CHAPTER SIX

After working until one o'clock, I was satisfied with my progress. I had tucked away all of my clothes, put my personal items in the bathroom, and set my laptop on the small desk in the bedroom and plugged it in to charge.

Grabbing an apple out of a bowl on the counter, I bit in and made myself a sandwich with the supplies that had so thoughtfully been stocked for me. After lunch, I broke down the boxes and stored them in the garage below.

Letting myself out the lower-level door, I went to go and explore the grounds and gardens. Feeling nothing but my own emotions and simply enjoying nature; it was liberating to simply be.

The mansion gardens were a popular spot for outdoor weddings. Arranged in a formal layout, they were huge with many gravel paths and truly impressive.

I had always loved the cottage style gardens at home on Golden Hill. Brynn's gardens and her commercial growing beds for her flowers made for a cheerful riot of blooms nine months out of the year in our large back yard. However, the formal gardens at the Marquette Mansion were exquisite.

I came across one full-time gardener named Marlene and discovered that she was busy planting tulip bulbs along the main pathway. Neat and tidy in sturdy jeans and a burgundy Marquette Mansion polo shirt, Marlene was friendly and suggested I go and check out the walled garden to see the mums and dahlias that were currently blooming.

"It's quiet here today," she said. "You'll have the place pretty much all to yourself."

With a nod, I wandered along with no real plan and followed the sound of a fountain trickling. Pleased, I came to a small alcove with old stone walls on three sides, a wooden bench and a formal knot garden surrounding the fountain.

The low plants were herbs; I could smell them from where I stood. Enchanted by the private nook, I took a seat on the bench and sat back to enjoy the scenery.

Birds were flying in and out of the area. Some were splashing in the fountain, and others were taking a bath or getting a drink. As usual, being around any sort of water helped calm and center me. Because even something as simple as a garden fountain called to my elemental magick.

The sound of the fountain grew louder as the water within danced around trying to get my attention. It had been a long time since I had simply played and enjoyed my witchcraft. Usually I was so focused on keeping my powers under control and my psychic empathy strapped down, that I neglected the simple joys of magick.

But the water beckoned, and so I lifted one palm and gestured to the fountain. A thin stream of water rose up and reformed into a softball sized sphere. Merely to please myself, I waved my fingers, concentrated, and the floating liquid sphere morphed into the shape of a goldfish.

"I haven't done this since I was a kid." Chuckling to myself, I was pleased to see the watery goldfish float along in a lazy circle in mid-air around the fountain.

As I sat there, the light shifted, and ducks and geese flew high overhead and toward the river. The little birds drinking at the fountain became curious about the floating fish, and a few fluttered up to peck at what my magick had created.

Autumn leaves were fluttering down, the breeze was cool, and I was happy and calm. I started to giggle over the actions of one brave bird who kept pecking at the liquid fish, when a startled gasp came from my right.

I glanced over and discovered that three young faces were peeking out from the dahlias, staring open-mouthed at the goldfish I'd conjured.

"Hey kids," I said to the Marquette children.

"You're Cordelia," the oldest said.

"I am."

"And you've got water magick," she announced.

I smiled at Danielle Marquette. "I do."

The girl skipped over and plopped herself down on the bench next to me. "Our cousin Brooke has water magick, but she can't do that ." The seven-year-old was pretty, with her mother's blue eyes and her father's dark hair.

"Everyone's magickal talents are different," I told her.

A moment later the twins, five-year-old Archer and Celeste, joined us. Blonde and smiling, they stood hand in hand and looked from the watery goldfish and then expectantly back to me.

"What else can you do?" the boy asked.

I concentrated, flipped my hand over, and the goldfish leapt higher into the air. The fish dove back into the fountain with a splash—one large enough to gently splatter the twins where they stood.

That caused all of the children to giggle and before I knew it, I had all three of the kids sitting on the bench with me. The youngest girl, Celeste, climbed right on my lap and began playing with my hair as her older sister asked me more questions.

"You're staying here with us now, right?"

"For a while," I said to Danielle.

