Page 18 of Black Willow Witch
Kage bit his lip. ‘I can’t go as far as to say she loved you, Em. Sociopaths don’t experience love – and Millicent was a sociopath for sure. But she valued you in her way. And I think leaving you to Ripper was an attempt to protect you.’
Emberlyn frowned. ‘He’s not going to take that seriously.’Shewasn’t taking it seriously.
‘Of course he won’t,’ Kage agreed. ‘But your family might. That would be good because people are reluctant to do anything that might poke at Ripper.’
‘She’s dragged him into one hell of a messy situation,’ Emberlyn muttered. ‘I’m sure he’sthrilledabout that part.’ Ripper wasn’t stupid; he’d surely see that Millicent had used him.
‘Going by how intent he seems on keeping the land, I don’t think he’ll hold it against her, so he shouldn’t give you problems,’ said Paisley.
‘Others will, though,’ Kage tacked on. ‘It doesn’t matter that all you have is the manor. Reena will still want it.’
Emberlyn nodded. It had once been Lilith’s home, and she’d weaved much of her magick into these walls. That made it a huge prize.
Kage rubbed at his nape. ‘If Millicent wanted you to have it, why didn’t she just leave it to you in her will?’
Emberlyn sighed. ‘Millicent never did things the easy way. Plus, she was all about making people “prove” themselvestothemselves.’
‘The earrings were a lure, then,’ he said. ‘A way to ensure you tried to gain entrance to the manor. Leaving you the cat was extra insurance.’
‘Yup. I don’t think she wanted me to have the manor merely because I’m the strongest of our line. I think it was because she knew I wouldn’t sell it. She was resolute that Reena’s plans wouldn’t come to fruition. And she was mad enough with the rest of the family for being willing to sell it that she kidded each of them into thinking they’d be her sole heir and that I’d end up with nothing.’ Emberlyn sighed again. ‘She really put the “wicked” in “wicked witch”.’
Paisley snickered. ‘I always liked that about her.’
Funnily enough, so had Emberlyn. Millicent had been unashamedly herself, and there was something admirable about it.
Paisley clasped her hands together as if in prayer. ‘On a less serious note, can I take a look around? I’ve always been curious about this place.’
‘Go for it,’ Emberlyn invited. ‘Better yet, I’ll give you a tour.’
As she led the twins through the first floor, lamps turned on by themselves. Fires roared to life in the hearths. The overall temperature adjusted, becoming not too cold nor too warm.
It was the manor’s way of taking care of its owner.
As they walked, Emberlyn ran her hands over the rich fabrics of the sofas, the ornate fireplace mantels, the intricately detailed woodwork and the smooth surfaces of the stunning antiques. She drank in the nostalgic sights of the patterned wallpapers, lush drapery, opulent rugs, interesting artwork, gilded wainscotting and the chandeliers hanging from the high ceilings.
There was an abundance of large-scaled rooms throughout the manor, including the living area, parlor, study, dining room, kitchen, utility space, music room, two-floored library and multiple bedrooms with en suites. The rich color schemes of each room featured reds, blues, greens, black and even pomegranate.
Weirdly, though . . . ‘None of her personal touches are around. No altars, no jar spells, no broom, no nothing.’
Kage blinked. ‘Huh. Could the manor have put them away somehow to make room foryourwitchy touches?’
Emberlyn pursed her lips. ‘Maybe. Though I wouldn’t have thought so.’ Shrugging it off for now, she asked, ‘Ready to see the first floor?’
‘Are we not gonna look at the basement?’ asked Paisley.
‘Nope,’ Emberlyn replied simply, smoothing her hand along the banister as she ascended the winding staircase.
Paisley followed. ‘And you’re not going to explain why?’
‘Nope.’
‘You’re only making me more eager to check it out.’
Emberlyn snorted. ‘It won’t let you in, anyway.’
‘Wait, what?’
As they reached the landing, she turned to the twins. ‘This house . . . it’s special, but not always in warm and fuzzy ways. Some parts of it are better left unexplored, trust me on that. Now, come on, I want to go see my old bedroom. I left a few things behind, like furnishings and stuff. I hope they’re not in a crumpled heap on the floor.’
