Transformed [W&W Book 1]

Chapter 27

"Thanks," she said.

"You're welcome. I'm really glad you're completely yourself again."

Theresa smiled and walked out of the room. She could feel the old affection for her sister building inside her. Daphne might make her crazy but there was no one Theresa loved more.

She supposed that she had been in a rather foul mood lately. It had been perfectly natural she felt that way, but perhaps she had overreacted occasionally.

Perhaps she should even apologize. It was not Daphne's fault that everything had gone horribly wrong from nearly the moment they escaped.

The blame for that lay squarely on Francine's stiff shoulders.

Theresa followed the familiar way to the wizard's tower, although it looked different with the warmer colors and the higher vantage point. She walked up the stairs and knocked on the door. She did not hear anyone answer, but the door gently opened.

"Good morning, Lady Theresa," said Wildwood.

"Good morning," she responded with a sudden feeling of terrible awkwardness.

"Why don't you take a seat?" he offered.

"Thank you." She sat down in her usual chair and straightened her skirt.

"Can I help you with something?"

Theresa nodded. "You've done a lot for me, for us. I appreciate that. I just wanted to thank you."

"It was no trouble," he said, looking at her intently.

Theresa saw the polite lie for what it was.

He had spent days reading over an area of dangerous magic with which he was hardly familiar. He had managed to change her back into her human form; she looked exactly as she had before Francine had changed her.

She still felt different but that was to be expected. Experiences change people and the way they see things.

Theresa had experienced some drastic changes very quickly and who really knew what she had been like all this time underneath Francine's oppressive magic? She did not even really know her true self.

Theresa realized that he was waiting for her to say something. "I need to get to the capital."

She did not remember conversations being so terribly difficult.

"The capital?" he repeated, still observing her carefully.

She felt oddly like a magical experiment under observation.

Perhaps she was. Wildwood would probably write a book about this magical problem one day.

Perhaps then his writing would one day be quoted in a tome of magical mishaps and successes, rendering her misery famous alongside poor Reginald's sad demise.

She had to make her point. "Yes, Daphne and I need to get to the capital as soon as possible," she reiterated cautiously.

Wildwood continued to watch her as if he could see her thoughts whirling in her mind. "Why?"

"I have business there."

Simply because he had done so much for them did not mean that he needed to know more than was strictly necessary.

She looked into his eyes. They looked deep brown, rather than the dark grey they had seemed when she was a cat, but still they remained deep and unfathomable.

She bit her lip. "We appreciate everything you've done, but you have helped us more than enough. We can make our own way."

Wildwood smiled. "You still need my assistance for the time being. In fact, I st—"

"No, thank you, I don't want you to feel obligated, my lord," she said, cutting him off quickly.

Though she was finding herself oddly drawn to him, a part of her did not want to be more indebted. A part of her still could not trust him.

After all, he had left immediately after her aunt. What if Francine had convinced him to stall them here?

Perhaps they would be better off simply setting off on their own. She had the supplies that she had carried again restored to her and they were much closer than when the started out of Waldwick.

"I insist, Lady Theresa. The roads once you leave Wildwood are hardly safe and there are always predators. I'll arrange transportation for us."

"Us?" she repeated, feeling startled.

"I can hardly let two ladies under my protection venture out into the countryside alone, can I?" he asked.

Theresa considered arguing, but decided that perhaps it would be better to have added protection along. The offer of having additional competent company was appealing.

She had little doubt that Wildwood could easily take care of a few thieves or highwaymen if the need arose.

She would simply have to be extra vigilant while dealing with him.

Something about him seemed different now; something about him made her feel out of sorts and awkward.

She nodded her acceptance of his offer.

Wildwood smiled solicitously and the expression made Theresa feel happy, but the feeling did not particularly please her. She did not have time for happy at that moment.

He had a book sitting open on his desk and Theresa suddenly realized that she had probably interrupted him. "I'll let you get back to reading," she said.

"It's no trouble. Do you enjoy reading yourself?"

Theresa thought about that. Her tutors had taught her to read and she had spent many hours with books while trapped in her aunt's care. She had also spent hours in this very room peering over his shoulder when she had nothing else to do under the curse.

He must have guessed she might have been doing it because there was not much else to do.

She considered. "I suppose that I do."

It was certainly better than doing nothing.

"Not your preference?"

She shrugged. "I love to ride and play chess, Lord Wildwood. But I like reading, too, of course."

She did not want to insult what seemed to be his favorite pastime.

He nodded, as if he could see more than what she was saying. "Would you like to go riding? You're perfectly safe if you stay within the estate grounds. A groom could accompany you."

The offer was tempting, but a small part of her wondered if her cat half's unease for riding would carry over to her natural form like her new slight dislike of water.

She was afraid that she may have lost the joy of riding. Perhaps it was cowardly, but she was not ready find out just yet.

"I don't think that I'm feeling up to it. May I borrow a book instead?"

"Of course," he agreed. "I have a number up here or you could look in the library."

"There's a library?"

Theresa was surprised that she had not found it in all her wanderings. Likely Missus White kept it closed tightly when an unwanted cat was around.

She wondered how the woman would act when she saw Theresa in her human form. She would not have to suffer the woman's behavior in silence now. The thought made Theresa almost smile.

"It's at the end of the hall through the east doors," Wildwood said and looked down at his text.

Theresa nodded. She wondered if he wanted her to leave.

He had not seemed to mind her presence when she had been a cat, but now something was different.

"Would it be acceptable if I simply read here?" she asked tentatively. She did not know why she even asked, except that she found the room comforting for some incomprehensible reason.

"That would be perfectly fine, my lady," he agreed. He smiled once and went back to his text.