I found myself pleased to be in the company of the Marquette family. The truth was I was always happiest when around children. They were so open and honest. I loved teaching the little ones at the aquatic center too.

Tim and I always talked about having a bunch of our own someday... My thoughts suddenly stumbled to a painful halt.

There will never be a family with Tim. Not now, not after what he thinks of me. Taking a steadying breath, I tried to allow the disappointment to slide away.

"Don't be sad," Celeste said, patting my face. "You're gonna like it here."

"You will," Archer added. "Our ghosts are pretty quiet now."

I didn't laugh. He was completely serious. Instead, I nodded to him. "That's good to know."

"Papa says you teach kids how to swim," Danielle said next, giving me a long hard look.

Not sure why she was suddenly so serious, I answered carefully. "Yes, I do."

"Hmmm," was Danielle's reply.

"Danielle is afraid to swim," Archer blurted out.

"Am not!" his sister shot back.

Celeste leaned over to look at her sister. "You don't go in the pool."

"I don't like the pool at the hotel." Danielle crossed her arms. "It smells funny."

"The chlorine." I nodded. "In an indoor pool it does smells pretty strong."

"What's lor—een?" Celeste wanted to know.

"Chlorine," I pronounced slowly. "It helps the water stay clean."

"I can swim real good. Better than Danielle!" Archer announced as his sister glared daggers at him.

"I can swim," she muttered. "I just don't like to."

Archer jumped off the bench to demonstrate his swimming strokes. "Watch me!"

I pulled Celeste back before her brother's enthusiastic pin-wheeling of his arms bonked her in the head.

"Amazing," I said.

Archer stopped his demonstration. " Maman says you are going to eat supper with us tonight."

I nodded. "Looks like."

Celeste patted my hand. "You can sit by me."

"Thank you." I looked down into her big green eyes and was lost. "I'd like that."

"Sit by me too!" Archer demanded and grabbed my other hand.

I smiled. "Well lucky for me I've got two sides. You can both sit by me."

"Let's go!" the twins said in unison.

Celeste jumped down and they both began to tug me down the gravel path.

"I think we have some time before dinner yet," I said as I was towed along.

"I want you to see my new room!" Celeste said. "I share with Danielle now."

"Oh," I said. "I shared a room with all of my sisters when I was a kid."

Danielle was bringing up the rear of our group and she shrugged. "I used to have my own room."

"Be thankful you're only sharing with one sister," I told her. "I had to share with all three of mine when I was little."

Danielle's eyes went wide. " Really ?" she asked. "What was that like?"

"We had two sets of bunk beds in our old room. It was fun, but messy and loud," I admitted.

"I got the top bunk because I'm the oldest," Danielle said, sending a superior look at her younger sister.

"That's a big sister's right, I suppose," I said.

"I like the bottom bunk." Celeste smiled affably.

I gave Celeste's hand a squeeze. "I had the bottom bunk too, because I was the baby of the family. But..." I bent over to whisper to the girl. "Did you known that you can make a tent out of your blankets when you have the bottom bunk?"

"Really?" Celeste giggled and danced in place.

"Yeah." I nodded. "I'll show you."

"Hooray!" she shouted.

Archer tugged on my hand to get my attention. "I have my own room now too."

"Oh yeah?" I said as we walked along the path and back to the commercial side of the mansion. "What color is your room, bud?"

"It's red and blue," he informed me. "You can see it."

Danielle raced ahead to one of the hotel doors. She waved at someone inside and then giggled as a tall, buff man opened the door for the child with a flourish.

"Allow me," he said.

"Hi Charlie!" the twins said, once again in unison.

"Hey kids." The man smiled at them and gave me a polite nod. "Ms. Golden."

"Mr. Smythe," I said, reading the name tag on his jacket's lapel. ‘Security Officer' was also printed beneath his name.

"You can call me Charlie, ma'am," he said kindly.

Internally I stiffened up. I'd had more than my fill of cops lately. And if the rugged man wasn't one, then he was a former soldier. With his build and short haircut, he had a distinct military air about him. However, despite my unease, I made sure that when I spoke to him, my tone was polite. "It's nice to meet you, Charlie."

