Breakfast came and went with no indication that anything had changed
with the housekeeper. Miss Scuttlebottom was the same nasty witch that
she had been the day before.
"Straighten up, girl," she snapped as Lucy took her seat
that evening by the fire. "How many times do I have to tell you
not to slouch?"
Lucy apologized and looked past the flying prune towards the windows.
The sun had set. Mason would be waiting for her.
"So let's begin with tracing the lineage of Her Majesty, shall
we?"
Lucy stifled a groan and did as she was asked.
As the hours went by, Lucy did her best not to seem anxious. Miss Scuttlebottom
must have suspected something was going on. She had purposely prolonged
their lessons past the eleventh gong of the clock. It was only when
Lucy began yawning that the housekeeper decided that their lessons were
through.
"Make sure to say your prayers before you go to bed tonight,"
the pixie said firmly, waving a stocky finger at her. "And say
them loud enough so I can hear them. It's soothing to my weary old heart
to hear the joyous praising of our One Good God.
Lucy nodded, marched back upstairs, and recited her prayers.
When she finished, she listened for the snoring. It didn't come.
"Say them again, I was fetching another cup of tea so I didn't
hear them," Miss Scuttlebottom called outside her door.
Lucy rolled her eyes and began again. Moments later, she heard the
familiar snoring.
"It's about time," she whispered as she crept out of the
room, making sure that tonight her door was shut.
She snuck out to her glowgarden and stripped off her clothes to prevent
them from getting dirty. The pollen from the nearby fireberries and
lightlillies sparkled like fireflies, the plants casting a reassuring
glow to the otherwise darkened surroundings. In another day or so, the
petals from both plants would start to burn themselves out, leaving
only ash behind; but for the moment, they were a spectacle. Moving to
an empty spot where she was planning to plant rippleroses, Lucy lay
down in the earth with nothing more than a blindfold to cover her eyes.
The ground was cool and rocky, forcing her to adjust continuously in
a vain attempt to get comfortable. She hoped that Mason hadn't given
up on her and that she wouldn't be forced to wait all night. Something
crawled on her foot causing her to shudder and fling her leg up in the
air to shake it off.
"Watch where you aim!" Mason whispered as he approached.
Lucy smiled and explained about the delay. Mason agreed that Miss Scuttlebottom's behavior was suspicious. Tomorrow they would need to be especially careful.
Before she could reply, Mason kissed her again. Her skin prickled
and her lungs filled with the earthy scents of pine and cedar. Her
thoughts turned to her gardens. She tasted carrots and truffles.
Once again, Mason pulled away from her. He gave her a new set of
instructions, and darted off into the night.
When confident that he was gone, Lucy made her way down to the lake
to wash up. She dried herself off, donned her clothing again, and
snuck back into the house. So far so good. Lucy could still hear the
snoring coming from upstairs.
She took her first step. The stair creaked. The snoring stopped.
Lucy rushed up the stairs as quickly and as quietly as she could
manage before the pixie's door swung open. She reached the landing,
pushed open her door, and closed it carefully.
Two more nights to go.
"Where the hell have you been?" Miss Scuttlebottom screeched
at a pitch that made Lucy's eardrums gurgle.
Lucy turned around to see the pixie sitting on her bed.
