"I'm going to tell Wildwood everything," Theresa announced the moment she woke up and saw her sister. The sun was streaming in through the window.

Daphne was already awake and dressing for the day. She was fiddling with the folds of her dress. "Sounds fine," she agreed without any apparent interest.

Theresa was instantly exasperated. "Sounds fine?" she repeated. Did Daphne not realize the import of the statement? "Did you even hear me?"

Daphne looked over. "Yes, and it does sound fine."

"I'm talking about all our secrets, Daphne," Theresa pointed out, shocked at Daphne's cavalier attitude.

"We barely have any left, anyway."

"Because you can't keep your mouth shut," Theresa muttered.

Daphne apparently heard because her brow furrowed. "I've always thought that we should trust them."

"Why would you think that?" Theresa asked with a frown.

"Because the Wizard Jim sent us to them."

"Well, why would you trust him?" Theresa asked.

"Because he helped us," she explained.

Theresa rolled her eyes at Daphne's lack of logic. "That doesn't mean that he did not have ulterior motives. You can't trust just anyone."

Daphne seemed to be wondering whether it was worth it to argue with her, which annoyed Theresa to no end.

Apparently it was worth arguing, because Daphne spoke again. "We had to trust the wizard that you wanted to find in the first place. Besides, Sir Thomas told me last night that they had figured most of it out on their own, especially once Aunt Francine was here."

Theresa rolled her eyes. "Well, we are trusting them now, so you should be happy," Theresa muttered.

"It's about time. Things will be a lot easier if I don't have to watch what I say around Sir Thomas. It's been a great bother," Daphne said. "He's always talking about his family and his past and I haven't been able to tell him anything about mine."

"I'm so happy it'll make your life easier," Theresa said sarcastically. "I just hope that this doesn't end badly."

"You're far too suspicious of everyone and everything."

"You're far too trusting."

"It's better than being paranoid."

"Paranoia has kept us alive," Theresa snapped.

"Really? Name one time," Daphne shot back.

Theresa scowled. Daphne never used to fight back so much. "It clearly kept us alive every time, or else we wouldn't be here to argue about it."

Daphne laughed lightly and Theresa was annoyed.

"Oh, wait! At the inn, we escaped because I was suspicious about the men gathering outside! Ha!"

Daphne chuckled lightly. "Well, that is one time. Perhaps you are right in part."

Theresa was indeed correct, but it was also annoying that Daphne was not entirely wrong. Everyone who had helped them so far had done so because Daphne wanted to trust people.

Of course, that was all fine and wonderful when one had a personality which turned people into willing devotees wherever one wandered.

Other mere mortals had to rely on using their brains rather than wandering around in a trusting haze.

They were just lucky that they had wandered into the path of eccentric magic enthusiasts, Theresa thought sullenly.

"Well, I am going to ride out with Sir Thomas to practice this morning. I'll see you at lunch," Daphne announced.

Theresa reminded herself she had decided that she was not going to feel bitter or jealous any longer, neither for Wildwood's feelings for her sister, nor at Thomas for monopolizing Daphne's time.

"Enjoy yourself," Theresa said with forced good humor.

Daphne smiled and left the room. Her expression looked a bit strained to Theresa.

She decided she did not care. Let Daphne be irritable with Theresa if she wanted to be.

Theresa got ready for the day slowly until she was forced to admit that she was procrastinating.

It was one thing to decide that she was going to talk to Wildwood, another entirely to do it.

She decided that she needed a good fortifying breakfast before her grand, humiliating confession to Wildwood. It was not at all that she was still putting off dealing with him, she assured herself.

The kitchen was abuzz with activity. "Good morning, my lady," the chef said from where she was kneading dough. Ildri looked up from where she was humming over some vegetables. She stopped abruptly.

"This is Lady Theresa, Ildri. Lady Theresa, this is Ildri, one of my assistants," the chef said by way of introduction.

"Good morning, my lady," Ildri said with a curtsey.

"Good morning to both of you," Theresa responded.

"My lady, is it true that Lady Daphne named her pet cat after you?" Ildri asked.

"Ildri," the chef cautioned.

"Yes, that's true."

"Is it because of your eyes?" she asked brightly.

"My eyes?" Theresa repeated slowly. The chef had believed that Ildri would not figure it out.

"They're the same sort of blue," Ildri explained.

"I suppose that might be why. Perhaps that's why she picked that particular cat," she lied carefully.

Ildri was thoughtful. "They're a very unusual color for a person to have, and I didn't even know that cat's could have violet eyes before I saw Lady Daphne's pet. Come to think of it, we have not seen her for a few days now."

The chef intervened. "They sent the cat home with the men who escorted Lady Theresa, Ildri. Now please get back to work and stop bothering my lady."

"Don't concern yourself," Theresa said quickly, glad that the chef had sidetracked the girl from her questions.

Ildri had a thoughtful look on her face as she returned to her work.

"Would you like some breakfast?" the chef asked.

Theresa smiled a true smile. "Yes please."

* * * * *

Theresa took her time eating breakfast and had a second cup of tea.

