Wolves and witches

"Evelyn," Peggy spoke softly, "what did it look like?" She asked as they made their way to check on Lacey and see if she needed any help with the last-minute changes, she decided to make for this afternoon's tea party.

Evelyn recalled the image of the wolf from last night. "Honestly, I have never seen anything like it, and it was nothing like what I thought it would be."

"What does that mean?"

"Well, for starters, he was huge! I'm sure that if it stood up, it would easily tower over father, but it didn't look anything like what Aunt Carol had told us. I didn't even see his fangs or anything else. I only saw his eyes."

Peggy tried to recall what she had heard from their Aunt Carol, but the woman never went into much detail about how they looked aside from the brutal aspects of their nature. A shiver went down her spine and she trembled at the thought of the giant beasts.

"At first, I felt instantly terrified and unable to even move. At first, all I could see were his eyes. I swear, his yellow eyes were blazing in the darkness. When I saw them, it was like I instantly knew that if I even flinched, he would pounce on me."

Peggy shuddered, frozen in her place at the bottom of the staircase, her eyes fixed on her sister.

"Once he was done looking at me, all I saw was his light brown fur. He had a large white stripe that ran down his whole body, but he left before I could see much more or figure out what he wanted with me."

Peggy nodded her head; she was also confused by the actions of the wolf. "Why do you think he just left?"

"Hmm. I'm not sure. I can't stop thinking about that myself. I am just worried about running into him again. I want to go out and practice while we are, but what if there are more here? Do you think we will have to spend our whole time here doing nothing?" Evelyn sighed. She had been looking forward to spending more time with her sister like she did yesterday and the thought of being caged in left a hole in her heart.

"Well, I know that Aunt said that they only come out at night. Maybe," Peggy paused, debating if it was a good idea before she spoke again. "I don't really know why I am even saying this, but... What if we set out in the morning before the others are awake and we could…" she fidgeted… "maybe be able to go to the forest? I don't think anyone would notice us and if it's true that they only come out at night, we wouldn't have to worry about it as much," Peggy suggested timidly. She was clearly nervous, and this would be the first time she would be taking such a risk.

"Hahaha…" Evelyn couldn't help but laugh. She knew that her sister never did things like this. "It looks like we might be having some fun here! Do you have a cloak and simple dresses?"

"I know that I have my blue cloak and I think that I did pack some dresses that I could use."

Evelyn skipped ahead, clapping her hands, "I cannot wait! I think it would be perfect if we make arrangements to eat in the garden, that way we would have cover in case anyone should question why we are up and about so early. Also, our clothes should not be a problem since we have nothing scheduled until the early evening. Oh, I know! We can also prepare the horses to take a ride and that will help us further. We can see how that works!" Evelyn flashed a wide scheming smile.

Peggy raised an eyebrow; it felt to her like Evelyn had been planning this since before she stepped into the mansion. "Okay," Peggy sighed, "I think it would be best to inform our maids around dinner time. It would make the most sense and give them time to prepare without raising any suspicions. It is fortunate that we have brought horses here with us that we are both familiar with."

***

In the Duke's study, Max, Geoffrey, Carl, Quincy, and their father were gathered to discuss their plans moving forward.

"Now, I'm hoping that the boys have filled you in about what they witnessed last night?" The duke asked the two other gentlemen that had joined them.

"Yes, they have," Max answered. He pulled out a large blue crystal from his coat pocket and placed it on the duke's desk. "I think we should speak with Roxanne; she should be able to tell us if she has any knowledge of who it could be."

"I agree. That seems like the best place to start," Geoffrey responded.

"Alright," Max placed his hand on the crystal and a blue light shone around it.

"Max, it's been a while. What can I do for you?" Roxanne's voice greeted them.

"Well, I'm over here with Arthur and it appears that we have a witch over here practicing some pretty interesting magic while also concealing their scent to smell human."

"What do you mean by 'interesting?" Roxanne asked, he now had her full attention.

"Well, the boys witnessed a woman using her magic to summon animals in the forest. It seemed like she was able to take control of a crow and guide it through the forest. Do you know of anyone that can do that?"

"Haha!" Roxanne giggled, "I haven't seen anyone do that since the late Duchess Valentia!" 

