“I know the perfect vantage point to watch it happen.”

  “Watch what happen?” she demanded as Edward came to a stop at the mass of bramble that stood between them and the neighboring estate, Nightshade Manor. He put his booted foot into the knot of an old oak tree then climbed before he settled on a limb. “Come on or you’ll miss it.”

  “Miss what?” Cordelia demanded again. She was not climbing a tree, yet she did wish to see what was on the other side.

  She shook her head. She knew there was nothing but more bramble. When she was younger, she’d explored out of curiosity, hoping to get a glimpse of Nightshade Manor, but it was impossible with everything so overgrown. That is what happened when an estate was unattended, with no servants left behind to see to the grounds. In fact, nobody had been in residence in two years, and even then, no one had seen the family.

  “We will be seen,” Cordelia insisted.

  Edward rolled his eyes. “The leaves are too full. Nobody is going to see us. I promise.”

  Cordelia did a slow turn and looked about the area that was no longer as familiar as it had been when she was a child. She’d come here often then, breaking the rules, so that she could eat the numerous blackberries that grew within the bramble, which was tight, interlocking hedges separating the two properties. Adam had said the bramble belonged to Nightshade Manor, but she’d decided any blackberries that faced Hollybrook Park were theirs. They were always the best tasting blackberries too, but now Cordelia wondered if they only tasted better because they had been forbidden.

  “I knew you were too boring and proper to want to experience something interesting,” Edward decided. “Just like a stern governess who never allows for fun. Like my house mother.”

  House mother indeed! She most certainly was not boring. Proper, yes, but not boring.

  A proper miss would not climb a tree, especially at her age. But, neither would a boring person.

  Blast Edward!

  She held up her hand. “Help me up.”

  He grinned down, reached out a hand, and before Cordelia knew it, she was seated beside Edward. Luckily the limb was strong and should hold them both. “What am I supposed to see?” On the other side of the bramble was nothing but a field, and more bramble. Odd, the bramble separating Hollybrook Park from Nightshade Manor turned away from the border further away, as if rounding a corner, and continued in another line, away from where it had intersected with the property row.

  Cordelia didn’t know what to make of it, except perhaps a gardener had once tried to train it back, which was nearly impossible if let go for too long.

  “Just wait,” Edward said.

  Cordelia blew out a sigh and waited. If everything hadn’t gone so silent and still, she wouldn’t even be here.

  “Look at all the blooms for the blackberries. The birds will certainly be happy. It is a shame that there won’t be anyone to pick them.” Except, she might just visit once they were ripe and fill a pail. It wasn’t as if anyone at Nightshade Manor would know that she was picking from their bushes.

  Cordelia leaned forward to study the blooms to see when the petals might drop, but the petals faded away, and berries plumped and ripened right before her very eyes. How was that even possible?

  “There,” Edward announced, pulling Cordelia’s attention from the magical blackberries. He was pointing in the direction of the main road to Bocka Morrow, not that it could be seen from this distance, and then she heard horses and carriages approaching.

  There was no road here. At least not a well-traveled one. Simply a grass-covered path wide enough for a carriage. There were rumors that the road to Nightshade Manor was near here, but she’d never seen it. Then before Cordelia could comprehend what truly was happening, a dirt road appeared where the overgrown grass had been and ended at the bramble that had pivoted away from the other bushes.

  “See,” Edward whispered. “There is more.”

  “You have seen this happen before?” Cordelia questioned.

  “Yes.”

  “When?” she demanded.

  “You will be angry.”

  There wasn’t a day passed that Cordelia wasn’t angry at her brother for something, except for the blissful period that he was away at Eton. If one were honest, Edward had gotten up to mischief as soon as he could crawl, so it wasn’t a surprise that he’d done something he shouldn’t.

  “I promise I shall not,” she said and hoped she could keep it.

  “When I was six. I was eating the berries and the same thing happened. Everything got silent so I climbed the tree.”

  When he was six? That would have been in 1806. That was also the last time anyone had arrived at Nightshade Manor. The family stayed until 1811 and hadn’t been back…Until today.

  It didn’t take long for the carriages to arrive, then stop at the end of the road before the shield of bramble.

  Then a gentleman, older woman and three young girls got out and glanced around. Perhaps they were lost or had taken a wrong turn. Except, that road hadn’t even existed until a few moments ago.

  She recognized the woman to be the Marchioness of Chandos, but she did not recognize the gentleman or the girls.

  Why was Lady Chandos here and why hadn’t she brought her daughters or husband?

  This was all very strange.

  Two of the younger girls raced toward the tree she and Edward were sitting in and the gentleman turned in their direction. She waited for him to call out, because Cordelia was certain that he’d looked directly at her.

  He was the most handsome gentleman she’d ever seen, or perhaps it was simply that something called out to her. She’d already had four Seasons, but this was the first time her breath had lodged in her throat, pulse sped, and heart pounded.

  She shook those thoughts away. It was the fear of getting caught, and nothing else, and she waited for him to demand to know why she and Edward were spying on them from a tree.

  But he didn’t. He turned away.

  “This is very odd,” Cordelia whispered.

