Page 87 of Potions and Proposals
“His little red cheeks broke my heart. How can they be so awful?” Lucinda said, anger edging her words. “They’ll grow out of it… they’re young.” She sounded like she was trying to convince herself.
“What worries me is where they learned it from,” Benedict said, looking around the room at all the smiling faces, wondering who would want to spread such venom.
Lucinda gripped his hand a little tighter. “The kids probably heard some stories and are acting out.”
“Pumpkin, you see the good in everyone and everything. There are those in Foxford who don’t see things that way.” Helifted her hand to kiss it, the heat of his element warming his lips.
“You weren’t treated that way! You had more friends than me in school,” she protested.
“Actually, I was, once or twice. But when you have perfect grades, play the right sports and make allies of those who want to find fault in you, life is rather smooth. The only trouble I got in was thanks to you,” he admitted.
“I never knew you felt the need to be so perfect.”
“I’ve done everything I can for this town,” he reminded her. “I even opened the door to Matherson Manor to strangers to help Foxford.”
“You didn’t have to,” she said, but even she didn’t sound like she believed it.
The music slowed. Benedict led her to the dance floor, wanting–needingany excuse to take her in his arms, even if only for one song. Everyone around them was too busy enjoying their night to pay much attention.
“After what happened with my dad, and then my brother, my mum stopped being summoned to coven meetings,” he told her. “Invitations to parties, lunches and dinners from people she’d known her whole life suddenly went missing. If Wilhelmina hadn’t intervened, we wouldn’t have lasted in this town.”
“Then why did you risk your perfect image tormenting me?” Lucinda asked, only concern in her words as they lingered on the edge of the dance floor.
“You were so good at everything. Everyone trusted you merely for your name alone. You could do no wrong– it was infuriating, and I couldn’t resist. I wanted to know if you were truly so perfect or if there was darkness in you, if you were acting as much as I was to become what others wanted of you.” His adolescent jealousy felt ridiculous now. “I didn’t expect you to give as good as you got.”
She rolled her eyes, and he pulled her closer.
“I never understood why you were so determined to hate me, but I suppose that makes sense. Whenever I tried to be nice to you, the meaner you got,” she murmured.
“Because if you were really so good, then you would never agree to be mine,” Benedict admitted.
He could see it clearly now. He’d spent so many hours, days, years obsessed with Lucinda Hawthorne. She was the one thing he’d always wanted, but no matter how perfect he tried to be, she saw through him to the depths of his soul. One look from her, and he couldn’t pretend anymore.
Lucinda’s eyes, full of questions, lingered on his, but nothing needed to be said. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and they swayed to the remainder of the song in silence.
Lucy waited by the entrance for Benedict to return from scolding a few students. They’d bewitched the buffet to make it look like the food was riddled with maggots. Disgusting to look at, but take a bite and they turned into delicious jellies. Lucy had once pulled the same prank on Benedict’s lunchbox when they were in school.
Thankfully, their time was almost up; more of the senior students were starting to arrive, and the buffet would just be the start. Lucy and Benedict would get to enjoy the rest of the night while the next round of chaperones dealt with the chaos.
“Lucinda Hawthorne! We didn’t realise you were chaperoning. Nothing could possibly happen with you here,” said Cynthia Berkley, head of the parent-teacher association, appearing next to her. The PTA was the closest she could get to power in Foxford, and the way she wielded such power gavethem all the more reason to make sure she never joined their table.
“We were just finishing up our shift. Are you taking over?” Lucy asked.
“Oh no, I’m merely here to pay the caterers so they can head off.”
“Shouldn’t they have been paid beforehand?”
“And risk them doing a mediocre job? Not a chance. You’d be amazed how much service improves when you keep the envelope close.” Cynthia pressed her hand against her breast pocket. Given that she was the mother of the child who’d been tormenting Thomas, it was clear the apple hadn’t fallen far from the tree.
“Aren’t they staff from the Matherson Manor? I doubt they’d have done any less of a good job. Benedict was kind enough to share his staff for the festival opening, even though the Manor is packed to the brim,” Lucy said, trying to hide her dislike behind a bright smile.
“And it was a kind offer, but you can never be too sure. He’s always hiring people with questionable backgrounds.” Cynthia shivered.
Lucy resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “I’ll go and find Benedict so you can ask him yourself about his staff. We wouldn’t want anything to go wrong and spoil all the work you’ve done.”
“Maybe I should stay and help you chaperone. I do worry…” Cynthia trailed off, but her gaze drew Lucinda’s attention to Benedict laughing with one of the teachers across the room. He’d softened over the last few weeks, and she loved that he didn’t hide his kindness as much. If she’d lost her Grams and mum, the two people closest to her, she didn’t think she would even be able to get out of bed, but he never complained.
“And why would you be worried?” she demanded.
