The Magician's Sons

Chapter 26

As the carriages rolled up outside, the brothers gathered around an upstairs window. Copper squeezed between Gibbs and Mose for a better view and looked down at the scene they all had been dreading.

There were a carriage and a wagon below them. From the carriage, Mordechai and Ebony emerged. The magician and his lady were dressed in the most flamboyant clothes. There had been no white gown to symbolize purity for Madame Ebony. On her wedding day, she had worn a garment of ruby red and autumn gold silk with gigantic puffed sleeves. From the other carriage, two hefty men started hauling enormous trunks and pieces of furniture, all of which belonged to the newlywed Ebony Dross.

"Brace yerselves, lads," Gibbs warned. "Looks like our number's up."

With a sinking heart, Copernicus wondered just what he meant. There was such a tone of resigned doom in his voice, as if the boy could see that the dream they had been living in was about to vanish. The boys felt like they were losing everything they had held dear. Their father was slipping away from them; Madame Ebony had stolen him away.

As soon as Mordechai stepped through the front door, he let out a ringing whistle to summon his children. They all sprang downstairs as soon as they heard it. Copernicus pushed his way to the head of the crowd and ran to his father. The boy's heart was aching with fear, longing for comfort. He saw the man stretch out his arms to welcome him, and without a minute's pause, Copper threw himself into Mordechai's embrace.

"It is a happy day, my sons!" the man said joyfully. "Today, our family has been made complete! I bring you home a mother!"

Mother. It made an electric shiver run down Copper's spine. Mother—that precious, lovely word. How could it ever be spoken to this detestable woman? It was wrong. It was like ruining the most beautiful thing on earth. How many times had he imagined his own mother? He had dreamed her to be the most gentle and sweet-natured woman which had ever lived.

Still wrapped in his father's arms, the boy threw Madame Ebony a searching glance. Was it possible? Could he ever count her part of his family? There she stood in the doorway, gazing upon the wild crowd of boys with the same uneasiness as she had shown the first day they had met her. She grimaced when no one was watching, and the minute they looked at her, she stretched her mouth out into a forced smile.

"Ebony, my wife," Mordechai called, "come darling, you mustn't stand aloof. Welcome home!"

The lady walked to her husband's side and let his arm circle around her. "Home," she muttered, still holding her smile while her fiery eyes looked at Mordechai fiercely. "I might have imagined better places to spend my wedding day. Not to mention, better company."

The children caught every note of hateful dislike in her voice. Mordechai saw their countenances drop with a mixture of feelings, and he scrambled to make up for his wife's unhidden cruelty.

"You unbearable tease!" he laughed jovially. "That sarcasm of yours could get you into trouble! You know good and well that there is nowhere you would rather be than right here with our boys and me! What could be better than that, my love?" He pressed her close and whispered seriously in her ear. "You promised, Ebony. You promised that you would try to be agreeable to them."

"I can't!" she whined almost silently.

"You will! Now be a good girl! I don't wish to argue on our wedding day, do you?"

The sight of them together was too much for some of the children to bear. They wanted to slip away and run back to Bob for cheer and comfort. But before they could make their escape, Ebony suddenly got a handle on herself and pulled away from the quiet conference between her and Mordechai.