  “Shush. Just watch.”

  Chapter 2

  Since the incident with the butterflies, Ianthe had been ever obedient and anxious. Damon promised that she’d learn more about her abilities but that it had to wait until they were at Nightshade Manor and far away from where others might see. As a precaution, he also had a maid sew pockets on the outside of her dresses so that whenever they were out of the carriage, Ianthe could keep her hands hidden and not accidentally point and wish. The only time she took them out was when they dined so that she could eat, but then they needed to be hidden again. Damon had feared she’d argue, given her recent petulance, but the frogs, birds and rain had scared Ianthe enough that she didn’t want to risk doing harm, for which he was grateful.

  The carriage slowed and finally came to a stop at the far edge of the drive. His nieces hadn’t been back here in three years. That had also been the only time the girls had visited Nightshade Manor – the estate belonging to the Drakos family—the family of his mother. Further, it had only been for a short holiday so that they could become familiar with the estate to prepare for this day.

  It had also been open when they’d arrived, not shielded as it was now, a precaution always taken when a family wasn’t in residence.

  Damon was concerned how they might react to being back here since it was where they’d gotten the news of their parents’ death. They’d never been told the details, or even how or why it had happened. Simply that they’d died. Unfortunately, it was now time that they learned the truth once they were settled in and rested from their travels.

  In the carriages behind them were the servants who were already familiar with the estate. They were the very ones who always traveled with them between the family estates in Kent and Cornwall. Further, many had once been residents of Bocka Morrow, or their ancestors had been, and several still had family in the area. Witchcraft didn’t frighten them and they understood the importance of discretion and secrecy.

  Damon also knew that many of the servants who traveled with them had already sent word to family members that they’d be needed at Nightshade Manor. These were the servants who had no wish to leave the area but were happy to be of service when any member of the family was in residence. In no time, they’d descend upon the manor and make it habitable after being vacant for two years. His mother may have many powers but snapping her fingers and ridding a place of cobwebs and dust was not one of them.

  A footman opened the carriage door, and his mother stepped out first, followed by his nieces and then Damon. He braced himself for their reactions as to what was about to happen.

  “Blackberries,” the girls cried and ran toward the brambles.

  That wasn’t what he was worried about, but perhaps it was best if the younger two were distracted for the moment.

  “You need to stay with us, Ianthe,” he said.

  Her shoulders slumped as she returned to them. “I am not to have blackberries either?”

  Ever since the incident at the garden party, she’d been so afraid, and now, when denied even the simplest thing, like picking blackberries with her sisters, Ianthe assumed she was being punished.

  Damon crouched down on the balls of his feet, balancing so that he could look her in the eye. “Soon you may have all the blackberries you wish, but Grandmother has something important for you to try first.”

  “Come with me, Ianthe.” His mother then led his niece before the horses and carriage, facing the bramble that grew away from where his other two nieces had descended on the berries. “See if you can make the bramble part.”

  Ianthe glanced back at Damon as if asking for permission.

  “You may even point while you wish.”

  Slowly she pulled her hand from her pocket and pointed. “I wish the bramble to part.”

  Leaves fluttered and a few berries dropped.

  “It will happen in time,” his mother assured Ianthe and then held out her hands and whispered words as the bramble separated and curled away to reveal the entrance to the estate.

  Ianthe gasped, much as Damon had done when he’d first seen such magic.

  As his mother pushed her palms out and away, the bramble moved further and revealed the stone wall that guarded this side of Nightshade Manor from Bocka Morrow and their neighbors.

  Then, in a blink, the nightshade for which the estate was named, sprouted from the ground, covered the walls and bloomed.

  Ianthe gasped again.

  “Now, shall we return to the carriage and continue on to the manor?”

  “Come along, girls,” Damon called to Nephele and Clio. They turned, their fingers and mouths, as well as the fronts of their dresses, now stained purple from the blackberries, not that Damon minded. Their nurserymaids may, however.

  Cordelia wasn’t certain that she could believe what she’d just witnessed. She was a reasonable adult and did not possess a fanciful disposition, yet what she’d just seen was incomprehensible.

  She’d been raised in Bocka Morrow where there were ghosts, witches, mermaids, and pixies, yet despite her twenty-one years on this earth, this was the first time that she’d witnessed something truly magical.

  She turned to Edward, who was grinning.

  “They are witches.”

  He nodded, then turned to watch as the carriages traveled through the drive between the stone walls covered in nightshade. More coaches followed and she assumed they were servants and belongings. After the last coach entered, Cordelia held her breath expecting the bramble to return, hiding the entrance to the estate, but it did not.

  Lady Chandos was a witch! Cordelia would have never expected as such. And who was the gentleman traveling with his three daughters? Cordelia had never seen him before, but he must be a relation. She assumed he was the father, but he didn’t appear old enough to have a daughter the age of the oldest, who she determined to be near Edward’s age of thirteen. Perhaps he had married young, or he looked younger than he was.

  That wasn’t what mattered. There were new witches in Bocka Morrow. Were they all witches? More importantly, were they good witches or something to be feared?

  “All is restored,” Edward said.

