It didn’t look like anything I wanted to put in my mouth. I leaned closer and sniffed it gingerly. There was a slightly familiar scent to it, like a memory I couldn’t quite catch. Until I did.
“What do the runes say?” If he couldn’t read them, he was exactly the man to have the right research books to figure out the message. It was no surprise when he picked up the box and studied the runes. “It translates roughly into ‘As above, so below.’”
“That’s an alchemical saying, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
Rafe said, “Alchemy is about combining opposite elements to make something very special. As above, so below, male with female, light with darkness, day with night.”
“You with me,” I said and he smiled.
“The metaphor holds.”
“Why would someone send a wedding gift that’s only for you?” William asked, looking puzzled. He’d stayed to see us open the present. He was like me and loved gifts. Though maybe not this one.
“I think the part that’s for Rafe is if I drink this stuff, it’ll keep me looking young.” I hadn’t planned to tell them about the witch who seemed not to age, but someone had forced my hand. Now I told them about meeting the Wicked Witch of Wallingford.
“Why would the witch give you her closely guarded secret recipe?” William wanted to know.
I shook my head slowly. “I don’t know. The whole thing doesn’t make sense. She knows I’m getting married, but she didn’t seem the type to share her secrets. I don’t trust her.”
Rafe pulled the box away from me. “Please don’t ingest any of this until I’ve had it tested.”
What did he think I was, stupid? “I’m not eating that stuff.” I felt queasy just thinking about it.
“How about coffee on the terrace?” William suggested. Oh, he was good. A change of scene and a coffee would definitely help settle me.
“Olivia’s got some ideas for floral arrangements she wants to discuss with you. I’ll send her out to you, shall I?”
“Perfect.”
“I’ll join you out there in a moment,” Rafe said, picking up the rune box and taking it down the hall toward his study. Good.
“William!” I called out Sunday afternoon. “William!”
“What are you bellowing about?” Rafe asked from behind his newspaper. Rafe wasn’t one to grab his news from an iPhone app. He still had a broadsheet delivered every morning.
“I need stuff.”
“What stuff?”
“Well, cardboard. Colored felt pens. Stuff like that.”
He looked at me, fascinated. “Might one inquire why?”
“Yes, one might. I want to make a sign with Jennifer’s name on it for when I get to the airport. I’m picking her up tomorrow.” I felt a sudden longing to see my childhood friend. “I can’t wait.”
He looked at me as though I might be running a fever. “Did you not tell me that this woman has been your best friend your whole life? And yet you need to hold up a sign with her name on it so you recognize each other?”
I rolled my eyes. “It’s a joke. A fun thing. I haven’t seen her for two years.” I turned to him. “You know how celebrities and important people always have a driver standing, waiting with a sign for them at Heathrow. I thought it would be fun to do it for Jennifer.”
“I see.” And he retreated back behind his paper.
There was a reason I hadn’t asked Rafe for help. I kept going toward the kitchen. “William.”
I found William muttering to himself over tiny rounds of puff pastry. “Taste these, Lucy. I’m not at all sure. I’m experimenting. These would be passed around on trays during your wedding reception. I want everything to be perfect.” We’d decided on this style of food so it wouldn’t be obvious that the vampires weren’t eating, as it would if we had a sit-down meal. There would also be a buffet table set up with more hearty fare.
“Everything will be perfect, William.” However, I wasn’t above grabbing the small savory just to check and see. I popped it in my mouth, chewed and closed my eyes in bliss. “William, that is fantastic.”
“You’re sure, Lucy? The mushroom flavor’s not too strong?”
“The mushroom flavor is spectacular. Honestly, you’ll get tension headaches or an ulcer or something if you don’t relax.”
“I want everything to be perfect. For both of you.”
I had one of those all too frequent washes of emotion that misted my eyes. I threw my arms around William from the back and rested my cheek between his shoulder blades. “Thank you. I know it’s not going to be easy, but the future will be so much better knowing that you’re part of it.”
He turned, and I caught a worried expression on his face. “Are you sure, Lucy? I know you’re not accustomed to managing servants. Olivia and I will do everything we can to make your lives run smoothly, but if it’s too much, perhaps—.”
“You’re not servants. Not to me. I feel like we’re family. A team.”
He brightened up at that. “That’s a very nice way to put it. Thank you.”
I said, “And as part of that team, could you find me some cardboard and colored markers? Sparkles? Sequins? Fake jewels if you have them?”
He blinked at me. “Are you planning to star in a burlesque show?”
Oh, very funny. “No.” Again I explained my plan. Unlike Rafe, William had a chuckle and thought Jennifer would enjoy being met by somebody holding a welcome sign. By digging through drawers and raiding Rafe’s office, but most especially going through all William’s catering supplies, we found all kinds of fun things. He even helped me. “This is all left over from a child’s birthday party I catered,” he said, dragging down a plastic tub. “And this is from a golden wedding.” He dragged down another.
As I glued plastic balloons from the kids’ party onto a big piece of pasteboard I’d covered in bright pink fabric, I said, “If I’d
