That Magic Mischief (35 page)

“May I?” And Maeve nodded, flattening her palm further as Annabelle ran a finger over the top of the stone.

A great gust of wind blew up around them, from nowhere, and a sound very like the humming chime that the hazelnut had made at Annabelle’s touch swirled around them almost visibly. The wind blew and blew, and the sound rose and rose, and the sunlight, already bright and hot, shot in sparks off the now churning lake. Jamie grabbed Annabelle’s arm, and she laughed with joy, as a crescendo of sound and air and light built and built and built —

And stopped as suddenly as it had begun.

“So, well done, missus, and keep that nephew of mine on the straight and narrow.” Maeve casually flipped the stone into the lake, and headed away down the path.

She turned back and winked at Jamie and Annabelle. “Sure, it was only an aul’ rock.” She sauntered off, whistling, leaving them to stare down into the water.

“She’s really all right, once you get to know her,” Annabelle mused, and moved to follow her down the path.

“But — but — the stone — it was — is it — that was magic, like!” Jamie was apoplectic, and Annabelle linked her arm through his, and patted his hand.

“Magic isn’t magic,” she soothed, and led him away from the lake.

“What the feck is
that
supposed to mean?”

Annabelle sighed. “Let me try to explain, but it may take a while. Years, maybe.”

She grinned up at him and he kissed her on the tip of her nose. Making sure the daisy was safe and sound, he said, “I’m listening … ”

Susan Conley moved to Ireland for twelve months — fourteen years ago. She studied at Trinity College Dubiln and gained a master in Irish Theatre Studies, parlaying that into a career as a journalist, covering diverse topics, from theatre and the visual arts, to pop psychology and beauty products.

She blogs at
www.brightandbeautyfull.com
, where she writes about her books and her favorite products (intensive scalp treatments and eyebrow definers are currently top of her list.) She is also the published author of
Drama Queen
and
The Fidelity Project
, and is currently working on two new novels, one of which is a sequel to
That Magic Mischief.
Follow her on Twitter
@SusanEConley
!

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