Transformed [W&W Book 1]

Chapter 12

"But please," Daphne began, sounding achingly pathetic. Theresa winced. One did not deal with uppity servants by cowering. She would have hoped that Daphne understood that.

"We don't serve beggars here," the woman said as she began to close the door on their faces. Theresa debated rushing inside through the closing door but decided that it might end badly.

Theresa felt intense irritation flow through her at the rude setback. There was no way the nasty woman did not recognize that Daphne was highborn. The stable lad clearly had.

She was lucky that Theresa did not have her human mouth because she would have rued the day that she turned Daphne away. How dare the housekeeper treat her sister so poorly? Theresa glared towards the woman and debated her options.

Perhaps she might find an open window. She could likely walk about as she pleased; no one would notice a cat. Then maybe she could somehow get into an inkpot and write a note with her paw, perhaps on the uppity servant's forehead while she slept.

"What are you doing, Missus White?" asked a curious male voice just as the door shut soundly.

Theresa could still hear slightly through the door. She stepped closer.

"I was just sending away some riffraff, don't worry yourself," she replied, sounding offended at being questioned.

Theresa's irritation doubled. The woman really had no sense of how to treat her betters. What sort of man was this Wildwood to tolerate such behavior from his servants? It likely did not speak well of him.

"What will we do?" Daphne moaned. "She wouldn't even let me speak!"

Theresa knew that feeling well enough.

Theresa hoped that Daphne would not work herself up again. They needed to think of a way to get inside to talk to the wizard, not dissolve into hysterics.

It was a shame that the Wizard Jim had not travelled with them because the uppity housekeeper might have listened to him. Still, remembering the dog beast she supposed it was more important that he help get her aunt's forces off their tails.

Theresa sighed. She almost certainly could get inside with her cat's grace and human mind but even if she doubted her ink whim was feasible. Perhaps she could steal some writing materials and Daphne could pen a note.

The door suddenly flew open again. Daphne jumped in surprise as a young man strode out.

He had an arrogant stride, light grey hair and brilliant green eyes. He smiled engagingly while looking straight into Daphne's eyes.

Daphne smiled back and averted her gaze bashfully. Theresa noticed that Daphne was blushing, judging from the darker grey of her cheeks.

Theresa eyed the young man. He seemed to be around her own age.

She frowned. He did not seem like anything special to her. Something about him rather annoyed her, actually.

"Never mind about Missus White. She's wound too tight or some other such problem. I've not quite figured it out, honestly, a medical mystery. She said that you came to see Lord Wildwood?" he said, all very quickly.

Theresa wondered skeptically if it was he who was the wizard. He clearly outranked the housekeeper in any case, so whatever the case it was better to have him on their side. His clothes were clearly of an expensive cut so he was either Lord Wildwood, or nobility, or a rich and well connected commoner.

Daphne's relief was palatable. "Yes, thank you so much. We were sent here by the Wizard Jim. Please! We desperately need your help."

The young man eyed the cat before him on the ground. "I assume this cat is part of the problem?"

Daphne smiled again, "Yes, of course."

"Is she a monster stalking you?" he asked teasingly.

Daphne giggled and Theresa glared at the traitor posing as her sister.

"Do come inside then," he said, holding the door for Daphne and Theresa.

Daphne entered eagerly. Theresa followed more slowly, wondering if they should trust this young man. He seemed flighty. He also seemed too young to be a contemporary of Jim's. Of course, Jim himself had perhaps not been that old.

In retrospect, his manner was perhaps older than his appearance and the fact her cat eyes made the world look greyer hardly granted people a look of youthful vitality.

She dearly missed her human eyes.

"Do you think that you can help, Lord Wildwood?" Daphne asked breathlessly.

"Lord Wildwood? Oh, where are my manners? I must have become addled by your beauty, my lady," he said gallantly.

Daphne tittered shyly. Theresa felt disgusted, thinking to herself that the snake had better stay away from her sister.

A cat could do awful things to a snake, she thought wickedly.

Perhaps due to the fact that he could not read her nasty thoughts, he continued steadfastly, "I suppose that I haven't yet introduced myself yet. My name is Sir Thomas of Harding and I am actually here apprenticing under Lord Wildwood," he explained.

"I am Lady Daphne," Daphne said. Theresa did not want to be mentioned but at the same time wondered if Daphne had forgotten about her, she felt a bit ignored.

"Where do you hail from?" he asked as he led them into a small sitting room just off the entrance.

"I, um..." Daphne stuttered.

Sir Thomas shook his head. "Never fear, you are likely tired. Save your story for Lord Wildwood."

Daphne smiled gratefully at him. "I'll go and fetch him now," Thomas said, bounding from the room.

Once he was gone, Daphne collapsed into one of the chairs arranged in the room. Then she shot up again and straightened her back primly. She smiled widely. "Sir Thomas of Harding. He is ever so handsome, isn't he, Theresa?"

Theresa shrugged and wished she could roll her eyes. This was going to be trouble. Every time she thought things might be turning around, a new wrinkle presented itself.

She added the "ever so handsome" Sir Thomas of Harding as number five under her list ever expanding list of misfortunes, although perhaps he would deserve a higher ranking before they were through.

Minutes passed by and Daphne and Theresa were still waiting. Theresa found herself growing more and more put out.

She did not care how important and busy the wizard was, the polite thing to do would be to quickly come to speak to his guests, uninvited though they might be.

The wait was making Theresa increasingly agitated. She paced the room like a caged panther, back and forth, back and forth. She had spent all too much time anxiously waiting and it had worn her patience down to a thin thread.

On the other paw, Daphne spent a great deal of their wait gazing out the window, a slight blush betraying the direction that her thoughts were taking.

Theresa could only see the blue sky outside from her perspective. She could not get a proper look because the windows were placed too high for a cat to see out from the floor.

It was not quite reasonable, but it annoyed her that buildings never seemed to take the comfort of cats into account. Architects and builders seemed to be a thoughtless bunch.

It would likely be too unseemly to perch up on the windowsill as if she were a mere animal.

Finally the door opened, and Theresa ceased her pacing. She turned, and watched as the wizard entered the room. Daphne jumped to her feet quickly, her eyes on the wizard.

Theresa turned to get her first look at the man she hoped would save her.