Finally she ran out of things to keep her occupied in the kitchen. She wandered out and reluctantly made her way to Wildwood's tower. She climbed the stairs, still not quite sure how exactly how she would say what she needed to say.

Theresa knocked on the door and waited. There was no answer. Wildwood was clearly not there.

Annoyed that she had gotten all worried over nothing, Theresa decided to go for a ride. She supposed that she could always find Wildwood later.

She strode through the castle, out the main doors and to the stable. She pushed open the door and it took her eyes several moments to adjust.

"Good morning, my lady," she heard an unfamiliar male voice say.

"Good morning," she agreed. There were two men standing there. The one that had spoken was a short and burly man with hair as dark as her own. Beside him was...

"Jim! I mean, Wizard Jim, how good to see you!" she said, extremely relieved that Francine had not done anything horrible to him.

He looked far healthier than when Theresa had last seen him, but she felt certain that it was partly due to the fact that she could now see the warm colors in his face.

He was wearing earth toned plain, sturdy clothing and a practical, wide brimmed hat on his head. Even though Theresa had regained her height, Jim was still more than half a head taller than her.

"Are you doing well, Lady Theresa?" he asked.

"I am," she agreed.

"It's good that you made it here safely and that Lord Wildwood has made some headway into your magical problem," he said with real enthusiasm. "Of course, I knew that you ladies were safely here, because I found Mahogany. She seems in good spirits after her stay."

"Did you have any trouble?" Theresa asked.

"Not much. A couple of dogs chased me, but they were easy enough to deal with. Poor Chestnut was unhappy, though," he said, motioning to his second horse.

Theresa wondered if they were the same dogs which had chased her, although likely not the one that she had injured.

"Did you come here to take Mahogany home?" she asked.

"Yes, although I will see Lord Wildwood before I leave," Jim replied.

"The two of you must be close," she commented.

"Indeed, we've been friends since Rothford's. Well, I must be off. I truly am glad to see that you are well, my lady." He smiled kindly.

Theresa smiled back. "I won't keep you, then," Theresa said.

He tapped his hat to her and was out the door.

The other man, who she had quite forgotten was there, spoke. "Were you wishing to go for a ride, my lady?"

"Yes, please..."

"Mister Allendale," he supplied.

"Oh, you're chef's husband," she said. She had never seen him before.

"I suppose you could call me that," he agreed amiably.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I spoke without thinking," Theresa said. She needed to learn to consider her words, it seemed her tongue had a mind of its own since she had returned to her human form, she cautioned herself for what felt like the hundredth time.

She supposed that Francine's restrictive magic had prevented her from making any social blunders in the past. She would have to remember to control herself.

"Never worry. Would you like to ride Misty May again, my lady?"

Theresa smiled. "Do you have any more spirited horses?"

* * * * *

Theresa ended up riding Dancing Storm, a horse that earned her name well. She had abundant energy and was more than pleased to run when Theresa urged her to.

They followed the trail and when they came back to the castle Theresa felt much more relaxed and sure of her ability to handle everything.

She changed and then checked Wildwood's tower a second time, but he was still not there.

It was ridiculously difficult to locate that particular wizard when she needed to speak with him.

It was getting close to lunch so Theresa made her way to the small dining hall. Perhaps she might find Daphne there.

The small dining hall was not empty when Theresa arrived. Wildwood was sitting at the head of the table and Jim was sitting to his left.

"Lady Theresa. You're just in time for lunch," Wildwood said.

"Good day again, Lady Theresa," said Jim.

"Good day," Theresa agreed, kicking herself for not being more careful. Wildwood generally did not eat in the dining hall, but she supposed that he was being polite to his guest.

Really, it was odd that Wildwood had not been eating with Daphne this entire time. Perhaps it had been consideration for how nervous Daphne had been in his presence.

Of course, Theresa did not know what had happened in the week that she had been gone. It was easy to forget since it felt like little more than a short dream to her. Already Daphne seemed much less nervous around the wizard. Perhaps she would learn to share his regard.

Theresa found she did not actually like the idea of that.

Theresa took a seat across and down from Jim.

Jim smiled kindly. "I suppose that we'll be seeing a lot of each other now, Lady Theresa," he said, making conversation.

"We will?" she asked.

"Lord Wildwood invited me to travel with your group to the capital. I am quite excited about the possibility of experiencing new magic."

"Oh?"

Wildwood answered. "It could only be beneficial to have additional wizards along."

Theresa was pleased that he was taking the danger posed by her aunt seriously. She nodded.

Jim smiled slightly, "Well, I'll try to be beneficial."

"You really are too modest for a wizard, Jim," Wildwood said with a laugh.

Wildwood's laugh made Theresa smile, although she had not expected it from the generally serious wizard. She frowned when she realized what she was doing.

Jim looked at Theresa. "You really glow with magic now, my lady. I suspect a counter transformation?" he asked, glancing at Wildwood.

"Yes," Wildwood agreed. "Although we've discovered there is a limit to the distance I can maintain it."

