Page 69 of Homegrown Magic

Margot is surprised when a choked sob leaves her mouth rather than the calm, collected fine she had prepared. Her face crumples, and suddenly she’s weeping all over again.

“Margot?” Sage’s brow furrows in concern. “What’s happening over there?”

“Nothing, it’s nothing.”

“Certainly looks a lot like something.”

“Perhaps I’ll tell you the story when you’re not standing on a windswept beach surrounded by things that want to eat you,” Margot says, swiping at her tears. “I really am concerned about you.”

Sage glances over her shoulder and then turns back. “Thought I heard someone being eaten, but nope. It’s just the wind. And nice try, but we’re talking about you. What happened?”

Margot can’t help herself. Although she told Sage about her own feelings for Yael as the months with them passed, she had kept her true indebtedness to the Claunecks a secret. Now she lets the whole story spill out, from the letter she’s carried around for years and the Natural Caster Potion she’s tried and failed to make, to the first morning after the show when she woke up beside Yael, to Yael ending things on the balcony and her subsequent flight from Ashaway. To the fact that she’s not sure whether the plan to repossess Bloomfield still stands.

“Oh, Margot,” Sage murmurs. “I’m so sorry.”

“I’m sorry too,” she admits. “I really messed up and I…well, I miss them already, and I’m miserable.”

Sage nods. “Love will do that.” Her words are heavy, like someone who’s known too much suffering at the hands of love.

“Love is nonsense,” Margot mutters.

“Complete nonsense,” Sage agrees. “But that doesn’t make it any easier to lose.”

Margot has never heard Sage speak of heartache before—honestly, Sage has never spoken much about any aspect of her life before the two of them met at college—but it sounds as though she knows what she’s talking about.

“I wish I were there so I could buy you a drink at Clementine’s,” her friend continues. “Or better yet, I wish you were here. Want to join us? I could meet you along the road and we could have our own adventures. Like I’ve said, an adventuring party can always use a plant witch. Think about it!”

For a moment, Margot’s very, very tempted. But then there’s a loud crashing sound from Sage’s side of the compact, and a scream rends the night.

Before Margot can say anything else, Sage swears loudly and draws her knife again.

“What’s happening? Are you okay?”

“Just a little trouble with bandits, who may or may not want to eat us. I’ll be fine. Go get that drink at Clementine’s, and Margot? Talk to the people who care about you in Bloomfield, okay? This isn’t something you should carry alone!”

Then Sage’s compact slams closed and Margot’s mirror goes dark. The silence of the greenhouses descends again—well, not really silence, since the willow sprigs are whispering to one another and the bluebells are singing softly. But still, after the excitement of Sage’s call, it all feels so lonely. So empty. So entirely without Yael.

It feels exactly like it did months ago, before Yael walked into her life. Well. That’s fine. At least Margot knows tonight that she can go to Clementine’s and drink in peace without bumping into any Claunecks.

Clementine greets her with an exclamation of happiness and a warm hug. “Wasn’t sure when you’d be back, especially when someone came for all of Yael’s things earlier today.”

“Who came for Yael’s things?” Margot asks quickly. Was it too much to hope that they were back already?

“A representative from the Claunecks,” Clementine says, going behind the bar. “Surprised me a bit too, but she told me Yael would no longer be staying here.” She pours Margot a frothy glass of ale.

Margot sits down on a barstool, pulling the ale toward her.

This is the worst thing about Yael having made a home in Bloomfield over the past months. Everyone here knows them and loves them, and that means they’ll all want to know where Yael has gone. Why they’ve stayed in Ashaway. Why Margot is alone again in the greenhouses. “What did this representative look like?”

Perhaps it had been Araphi with a message from Yael that this was all a misunderstanding.

“Handsome young woman, blond, had on a fancy suit and showed a business card. Nicest carriage I’ve ever seen—even nicer than the ones that arrived for the fashion show. We figured the two of you were staying in Ashaway awhile longer, but…”

“Things…changed,” Margot says, taking a long pull of her ale. Her voice catches on the last word, and she swallows the drink.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Clementine asks, leaning over the counter to pull Margot into a half hug.

“Not yet…” Guilt sits heavy in Margot’s stomach as she looks at Clementine’s open, friendly face. How in the world is Margot supposed to tell her that she could lose the tavern? Her home? The whole village? That’s not for tonight, and besides, maybe Yael’s staying—their likely sacrifice for Margot—will change things. “Some other time, I’ll tell you everything. I’m just glad to be home.”