The Witch House of Persimmon Point by Suzanne Palmieri Page A

Reggie told me he’s been honest with you about the fact that he cannot return home. But do you know why?”
    â€œI don’t want to hear any more of this.”
    â€œYour mother tried to teach you and you didn’t listen. You suffer for that obstinance now. Reginald grew selfish and wanted more than the magic he was born with. He broke rules that ought not be broken.”
    â€œI will not leave him.”
    â€œDo as you wish, but my assistant, Albert, will stay for a few days after I go. I’ve instructed him to watch you. And when you have cleaned yourself out, he has been instructed to make sure you can escape. Do this for Ava. She does not deserve the future I see, Nan. It is a terrible future that will cast a net of sorrow and imprison generations. Please alter it.”
    Before Evelyn left, she gave Nan a cryptic note.
    When fire destroys all you hold dear
    and sorrow plagues you year by year
    and one that wasn’t meant to be
    falls down the steps of devilry
    send her dying soul to me
    send her dying soul to me.
    She didn’t leave. She couldn’t. She wouldn’t. But she didn’t go to the parties after that. And she stayed clear of the absinthe punch and opium pipes.
    Without the strange goings-on in her mind, one fact was clear. Nan was desperately in love. She sent Albert away. She did not need to escape and found it silly Evelyn had been so insistent. Nan would heed the warning, and remain vigilant.
    At first Gwyneth and Reginald were amused by Nan’s new austerity. Then Gwyneth became annoyed. But Reggie seemed to understand, and soon, the parties ceased entirely. Nan took that as proof that she was in fact, a beacon of light in their lives. A savior of sorts.
    She forgot to remember that most saviors must eventually sacrifice everything for their flock.

 
    9
    Gwyneth in the Turret Room with a Lighter
    1910
    Nan pushed open the door to the stone gardener’s cottage, and petals fell from a low-hanging fruit tree branch.
    â€œYou should always have petals in your hair,” said Reginald.
    Lifting her skirt from behind, his hands caressed her, full of wanting. She turned, and they locked in a kiss that released far too many hours of being apart.
    He rested her on the ground, and as she opened herself wide to him, he groaned as he drove himself inside her.
    â€œCloser…” she breathed.
    â€œI can not get enough of you. Only you. Forever you,” he said. Each word punctuating his movement inside of her.
    After, she rested her head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat. She’d never felt more safe.
    â€œIt’s as if I didn’t know the entire you for all those years. I adored you. I adored Ava. And I certainly enjoyed the company we all, shall we say, kept. But here you are, in a completely different light. A purity lingers over you in your sex. I want to devour it.”
    â€œThen by all means, do.…”
    â€œYou know.… you and I have never really spoken about the magic,” he said, as they finally gathered their things.
    â€œI don’t know what you mean.”
    â€œEnough of this. You must start talking to me! I was forced from Fortunes Cove because I made a mistake. I’ve known magic. I’ve lost it, and spent my whole life trying to regain it. I came here and married Gwen because there was speculation that her father, Archibald, had the talents. Whether he did or not is up for debate, but Gwen did not. Does not. So please, if you love me, tell me what you know. Evelyn saw so much power in you. I see you with your big black book and working with your medicinal herbs—the garden is lovely, by the way. What else can you do? What else does that book hold? Will you teach me? I want to go home, Nan. How I long to go home! I can’t even cross that body of water. Can you imagine being so far from home?”
    Nan nodded.
    â€œI’m sorry. So sorry, my love. That was terribly insensitive of me. I