Page 9 of Half Agony, Half Hope

Corvus looked sheepish. “I think this bell actually does date back to the early 1800s, so this probably was used to ring for a Regency Era butler. I tried using it on our old butler Oswald once, but he studiously ignored me and mumbled under his breath about children who don’t know their place. But I’ll have to disagree with you on the mobiles - don’t you think this is a bit more refined?”

Pearl laughed outright then. “Not really. And you have to admit texting is marvelously convenient.”

Somehow Corvus managed to look even more sheepish. “Well, as I’ve never sent a text, I don’t have any frame of reference to admit to such a thing.”

Realizing he might be truly embarrassed, Pearl softened, but she couldn’t help teasing him a bit more. “If you ever decide to join us in the 21st century, know that I would be happy to teach you how to text.”

“I’ll hold you to that Ms. McCoy.”

Corvus began walking for the door, and Pearl’s mouth was open before she could think through what she was saying. “Do you want to see what I’ve found so far?”

With the smile she received for that statement, it was as though she’d promised him the moon. “I would like that very much.”

Pearl told herself she just wanted to demonstrate her competence. The voice inside her head that sounded suspiciously like Pru told her that was a load of bollocks. She told the voice in her head to shut up.

The Winterbourne Library had gold chainmail gloves available as a precautionary measure for taking down the books. It was believed that the gloves kept most curses from activating if they couldn’t touch skin, and Corvus slipped on a pair to join her. Pearl waved him off. “They’ve actually proven those are largely ineffective - it’s more a status symbol than anything.” By “they’ve proven” she meant “I’ve proven,” but that always felt like an arrogant thing to say.

“So how did you protect yourself when you pulled down these books?” He gestured to the two dozen or so books laid out on the tables under various stasis charms. It was one of her favorite topics - she’d written her dissertation on it. “So, we were taught that since gold is one of the least reactive chemical elements and is resistant to most acids, it is an effective neutralizing agent on cursed items; however, further research proved that it was popularized by wealthy magic users in the early 1600s as a less than subtle way to show off their riches. Its malleability can actually make it more susceptible to magical persuasion. It’s like the idea that a white wedding dress illustrates the purity of the bride when it was popularized by Queen Victoria as a way to flaunt her wealth.”

“So what should we use instead?”

“Regular gardening gloves. It’s what they used before gold gloves came into vogue.”

Corvus looked skeptical. “And how does that work?”

“Magic is so much about intention and knowledge, which is one of the reasons gold gloves sometimes work. Like a placebo effect - you believe they will work - therefore, they do. I got myself into trouble a few times when I first started to look into this because as my faith in gold gloves was wavering, their effectiveness diminished drastically. But garden gloves, not brand new ones, mind - ones that have actually been used - are best because they are connected to the earth. And what associations do we often have with the earth?”

Taking a moment to think about it, Corvus replied, “Strength, stability, immovability, growth.”

“Exactly! Not adjectives you would generally associate with persuadability. Gardening is often a very grounding activity, and if you bring something so normal and rooted into a cursed library, it’s often your very best friend. Instead of trying to solve magical problems with science, we’re better off solving magical problems with magical solutions. Looking at the properties of gold makes sense scientifically, but gardening gloves make sense magically. Furthermore, it’s dangerous to entirely rely on gloves.” Pearl pointed at one of the books under a stasis charm that was a flaming shade of red. “Take that book for example. If I had touched that with my gloves, I still wouldn’t have been safe. If anything so much as brushes against it, it releases pheromones that make you fall into a deep sleep until someone who loves you deeply kisses you awake. That spell has always made me laugh - whoever created it must have read Sleeping Beauty and thought it was such a wonderful idea. Or maybe the Grimm Brothers were magic users with a sense of humor.”

They were interrupted by a little growl. Mercutio had one of Pearl’s gloves in his mouth, and he was using it to slap a book on one of the lower shelves. Pearl went over to inspect it - Mercutio could be playful but he rarely growled, and usually only when he wanted to alert her to something important. Reading the title aloud her eyes grew wide in surprise “Purity Over All: Keeping Magic in the Old Bloodlines.” Turning to Corvus with a chastisement on her tongue, the words died when she saw a look of rage on his face. Embarrassment or even haughty indifference she’d expected, but not rage. Corvus jammed two of her garden gloves on, grabbed the book, took one moment to look at the cover, which caused his scowl to deepen further. His ruby flared brightly causing a fire to spring up in the large central fireplace, and Corvus hurled the book into it where it exploded in a rather lovely shower of lavender sparks.

Neither of them spoke for a moment, and the silence was heavy. Pearl finally spoke to break the tension. “I could have taken care of that.”

“I wouldn’t want you to touch that drivel. If you’ll excuse me, I have an appointment I can’t miss.”

When Corvus was almost at the door, he stopped, took a fortifying breath, and turned back to her. “I want you to know that I did not place that book in this library. I thought that I had purged it of all that nonsense to the best of my ability before you came. Please ring the bell if you need anything at all, and I’ll look forward to seeing you tomorrow.”

Chapter six

Past - September

Corvus agonized for days over where to take Pearl for their first date. He usually took girls to whatever restaurant had reservations that were impossible to get, but he wanted something more personal for Pearl. Something that would actually impress her. Something that would convince her to see him again. Maybe she’d like a fancy restaurant, but he wasn’t sure. His instincts told him this couldn’t be a generic date location - it had to be just for her if he had any hope of getting to a second date. Fred teased him relentlessly for worrying about it so much. When he said, “Who cares if you get a second date? You can just ask out her fit friend if I don’t get to her first,” Corvus decided he’d get Pearl to teach him how to suck Fred into a wall. As he didn’t know how she’d done it yet, Corvus just had to settle for pushing whatever chair Fred was currently lounging in out from under him.

When Corvus finally sent Pearl a letter, using penmanship so good it would have made his English tutor weep with joy, asking her to meet him at Piccadilly Circle at the appointed date, he felt confident in his decision. And when they walked up to the Piccadilly Waterstones and he saw the rapturous look on her face, he was absolutely smug. “It’s the largest bookstore in Europe with over eight miles of bookshelves.”

“Oh, yes! And their cafe is marvelous!”

Well, this was an unwelcome development. “You mean you’ve been here before?”

“Of course!”

A frown began to deepen on his face until he felt her arms encircle him in a hug. “Don’t frown, Corvus. Just because I’ve been here before doesn’t make this any less perfect for a first date. No man has ever been smart enough to try to woo me with Europe’s largest bookstore before.”

Mollified and frankly pleased to have her hugging him, he rested a cheek on the top of her head and said, “So, if I were to ask you for a book recommendation, what would you say?” Corvus knew immediately that he’d asked the right question when she pulled back and her eyes were lit up like she’d won the lottery. Pearl grabbed him by the hand and pulled him into the bookstore without further ado.

“It all depends on what you like! Do you have a favorite genre? Or author? Those will give me good places to start! Do you want something short or maybe a series? Oooh! Or we could totally start with graphic novels! But you seem like you might lean towards non-fiction. I read the most fascinating book recently about sleep, and memoirs are always popular! You’re contractually obligated to read Princess Diana’s biography as a Brit.” As Pearl talked, she bustled through the store and placed book after book into Corvus’ hands.