"Did Mr. Marquette already give you the security team's numbers?"

"Yes, he did," I said as we walked in a side door to the main ballroom.

There was work going on in the room, and the kids automatically stayed to the far side and out of the way of the workers setting up banquet tables and chairs. The staff smiled and waved to the kids, and I was informed by Charlie as he escorted us through, that there was wedding and reception scheduled for Saturday.

The place was a bustling hive of activity. Charlie easily led the way down the hall, past another smaller event space, through the hotel lobby, and out to where the public restrooms and museum room were located. Finally, we came to a locked door at the end of the hall, and he pulled a key card from his pocket.

I noticed as we had moved through the commercial side of the building, that every staff member had greeted him with a respectful nod or a smile. "Thanks," I said as I passed him and stepped into the private side of the mansion.

"Of course," he said. "Let me know if you need anything."

"I will," I promised as the twins raced each other up the stairs to the family level.

The door closed behind him, and I was left in the pretty foyer with Danielle.

"Charlie works with us," she said, her eyes searching my face. "He watches out for us. He's nice."

Those deep blue eyes seemed to look right through me. I smiled at her and changed the subject. "Why don't you show me your room?"

"Okay. Come on!" Danielle bolted up the stairs. " Maman !" she shouted. "Cordelia is here!"

After a quick hello to Gabriella, I was given a tour of the family wing by Danielle. I'd never been up in the family area before and was admittedly very curious to see it. As we walked up the stairs together, I could feel the wards drop into place. Gabriella had the family wing of the building seriously protected by magick.

As we walked down the hall, I could have sworn I spotted bind runes shimmering on the walls out of my periphery. Typically, such magick was visible only in the astral realm, but these sigils were strong enough that they bled over into the mundane world.

Whoever had put protection on this house had not been playing around. But considering the intense series of hauntings and all of the other paranormal problems the daughters of Midnight had dealt with in the past, I did not blame her one bit.

I made a mental note to discreetly ask Gabriella about it at the first opportunity. It would be a good idea to put some magickal protection on the carriage house while I lived there as well.

The second floor of the eastern wing was comprised of a big family kitchen, an attached great room, and a powder room. The third floor held three bedrooms, with a Jack and Jill bath. On the opposite side of the hall, another suite boasted amazing views of the bluffs from its big stone balcony.

" Maman and Papa's rooms are up there." Danielle pointed out a doorway that opened onto a short hall and another set of stairs.

Past that, the third-floor hall led to the turreted tower and there was a sort of den or a library. A massive stone fireplace was flanked with curving bookshelves, and leather chairs and a sofa were all arranged to face the fireplace. On the far side of the room was a desk and a modern computer. Danielle informed me that it was her mother's desk, and I smiled over the dark academia style Halloween décor that was arranged across the thick wooden mantel.

I suppose it should have been grand and imposing, yet somehow the Marquette family's side of the old mansion was comfortable, lived in and very cozy. This was reinforced when I found myself flanked by the twins a half hour later while Gabriella dished up an amazing looking spinach lasagna, and Philippe passed the bread.

The family kitchen was charming with moody deep blue cabinets and rustic butcher block counters. A fire simmered in the hearth of the great room, and the furniture there was sturdy and comfortably worn. Toys were scattered about that connecting room, and children's artwork was displayed on the fridge.

When Philippe offered me a glass of his Trois Amis wine, I happily accepted.

He passed me a glass full of red. "I'm pleased that you were able to join us for dinner, Cordelia."

Gabriella snorted a laugh, and I slanted my eyes over at her. "She tried to dodge my invitation," she explained to her husband.

Ignoring that, I took an experimental sip of the wine. "This is excellent," I told him.

Philippe smiled at the compliment. " Merci ."

Gabriella raised her eyebrows at me. "You didn't stand a chance, girl. I sent in my secret weapon to get you over here."

Philippe shook his head. "You sent Estella to harcéler —to nag—her?"

"No," Gabriella said. "I sent in the kids."

