The Book of Spells (Private 0.50)
ut still the girls gasped and chattered and began to plan their dresses and hair. Eliza smiled slowly and turned to Theresa with muted glee.
“Well. So much for Helen’s debased nature,” she said, raising her eyebrows.
Theresa’s grin dropped from her face. “No one likes a know-itall, Eliza.”
But Eliza was unaffected by the slight. All she could think about was the dance, and whether she’d get a chance to take a turn with Harrison Knox.
The History of Helen
“Oh, oh! What about this one? The Smitten Potion?” Alice giggled and pointed at the open page in front of her. “If a boy and a girl drink from the same draught, it’s guaranteed to make them smitten for twenty-four hours. I think we have all the ingredients for it too!”
Eliza glanced at Catherine in the three-way mirror at the dressing table they were sharing in the parlor. Three such tables had been added to the room for the night so the girls could all get ready for the dance together.
“I suppose we should have expected this,” Eliza joked. “There will probably be more spells cast tonight than any other night of the year.”
Catherine smiled slightly. “So long as no one overdoes it. There’s a fine line between good spells and bad.”
“And what do you think that line is?” Eliza asked, genuinely curious.
“Anything that alters someone’s mind or soul, anything that goes against the natural order of things,” Catherine replied, reaching for her powder compact. “I admit, it’s a fuzzy line. I suppose everyone has to define it for themselves,” she added, glancing over at Alice.
Like the rest of the girls, Alice had already changed into her dress for the dance, a peacock blue frock with a low neckline, of which Miss Almay would certainly disapprove, and a full skirt that accentuated her tiny waist. She was now seated on a parlor chair with the book of spells open across her lap and Viola and Marilyn leaning in from either side to better see the pages. Theresa stood nearby, tugging on her black gloves and admiring herself in a full-length mirror, while the other coven members helped one another with makeup and hair.
“Lavender, hold still,” Jane instructed from a settee in the corner.
“It’s one of the basic spells. I’m sure it won’t hurt. And you don’t want that blemish on your chin distracting boys from your lovely eyes.”
Lavender blushed. “You think I have lovely eyes?”
“Of course you do!” Bia told her, looking up from her compact mirror. “With all those tiny gold flecks? I wish I had tiny gold flecks.”
“All right, then,” Lavender said, lifting her chin a bit higher. “Go ahead.”
Jane raised her hand and held it an inch from Lavender’s chin. Lavender squeezed her eyes closed but stayed completely still.
“Clarus!” Jane said.
The telltale snapping sound filled the room. Lavender’s eyes popped open as Jane and Bia clapped their hands.
“It’s gone!” Bia said, handing over her mirror.
Lavender’s jaw dropped as she inspected her face, turning it from left to right. “Thank you, Jane!”
The two girls hugged, and Eliza smiled. It was nice to see her friends growing closer—to see the way magic could bring them all together.
“Clarissa!” Theresa said suddenly, looking up at the door. “What are you wearing?”
Everyone turned to stare. Clarissa’s dress looked like something out of a prairie girl’s nightmare. It was green and purple gingham with frayed lace trim and a high neckline. Her braids had been pinned to the back of her head in a coil, making her appear almost like a scary old maid out of a children’s book.
“It’s the best one I have,” Clarissa lamented, her arms drooping at her sides. Eliza had never known Clarissa to be vain, so she knew right away that the frock was truly bothering her.
“Well. We can fix that, can’t we, girls?” Eliza said, standing.
“Yes, we certainly can,” Genevieve said, laying aside her finger sandwich and standing up.
All the other girls gathered around Clarissa as Catherine stood up to close the double doors leading to the front hall—an act that was strictly forbidden but necessary for the moment.
“What color dress would you like to have, Clarissa?” Eliza asked.