  Nothing was restored. There was still a dirt road when one had not been there before, blackberries were plump, and nightshade had bloomed in a blink.

  “There is no more silence,” he said.

  Yes, it had all returned—the birds chirped, trees rustled in the breeze, and the flowers danced in the fields, as if nothing had occurred.

  Were they more powerful than most?

  “Help me from this tree,” Cordelia insisted. She needed to learn what she could of the family because the Marchioness of Chandos was not what she presented to Society.

  Once she reached the gardens where she’d left her book, Cordelia continued toward the manor, noting the ribbons she’d left on the walk to attract pixies were gone, then marched to the library where she anticipated Adam, her older brother would be.

  “What do you know of the owners of Nightshade Manor?” She’d always thought it was owned by the Drakos family. Then again, perhaps Lady Chandos was related. If Cordelia knew where their copy of Debrett’s had disappeared to, she’d find it and research in the information herself.

  He set the quill aside and leaned back in his chair. “Nightshade Manor was built by the Drakos family centuries ago. Why?”

  “The Marchioness of Chandos just arrived.”

  “She is a sister of Lord Basil Drakos, the Earl of Wharton and current owner. His other sister is the Countess of St. Alban,” Adam answered. “Any heir can visit and take up residence at any time.”

  “Were you aware they are witches?”

  “Yes, weren’t you?”

  Cordelia sank into a chair before his large desk. “No.”

  He shrugged. “It’s no secret. All Bocka Morrow knows. I’m surprised you didn’t.”

  How could she not possess this information? Cordelia thought she knew everything about their community.

  Lady Chandos’ daughter, Lady Larisa was a good friend to Adriana. Was her sister aware they were witches? Were all of them witches? Should she warn Adriana?

  Goodness why was she so disturbed? It was unlike her, but she was also protective of her younger sister, whether she approved or not, and must have a word with her.

  “Are they evil?” That really was the more pressing question. It was bad enough that Castle Keyvnor was a neighboring estate and harbored some rather unfriendly ghosts, so she truly hoped she’d not have to be concerned with evil witches residing at Nightshade Manor.

  “I can assure you that they are not.”

  At least she didn’t need to be concerned with evil being in their presence.

  “Do you know the family?” she asked.

  “I have known them my entire life. At least I knew Cadmus Norcott well. We were the same age and attended Eton together.”

  Cordelia had a mild recollection of Cadmus when Adam was a boy. She had only been five or six at the time.

  “When Cadmus learned where I was from, he was more open to a friendship.” Adam grinned. “When his family visited one year, the two of us explored the groves and had a grand time.” Adam laughed, then his smile fell as sadness filled his eyes. “I still miss him.”

  Cordelia remembered when Adam had received the news that Cadmus had been killed while fighting Napoleon’s army. He had only been twenty and that was the first time her brother had tragically lost a friend.

  “The oldest, Evander Norcott, was killed three years ago, along with his wife. Murdered!”

  Goodness! How tragic.

  Adam’s eyes widened and he sat forward. “Is anyone with Lady Chandos? Any children?”

  “Three little girls and a gentleman near your age,” Cordelia answered. “Do you know who they are?”

  “Yes, and I anticipate they will be living in Bocka Morrow for a few years.” He smiled.

  At least Adam wasn’t alarmed, but Cordelia still knew nothing further, other than they weren’t evil, which was rather comforting.

  “I assume you will be calling on them?”

  “No.” Adam shook his head. “Nobody visits Nightshade Manor unless invited. They are reclusive for a reason.”

  “You said that you wandered the groves with Cadmus,” she reminded him.

  “His mother never knew,” Adam laughed. “She did not approve of the family associating with anyone outside of the walls of Nightshade Manor.”

  Then how was Cordelia to learn anything more?

  Adam frowned “Why are you anxious? This isn’t like you.”

  “I do not know,” she finally responded. Even though she now had the answers to her questions, she still had an inexplicable desire…a need to know this family.

  Perhaps she was too long in the sun because she did already know the family. Or knew of Lord and Lady Chandos and their three daughters. But she certainly didn’t know them well or she would have known they were witches.

  Chapter 3

  Damon covered his ears at the high-pitched shrieks coming from above stairs, but not enough to block out the noise entirely, or the pounding of feet down the stairs.

  “What has Ianthe done now?” They’d only been in residence for two days, but his niece had managed to create an army of ants, a shield of flies, and a garden of caterpillars. She’d not yet gained control of her powers in a way that was practical, but she had command of the insect population.

  “Grasshoppers,” Nephele cried. “They were in my hair.”

  “Mother,” Damon called.

  “She was going to visit the gardens.” Clio flopped onto the chaise.

  “If this happens to me, I will have far better control than Ianthe,” Nephele assured Damon as she settled next to Clio. “Our sister simply lacks command of her abilities and is not concentrating enough.”

  Damon said nothing because it wasn’t worth arguing. Nephele was all of ten, and while she might believe herself more prepared, his younger sisters had as well, after they witnessed Maia with her first powers. It hadn’t been easy for any of them, and he doubted it would be any easier for his nieces.