Philippe simply shook his head at his wife and laughed.

"Danielle gave me a tour of your side of the building," I said, "and the twins showed me their new rooms."

Celeste smiled up at me with a mouth smeared in red sauce. "Now I know how to make a tent in my bed."

"Us little sisters have to stick together," I told Celeste.

Gabriella took her seat. "I have a schedule printed up for you, Cordelia. A calendar of the upcoming weddings and events at the mansion and in the gardens."

I nodded. "All right."

Philippe sat back with his glass of wine. "Living in the carriage house, you have full access to the gardens and the grounds, with the exception being if the formal garden is reserved for an event."

With a nod, I sampled the lasagna. "Wow," I said to Gabriella. "I want this recipe."

"It's a simple one. I'll get you a copy." She smiled. "The good news is, after this Saturday, the event spaces are clear until the annual Halloween Masquerade Ball next weekend."

"It will be our third year." Philippe lifted his glass in a toast to his wife.

I struggled to keep a neutral expression on my face. I was supposed to have attended the ball with Tim. But now...well, that wouldn't be happening.

Gabriella continued. "I see that Brynn and Austin have reserved a suite in the hotel for the night of the masquerade."

Forcing a smile on my face, I nodded. "Yes, they did. Brynn is pretty excited."

"Skye and Kenna are coming too again this year, right?" she asked next.

Reaching for my glass I took a fortifying sip of wine, because I knew where this conversation was headed.

"Are you and Tim doing a coordinating couples costume this year?" she asked. "When you did those upscale Ariel and Eric costumes from The Little Mermaid last year, it was awesome."

"Tim and I are no longer together," I said as calmly as possible.

She blinked. "Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't realize."

I took a bigger gulp of wine. "Considering everything that's been going on, I might not attend the event this year."

Gabriella waved that off. "Of course you will."

" Maman !" Archer complained. "Danielle kicked me under the table."

"Did not." She sneered at her brother.

"Children," Philippe said calmly. "That is enough."

"Besides, my dress for the masquerade," I said to Gabriella, "is back in Alton."

"So?" She lifted her eyebrows. "Have Brynn bring it up here when she delivers the flowers the morning of the ball."

"We'll see," I said and was vastly relieved when Archer threw his bread across the table at Danielle.

Now Gabriella was on her feet to address the sibling scuffle.

Goddess bless those kids, I thought as they distracted their mother. I knew she meant well, but I wasn't ready to think about the ball. There was still all of the upheaval for me to work through from having to hide out in Ames Crossing for a while.

However, instead of wallowing in my unhappy emotions, I sat back in my chair, ate my lasagna, and enjoyed the entertainment provided by the Marquette children.

"I'd love to," I said.

***

Over the next several days, I made myself a new sort of routine. Since I wasn't sure how long my ‘administrative leave' would last, I was determined to create a new schedule and decided to do something constructive with my time off. I took long walks around the grounds of the mansion and tried to get back into daily meditation. And I even dusted off my old journal and forced myself to write something every day, jotting down whatever I was thinking in a sort of free flow journaling exercise.

Day eight as a refugee from my homeland… I began and then shook my head at my own snarkiness.

"You're not a refugee, Cordelia," I muttered to myself. It's more like an enforced extended vacation .

Ames Crossing continues to be safe, I continued. The carriage house is comforting, and I feel at home here. My anxiety has lessened, and I'm sleeping better. However, as soon as I wake up, I still reach for my phone to see if Tim has left me any messages. It's embarrassing, and yet it's an automatic habit, from when he worked the night shift as a deputy...he would always text me and it would be the first thing I read every morning.

Funny the things you miss.

I suppose that makes me pathetic. He dumped me, and yet I continue to check my phone to see if he's left any messages. I sighed and kept writing. Maybe I'm being too hard on myself. It's going to take me some time. I mean we were a couple for two years...

I don't want to shut my emotions off again and block them all out. Besides, I can only do that for a few hours at a time...if I hold it too long it'll make me anxious and jittery.

So, I won't.

I'll keep taking this one day at a time and see what unfolds. This is a chance to rest. And an opportunity to reflect, reassess and renew.

