"Is there anything valuable left in the house that you can sell quickly? Starting with that pitcher?"
"A few things. So much disappeared, so fast, but one day I caught Mother putting a few things into hiding so ..." Pearl nodded. "Yes, I think so."
"The most important thing is to leave. Get as far away from here, away from people who know you, as you possibly can. If your stepfather doesn't know about the copper pennies, then take Drusilla with you. She might as well pay her way."
"Leave a note for your stepfather," Bib said.
"Why?" Merrigan nearly shrieked. "So he can follow them?"
The important thing was to get the women away from that horrid, selfish, lazy man. The sooner Pearl and her mother got away from him, the better. It was too bad they had to take Drusilla, but if they left her behind, her father would marry a truly wicked stepmother with three ugly, cruel daughters. That was how the fables worked. They would make the poor girl talk nonstop until they were rich.
"Tell him Drusilla met a prince on the way back from the well. Make sure it's a prince from a kingdom at least a moon's travel away. Tell him Drusilla eloped, and you and your mother have gone to find a wicked enchanter to reverse the spell of the copper coins. No one will expect the three of you to be together."
"I suppose that makes sense." Pearl rubbed at her eyes. "But what if he decides to go look for Drusilla and live off her and her prince?"
Chapter Seven
"Do you think any prince will suffer a madman showing up on his doorstep, calling himself his father-in-law, and demanding to be taken care of in a style he doesn't deserve?" Merrigan said. "If he stays in the house and dies of his own laziness or goes looking for Drusilla and the prince, either way, you're free of him. All that matters is getting away. Remember the stories Bib told you, so you avoid more traps. Be kind to Drusilla, keep her out of trouble, and make her keep her mouth shut when strangers are around. You don't want anyone knowing the source of your income, do you?"
"No." The girl wiped her face on her apron, sniffed a few more times, then startled Merrigan by flinging her arms around her for a short, hard hug. "Oh, you are better than a faerie godmother! How can I ever thank you?"
"Just be happy—and move quickly." Merrigan tried not to shudder as she carefully freed herself from the girl's hug. Part of her liked it, and part of her was repulsed, and another part of her was trying to whisper that she was a fraud. Merrigan couldn't understand why she should think such a thing. Maybe the strain of the day was crumbling the edges of her mind?
Pearl thanked them again, bowing several times, and almost forgot to snatch up her silver pitcher as she hurried to leave. Merrigan stayed where the girl left her, watching and waving, urging her to move faster, until Pearl vanished into the shadows of the forest.
"Do you think she'll be all right?" She gathered up Bib and slid him back into his bag. "It's so unfair, how the clever girls, especially the daughters of stepmothers, are always accused of being nasty. Why are stepmothers always evil? Why don't we hear any stories about evil stepfathers? Doesn't anyone realize the good-hearted dunderheads who get all the magical help are also stepsisters?"
Merrigan slid the strap of Bib's bag over her head and settled it against her hip. Then she turned to walk away from the well.
And ran right into a Fae.
A woman, with jewel-toned, sculptured beauty. She was all in blues and greens, including her skin and hair, and stood at least fifteen feet tall. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she scowled down at Merrigan. One foot tapped against the pebbles of the path the same way busybody old harridans in her father's court used to when they thought they could stand in judgment on her.
"Just what did you think you were doing? Who gave you the right to interfere with Fae justice?" the woman said. Her voice rang like wind chimes made of jewels.
"Justice?" Merrigan squeaked, wobbling between infuriated and terrified.
"That young snot needed to learn a good lesson. Along with her mother."
"What lesson?" Bib called, so loud the book vibrated against Merrigan's hip.
The Fae woman scowled deeper, then snapped her fingers. Merrigan let out a shriek as the strap lifted off her shoulder and the bag flew up in the air. Bib bounced out of it and opened, landing in the woman's outstretched hand.
"If you would so kindly oblige, Lady," Bib said. "See what I learned from the girl."
His pages turned as if blown by a high wind. Whatever he showed the Fae woman, her scowl faded, then her lips pursed and she slowly shook her head.
"I thought something was off. The girl looked well-fed and her clothes were clean and decent and she didn't look at all afraid. She did say she was sent to the well as a punishment, though."
"It seems the people hereabouts think there's something odd about the well," Merrigan offered. The Fae woman seemed more approachable. As her scowl faded, she shrank, so now she only stood ten feet tall.
"It's been nearly thirty years since anyone has come to it. There's no chance to catch up on gossip and really know what's going on ..." She sighed and tossed Bib up in the air. He slid back into his bag, which settled gently around Merrigan's shoulders. "Still, it isn't your place to interfere. There's a balance to things. When you place a blessing, someone else gets a curse."
"So it doesn't matter that
