Page 71 of Sweetwater and the Witch

“I must say I’m a lot less worried about you living in Illusion Town now that I’ve met Ethan,” Natalie continued. “At first I was so afraid you’d meet some sleazy nightclub owner or a professional gambler. When you told me you were bringing home the man involved in the Kavanagh affair, I was even more worried. But Ethan’s grandfather told your grandfather the truth about that scandal, so we were all reassured.”

Ravenna froze. “Jake Sweetwater called Granddad?”

“Oh, yes,” Natalie said cheerfully. “Those two have known each other for decades. Their friendship goes back to the days when they were both prospectors in the Underworld. And now that I’ve met Ethan, I’m no longer concerned. It’s obvious that you found yourself a nice, solid engineer like your father.”

“Well—” Ravenna said.

She didn’t finish the sentence, because she could not think of anything to say. The observation was true. Her father was an engineer. So was Ethan.

“Your brothers like him, too,” Natalie said. She looked toward the barbecue grills and smiled.

Ravenna followed her gaze and saw Ethan standing with her siblings, Jon and Harry. All three men held cans of beer. They were talking in an enthusiastic, animated manner.

Of course they were all getting along splendidly. Jon and Harry were engineers, too.

I’m psychic,Ravenna thought.Why in green hell didn’t I see this coming?

She looked around for the one creature who might offer comfort and support in this time of crisis.

But Harriet was at the children’s table, and it was evident she was having a very good time. Ravenna watched, her mood darkening by the second, as the crowd of youngsters finished their meals and jumped up from the table. One of the kids grabbed an enthusiastic Harriet. They all headed for the nearby play area.

Harriet and her newfound buddies disappeared into the bounce house.

“Looks like the dust bunny is having a good time,” Natalie remarked.

“Yes, it does,” Ravenna said. “What could possibly go wrong?”

The answer to that question arrived a short time later when the bounce house mysteriously came untethered and began to float up into the air. Shrieks of delight and a lot of chortling could be heard.

Ethan, Jon, Harry, and several other men went to the rescue. They grabbed the trailing ropes and quickly secured the bounce house. Harriet and the kids leaped out, wildly excited by the adventure. They headed for the small carousel.

It was, Ravenna reflected, going to be a very long night.

Chapter Thirty-Five

The slender thread of hope that had sustained her through the barbecue began to shred further that evening at the midnight ball.

Her grandparents were seated on the dais, their siblings flanking them on either side. She and Ethan were seated at one of the large round tables together with her parents and her brothers and their wives. They were all sipping champagne and munching on elegant, bite-sized desserts, assorted cheeses, and canapés from the late-night buffet.

She did not have to worry about making tense conversation. No one wanted to talk to her. Everyone at the table was focused on Ethan.

There were questions about his schooling, his hobbies, his engineering work, and his theories on the future uses of rez-amber now that technology was finding more applications for resonating quartz.

He handled the not-so-subtle inquisition with a friendly aplomb that would have been impressive if it had been a real meet-the-family occasion. He wore his tux, with its elegantly knotted bow tie, black jacket, andtrousers, with a cool attitude that managed to convey a compelling mix of sophistication and danger.

But he talked like an engineer.

“The primary engineering obstacle with rez quartz is that we haven’t found a way to install a generic frequency,” Ethan said in response to a question from Dean. “There’s definitely the potential for a lot of power in some of those rocks, but at this point only certain kinds of high-end talents can resonate with very specific types of quartz. That puts severe limits on the commercial applications. There are a lot of unknowns.”

Ravenna ate a small chocolate-and-coffee-flavored tart, feeling very much alone even as she sat with her family. Harriet, the little traitor, had once again vanished with a herd of young people.

By the time the dancing started, Ravenna was walking the very narrow line that separated anxiety from outright panic. There was a round of applause as Adelaide and Mark Chastain ended their solo waltz. Other couples drifted onto the floor. Ethan got to his feet, turned to Ravenna, and held out his hand.

“Dance with me?” he asked.

Everyone at the table smiled. There was really only one right answer to the question—and deep down Ravenna knew she wanted to give it.

“Yes,” she said.

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