Satisfied with that, I shut the journal and saw that the sun had yet to break the tree line around the estate. Grabbing my jacket, I zipped it up over my swimsuit and sweats. Philippe showed me the hotel's pool and attached gym on my first night, and I had been taking a swim every day. I went very early in the morning, before the sun came up, as to not disturb the other hotel guests.

Sliding my feet in my crocs, I snagged my keycard, cap and goggles and let myself out. The stars were sparkling in the sky above me as I walked across the gardens. To the west the full moon was setting over the river. It made me smile to see the western sky lit in a hazy glow from the moon, while above me the sky was still deep as midnight.

By now I knew my way through the softly lit gardens very well and easily dodged the in-ground sprinklers that were watering the formal beds on the way. There was a slight nip in the air that had me shivering pleasantly. Heading around the mansion and toward the western main entrance, I let myself into the hotel lobby. The front desk clerk looked up from the monitor and gave me a friendly smile and a wave.

"Morning," I said, retuning her wave.

I held the keycard to the lock on the pool room's door and let myself in. The indoor pool area was a lovely set up. Atrium style windows were arranged on one wall and the other three were tiled in a pale blue color. Chrome lights added illumination on the tile walls, and once the sun came up, the room would be flooded with natural light.

The pool itself wasn't overlarge, however it was thirty feet in length, which allowed me to easily get in a good workout. Especially as one side of the pool was roped off into two lanes for lap swimming only.

I went and helped myself to a fresh towel and draped it over a chair off to the side of the pool, then I shed my crocs and outerwear quickly. Taking my goggles and cap with me, I went directly to the deeper end of the pool. Stepping off the pool deck, I dropped straight down into water.

The water temperature was perfect. I resurfaced and worked the cap over my wet hair, tucking up my ponytail underneath it. As I tread water, I slipped my goggles on and adjusted them automatically. Pushing off from the side of the pool, I began my laps.

While I was a bit spoiled by the pool at the aquatic center—it was an official racing size—it hadn't been hard to alter my strokes here at the hotel. After all, this was an easy workout, not a serious training session. Since it was so early, I had the place all to myself which pleased me.

Comfortable in the solitude, the water's magick began to work on me, and I felt my muscles warm, stretch, and loosen. After turning from the wall, I rolled over to an easy backstroke and kept going.

I was counting my strokes in anticipation of the wall, when I realized with a jolt that above me water droplets were floating, suspended in mid-air. My rhythm broke and I stopped swimming. Swinging my head around, I quickly checked to make sure no one else had come into the hotel's pool.

"Damn it," I swore under my breath. I wasn't sure if my magick had slipped away from me or if the element was feeling playful this morning. Perhaps it was a combination of the two. "I appreciate the show," I said to the water, "but someone could walk right in here at any time."

Which would be bad, because above the entire pool, tiny droplets of water were sparkling and shimmering in the pool room's lights in a soft rainbow of colors.

"Disperse," I said firmly. My jaw dropped when the water resisted me and continued to glitter in the air throughout the pool area. In direct defiance, they began to rotate in a slow clockwise motion above the pool.

Swimming to the end of the lane, I hauled myself from the water. I yanked the cap from my hair in annoyance, and it tumbled down as I scowled at the droplet's sparkling show. Raising up both my hands, I tried again to take control of the elemental magick that was out and gleefully swirling unchecked around the room.

"Element of water, hear my call," I whispered. "Back to the pool these droplets must fall."

In response to the formal chant the droplets, as one, rushed immediately back into the pool, falling like an indoor rain shower. The downpour barely missed me, as I stepped back in the nick of time.

"That's not very nice," I muttered.

In response the surface of the pool began to roll in playful waves.

"Cut it out," I said, trying to sound stern. "A hotel guest could walk in here and see."

A wave rose up and splashed over my legs in retaliation. I laughed at the water's antics, even as the surface of the pool began to calm and smooth out.

A harshly indrawn breath sounded from behind me. Jolting in surprise, I spun around to find that I was no longer alone.