"I would imagine there would be for such a complicated spell. Counter transformations wouldn't be magically efficient."

Wildwood shrugged. "I haven't encountered a distance limit since my earliest days working magic," he said casually, although something in his voice made Theresa wonder if he was embarrassed at his inability.

"You're merely spoiled by your exceptional magical reserves, Keaton. The rest of us are well acquainted with the limits of magic."

"You're hardly better," Wildwood shot back.

It seemed Jim was about to retort when Daphne and Thomas arrived.

"Wizard Jim!" Daphne exclaimed the moment she saw him. "Thank you for all your help! We never would have made it here without your assistance."

"Lady Daphne! How good to see that you are safe," Jim said. He smiled warmly at Daphne.

Theresa smiled wryly, watching another conquest of her sister's figuratively fall at her feet.

"Good day, Wizard Jim," Thomas said politely. It appeared that he had noticed Jim's warm reception of Daphne's presence as well. He did not seem pleased. Theresa tried to discretely hide her smile.

Daphne took a seat between Theresa and Wildwood and Thomas sat across from Theresa beside Jim. Thomas did not look particularly happy with the seating arrangement. Theresa was both amused at his reaction and somewhat bothered that Daphne had chosen to sit next to Wildwood.

The food was brought out by Ildri and another servant who Theresa recognized as occasionally helping in the kitchen. Theresa ate heartily.

Daphne kept up a steady stream of conversation with Jim. Thomas barely talked, which was rather unusual. Theresa thought he might be sulking, although she was probably hardly better.

Wildwood was the first one finished. He stood up. "If you all will excuse me, there is much to do." He turned to his friend. "Missus White has prepared your usual room. Please relax until the time comes to leave."

"Thank you," Jim replied and then took another bite off his fork. Wildwood left.

Theresa finished up quickly and went after him. He had turned in the direction of his tower, so she tried there first.

The door was a fraction ajar, which meant that Wildwood was certainly there. Theresa knocked on the door stridently.

She had a lump in her throat. She told herself she was being ridiculous and apologizing to Lord Wildwood was not a serious issue. She had unfairly maligned him and the gracious thing to do was to put it right.

"Come in," she heard Wildwood say. She pushed the door open.

Wildwood was standing at a bookshelf, apparently trying to find a particular volume. He did not turn around. "Missus White, if you could—"

Theresa cut him off. "Lord Wildwood," she began.

He turned around abruptly. "Oh, Lady Theresa. Forgive me. I was expecting—"

"Missus White?" she finished.

"Yes, Missus White. Can I help you, Lady Theresa?"

"I was hoping to have a few minutes of your time so I could talk with you," Theresa said.

He looked surprised. "Yes, of course. Please sit down."

Theresa sat in her regular seat and Wildwood sat in a nearby chair. It felt odd, because he usually sat behind the desk when she was there.

Theresa was not sure why the change in habit, but perhaps it was because she had told him that she wanted to talk to him, which of course was unusual for her.

"What was it you wished to talk about?" he prompted and she realized that she had been sitting silently for long moments.

"I thought that..." She swallowed. "I just wanted to apologize. I've not always been acting, well, graciously these past weeks," Theresa said quickly. She could feel her face burning.

Wildwood shook his head. "You've had difficult circumstances."

"Still, I have been irritable and suspicious," Theresa said.

Wildwood shook his head again. "Again, understandable. Rest easy, my lady. Nothing is being held against you."

Theresa smiled slightly, still embarrassed. She was certain her face was flushed. She tried to will it back to her usual color.

"If that is all, I should continue preparing—"

"No," Theresa said quickly. "There's more. You have interest in Daphne's and my circumstances."

Wildwood said, "It hardly matters now. Since your aunt was here, I've known my adversary. You must understand I had asked Thomas to find out more from your sister when you first arrived."

He paused. "I was out of sorts last night. The return of my magic was rather disarming. I apologize for causing you to feel I was invading your privacy."

"No, I overreacted. While secrecy remains necessary, you have been helping us greatly so you should know who we are."

He half smiled. "I'm already aware that you are an heiress, my lady."

"Yes, I am," she agreed. "My father left his titles and estate to us. I am the Countess of Waldwick. Daphne is The Honourable Lady Waldwick and is the Baroness of Tyndale. Our Aunt Francine is truly the Dowager Baroness of Rytham, but she has legal guardianship of our properties and us, so the titles mean little enough." Theresa shrugged.

"That explains why she was accompanied but the head of the Waldwick guard. How long does she have guardianship?"

"Indefinitely, I suppose. Francine never exactly spoke about it with me."

"Then we shall enquire when we reach the capital. I suspect it would be until you reach a certain age or until you marry, when your lands would move to your husband's trust."

"Likely. How many days will we have to travel to reach the capital?" Theresa asked.

Wildwood replied, "We'll take extra horses in order to make better time. Hopefully we will arrive with three long days of travel."

Theresa nodded. "Thank you. That sounds perfect."

It really did sound perfect, if only the same could be said about her increasingly awkward and tangled emotions.