight. Shivering from something other than the cold, I shook my head, clearly missing something. “Are you kidding me? You know I’m a magnet for the dead. Is this some kind of a test?”
“Test? No. This is where I live.”
“In a graveyard? Give me five minutes, and if I don’t faint outright, I’ll be surrounded by specters who shout inside my head and try to drive me insane. No, thank you.”
Henry took my hand and held it up to my face. “Look—you’re wearing your ring. As long as you have this on, no harm will come to you here, I promise.”
I pulled my hand back and shook my head. “Well, excuse me for freaking out, but why do I feel like the world’s about to end?”
Henry took my hand again, only this time not to remind me of the ring, but to reassure me. “Do you trust me?”
I bit my lip and decided silence was the better part of valor, so I just nodded. This time I let him keep hold of my hand. I liked him holding it.
“You’ve nothing to worry about, Cat. It’s a little bit of magic to scare off the masses. You must understand. My family is very private, and Dad especially doesn’t want anyone snooping about the place. Before we had the enchantments, people used to be very rude, sticking their nose in our windows, wondering if they could visit and wander about inside. Finally, we’d had enough of it all, and now the railings are enchanted to make you want to turn and get as far away as you can.”
He wasn’t wrong about that. “I don’t suppose you thought about buying a padlock for the gate or something?”
Henry laughed. “Come. Once we step inside, you’ll feel differently, believe me.”
If it were anyone but Henry, I’d have run a mile. “Okay, but if one ghost comes after me, I’ll hex you myself or brew you a potion that gives you boils or something.”
He laughed. “Don’t worry, they won’t.” He gave my hand a light squeeze, and though I’d rather have gouged my own eyes out, I let him lead me through the gates.
It was as if I’d walked through a cool shower on a hot day and come through dry on the other side. As soon as we were inside the cemetery, the unsettling feeling vanished, and I no longer felt so anxious.
Henry turned to check my reaction. “How do you feel now?”
“Better. I’ll let you off this time.”
“Glad to hear it.”
“Don’t get too cocky. We’re still in a creepy graveyard, and didn’t someone mention something about an abbey? Don’t call me picky, but where exactly do you live? All I see are graves and headstones. I was expecting something a bit more, I dunno, Fifth Avenue?”
As I spoke, the branches of the creepy willow tree swished gently, and Henry’s sister Eleanor stepped out from behind them. To my horror, I thought she was dead. She wore a simple white dress and walked barefooted, looking totally transparent, like a ghost. For a ghastly second, I thought of my ancestor, and I covered my ring with my hand, seeking its protection.
Henry pulled me closer and squeezed my hand even tighter. “Don’t worry, it’s just another illusion. I assure you my sister is alive and well and as annoying as ever.”
As he spoke, Eleanor stepped forward, disturbing the mist, and I realized she was her full-bodied self again.
“Hi, Cat! I’m glad you’ve finally made it. I was beginning to think I’d got the day wrong. Hey, Hank. Can I carry something in for either of you?”
My own bag was kind of heavy on account of my magic book, but Henry had carried it down from the apartment, and I could manage well enough from here. “I’m good, thanks.”
“Well then, we’d better get inside.”
Eleanor turned to lead the way and, still a little anxious, I held back. The two of them chatted merrily enough, and not wanting to be left alone in this creepy place, I followed along. Eleanor led us back to the willow, which raised its branches like a great curtain that we quickly passed through.
There was a gentle whoosh as the branch fell softly behind us, and I gasped at what I saw next. The graveyard was still there behind us, but the gloominess had lifted, and the sun shone down on the resting place of the dead, bringing the kind of peacefulness that raised the heart on a cheery summer day.
More importantly, before me, just beyond the trunk of the willow tree was the entrance to the Tilneys’ abbey. It was modestly sized, but more magnificent than I could possibly imagine. The entire building was carved from a black material like obsidian. I imagined hooded monks walking through the cloisters on their way to daily prayer or singing songs of praise.
The dark, polished stone could have been grim and terrifying, like the stronghold of an evil witch queen from an old fable. Yet nature had been allowed a home in its nooks and crannies. Virginia creeper scaled the walls, and there were birds’ nests in the arches of the cloisters. Beyond these was the entry into the main home, and two great green doors lay open in welcome.
I couldn’t hide my smile. Now that we were beyond their defenses, I was sure my visit was going to be simply amazing, and I couldn’t wait to see what was waiting for me on the other side of those doors. With a lighter heart than when I’d left Wally’s Magic Cab, I hoisted my bag up high on my shoulder and gladly followed the others inside.