Page 14 of Magic Touch
"If you wish it," Prudence says. "It is your nature."
I can’t even imagine what this would mean to my comfortable life. How would I explain such a thing to Mother?
Esme’s eyes shine with unshed tears. "I am sorry, Sir William."
If it’s my nature as Prudence says, then I don’t know how Esme can blame herself. Regardless, I hate that she’s distressed. "I hardly think you could have known that my family had suppressed its nature for generations, or that my magic would match yours to an extent that you could awaken it. It seems this was a strange occurrence of coincidence."
She sighs. “Oh, William, there are no mistakes in magic. This happened because you were meant to return your family to the place nature intended."
Prudence nods. "She tells true, my boy. Goddess makes no errors. You are likely needed, or will be soon. But even so, if you wish to go back to your life as a gentleman, you can do so. Goddess also insists on free will. The choice is yours."
I know nothing of magic or how to use it. Power in novice hands is dangerous, even if my intentions are good. I could harm someone. Yet, if I’m needed…I look from Esme’s worried eyes to Prudence. "Who would train me?"
Prudence narrows her gaze. "Esme O'Dwyer would take you to the coven cottage and teach you to use and control magic. She will show you how to conjure and cast. Then the coven will test you against the dark to be sure your heart remains with the light."
"Me? I have my shop to run. I can't go to some cottage” Distraught, she avoids my gaze.
I long to know what is running through that mind of hers.
In a sunny voice, Minerva says, "I would be happy to care for your shop for a few months. I don't imagine you would be gone longer than that. Sir William would be a good student, I think."
I can’t stand here and let my fate be decided. There is only one person in the room I can truly trust. I take Esme’s elbow. "Will you give us a moment, ladies?"
I guide her across the hall and out the back door. It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust to the brightness of the alley. Being near her sets my body aflame. I should move back, but I pull her into a hug. "I'm sorry, Esme. I have been nothing but trouble to you."
Pulling back to look in my eyes, she studies me as if I’m a madman. "You have no cause to be sorry. Do you want to be a witch and learn magic, William? You might find it difficult to live among society while living among witches. You would have two lives and keep one secret from the other. It's not as if you can stop being Sir William Meriwether. People will recognize you on the street, even if you're a witch. Is this what you want?"
My shoulders ache with tension, and I can’t relax. Duty is ingrained in me like the blood that flows through my veins. How can I walk away? I know nothing of their goddess, but two days ago, I knew nothing of magic, and it is real enough. If a deity sought fit to arrange for my power to come forth at this time, how can I run from it? "She said there was a purpose, and you agree with that. For this to happen now, there is some need for me to have magic?"
Esme’s lips pull into a straight line before she lets out another long sigh. "Goddess chooses her timing carefully. If your father had been needed, or perhaps it was your mother's side, it would have happened a generation ago. At some point, you will be needed as a witch."
"And if I allow the binding, what happens?"
Despite the warm sun, she shivers. "I don't know. Whatever you were needed for goes some other way than intended. There's no way to know. Still, the choice must be yours. You cannot allow me, or any witch, to persuade you. I will say that most witches would prefer death to binding, but perhaps Prudence is right, and you will not miss what you never had."
I’m no stranger to fear, yet this task seems more daunting than a volley of bullets across a battlefield. "Will you teach me? I don't want to do this with another. I don't trust any others."
"I'll not let you go through this alone. We are friends after all, are we not?" She takes my hand.
Heart in my throat, I kiss her knuckles. "We are friends." Touching Esme feels perfectly right. Only as we cross back into the coven house do I release her and stride to Prudence. "If I agree to go with Esme and be trained, can I change my mind and be bound at a later date?"
Prudence's eyes widen. "Binding is a serious choice."
"If I should turn to the dark magic as Miss Sara Beth fears, I shall want to be bound. I'll not harm anyone." The idea of harming Esme tightens like a knot in my stomach.
Prudence closes her eyes and lets out a long breath. "I think there is little chance of that, child. Your heart is pure and full of light. However, I will bind you should you turn."
I take Prudence’s hand. "We have an agreement then."
Prudence's bones creak and pop as she stands. She shakes my hand. "You have my word."
Esme covers our joined hands with hers. "Then we shall go to the cottage tomorrow and begin."
Easing herself back into the chair, Prudence says, "Wait three days, and I will go with you. It will make it seemlier for the few neighbors near the cottage, and perhaps I can be of some help. I am old, and this may be my last chance to do some good in this world."
I nod, and it is agreed.
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