A Discovery of Witches - Deborah Harkness [277]
“Then we must find a different teacher. Somewhere there is a creature who can help.”
Ysabeau issued a series of firm instructions about obeying Matthew, taking care of him, taking care of myself, and returning to the château as soon as possible. I agreed to all of them with uncharacteristic alacrity and got off the phone.
A few tactful moments later, Matthew opened the door and stepped inside.
“Thank you,” I said, sniffing and holding up his phone.
He shook his head. “Keep it. Call Marcus or Ysabeau at any time. They’re numbers two and three on speed dial. You need a new phone, as well as a watch. Yours doesn’t even hold a charge.” Matthew settled me gently against the cushions and kissed my forehead. “Miriam’s working in the dining room, but she’ll hear the slightest sound.”
“Sarah and Em?” I asked.
“Waiting to see you,” he said with a smile.
After visiting with my aunts, I slept a few hours, until a restless yearning for Matthew had me clawing myself awake.
Em got up from my grandmother’s recently returned rocker and came to me carrying a glass of water, her forehead creased in deep lines that hadn’t been there a few days ago. Grandma was sitting on the sofa staring at the paneling next to the fireplace, clearly waiting for another message from the house.
“Where’s Sarah?” I closed my fingers around the glass. My throat was still parched, and the water would feel divine.
“She went out for a while.” Em’s delicate mouth pressed into a thin line.
“She blames this all on Matthew.”
Em dropped down to her knees on the floor until her eyes were level with mine. “This has nothing to do with Matthew. You offered your blood to a vampire—a desperate, dying vampire.” She silenced my protests with a look. “I know he’s not just any vampire. Even so, Matthew could kill you. And Sarah’s devastated that she can’t teach you how to control your talents.”
“Sarah shouldn’t worry about me. Did you see what I did to Juliette?”
She nodded. “And other things as well.”
My grandmother’s attention was now fixed on me instead of the paneling.
“I saw the hunger in Matthew when he fed on you,” Em continued quietly. “I saw the maiden and the crone, too, standing on the other side of the fire.”
“Did Sarah see them?” I whispered, hoping that Miriam couldn’t hear.
Em shook her head. “No. Does Matthew know?”
“No.” I pushed my hair aside, relieved that Sarah was unaware of all that had happened last night.
“What did you promise the goddess in exchange for his life, Diana?”
“Anything she wanted.”
“Oh, honey.” Em’s face crumpled. “You shouldn’t have done that. There’s no telling when she’ll act—or what she’ll take.”
My grandmother was furiously rocking. Em eyed the chair’s wild movements.
“I had to, Em. The goddess didn’t seem surprised. It felt inevitable—right, somehow.”
“Have you seen the maiden and the crone before?”
I nodded. “The maiden’s been in my dreams. Sometimes it’s as though I’m inside her, looking out as she rides or hunts. And the crone met me outside the keeping room.”
You’re in deep water now, Diana, my grandmother rustled. I hope you can swim.
“You mustn’t call the goddess lightly,” Em warned. “These are powerful forces that you don’t yet understand.”
“I didn’t call her at all. They appeared when I decided to give Matthew my blood. They gave me their help willingly.”
Maybe it wasn’t your blood to give. My grandmother continued to rock back and forth, setting the floorboards creaking. Did you ever think of that?
“You’ve known Matthew for a few weeks. Yet you follow his orders so easily, and you were willing to die for him. Surely you can see why Sarah is concerned. The Diana we’ve known all these years is gone.”
“I love him,” I said fiercely. “And he loves me.” Matthew’s many secrets—the Knights of Lazarus, Juliette, even Marcus—I pushed to the side, along with my knowledge of his ferocious temper and his need to control everything and everyone around him.
But Em knew what I was thinking. She shook her head. “You can