"Wait! You mean Lauren?" Arthur asked.

"Yes, I do believe that you were familiar with her, Arthur. Do you not remember that one of her abilities was to control animals?"

"No, I knew that she was very powerful, but I wasn't aware of the full extent of her abilities."

"Well, she was indeed one of the most powerful witches that I have known in my time. She would often use her unique ability to monitor the activities around their Duchy and the surrounding areas," Roxanne boasted. "If my memory serves me correctly, I believe that she had two daughters. Now, I am not aware if the girls have inherited her gifts, but that would be my first guess. I have not heard of anyone else being able to use that ability. I can't be too sure if it is one of the girls, as it has been quite some time since I was in contact with her former coven."

"I see," Arthur pondered. "Well, that seems to be the best guess as both girls are staying here for the festivities this week. I will have to ask Henry if he knows anything."

"Well, that would be a good place for you to start. However, I wouldn't be so sure that Henry will be willing to confirm your suspicions. I don't even know if they are gifted, which means that he is keeping a tight lid on it if they are. I can reach out to the coven and see if they are willing to tell me anything. In the meantime, I would keep an eye on things and give me a shout if anything seems amiss. Also, you should be relieved if either girl smell human or they are a member of the coven, because I am sure that they are using a charm that Lauren would have made for them."

"Thanks Roxanne. You have been a huge help," Max exclaimed.

"Happy to help! I'll be in touch!" Roxanne replied and the light around the crystal went out.

"Well, for now, I think you boys should attend Lacey's tea party this afternoon. From what we've heard, it would be wise to keep an eye on the girls to see if they are up to something. Also, it will also help to see if it could possibly be any of the other ladies that are gathering here. Also, you two should see if you can pick up on the scent from last night as well. I'll talk to Henry myself."

"I understand," Carl nodded his head.

"Now, you better hurry up and let her know before it gets too late."

"I think I'll head up to the library and keep an eye on things from there while you talk to Henry," Geoffrey suggested.

"That sounds good. Let me know if you find anything."

***

Arthur picked up a small portrait from the bookcase. It was a small painting that he and his wife had done with Henry and Lauren before their children were born. He smiled as he remembered the good times they had spent back then, but it faded as he recalled what had happened to Lauren. No one had expected her death to be so quick. There were complications during the birth of their daughter Evelyn and unfortunately not even healing magic could save her. Henry lost himself the day that she died and as a result, he did not even step foot out of his home for several months. After three months had passed with no word, Arthur and Jenny went to visit him and were shocked to see the state of things.

Henry, who was very well built, and his presence alone was overbearing, had started to wither away. They heard from the servants that he had not even visited the girls once since the service had ended. He had even refused many of his meals leaving his eyes and cheeks to become sunken in. 

Jenny had gone to check on the girls and was relieved to see that they had employed a wetnurse and their Aunt Carol was also staying with them. She was told that Henry had refused to stay in the bedroom he shared with his wife since then and was instead occupying a guest room on the other side of the mansion. Once she entered the room, she found Lauren's things exactly as if her maid had left them. Her jewelry and makeup were placed on the vanity and her dresses were still hung in the armoire. Jenny began packing her clothing up into a large trunk when she saw a stack of journals sitting in the corner behind where the dresses were hung. She grabbed the stack, and something told her to pack them away with the gowns. Jenny couldn't put her finger on it, but in her mind, she knew that when the time was right, the girls would find the journals. She smiled softly before she closed the trunk and then gently arranged her jewelry in a large box. She sent for the maids to clean the room and prepare it for Henry. 

Several days later, Henry finally began to eat again and finally saw his girls. While he was still distraught over the loss of his wife, Arthur had coaxed him to pull himself together. Arthur knew that Lauren would be devastated if she were here to see that Henry had neglected his girls and their Duchy. Arthur helped him sort out his affairs and things slowly began to fall into place. Once they were certain that Henry was finally getting back to his old self, they left, and Arthur kept an eye on him from a distance back at his own estate.

He sighed and placed the portrait back on the shelf. He decided to wait until the tea party had started before, he would talk to Henry. Hopefully, he would be honest, and they could settle things quickly.