Spellbreaker (Spellbreaker Duology #1) - Charlie N. Holmberg Page 0,29
been lovely.”
“If you’re willing to wait,” he said, turning as she passed him, “I’ll have the footmen bring around a carriage.”
“Thank you, but no.” She paused a little too close to him, then caught herself and stepped back. Her thoughts spun, flashing from the close fit of his shirt to something else . . . something curious . . . but she squashed them. “It would be best if I did not arrive in Brookley in a duke’s carriage.”
“Brookley,” he repeated with an obnoxious smirk.
She pinched her lips together. Next time she’d merely refuse to speak and bear the silence just as she bore this infuriating itching. The lace on her cuffs aggravated it. “I’ll escort myself, thank you.”
She turned and did just that. And once she reached the road, she finally let her turning thoughts surface. She’d sensed something strange about Mr. Kelsey those last few minutes.
A spell. She smelled it. A less experienced spellbreaker might have thought it Mr. Kelsey’s musk of choice, but Elsie knew better. Knew the scent of fresh-cut wood and citrus was a natural smell—and not unpleasant—but the earthy smell beneath it, not unlike mushrooms, indicated a spell. A temporal spell, planted somewhere on Mr. Kelsey’s person.
But whatever could it be?
CHAPTER 7
Ogden announced they would be going to church in London. Specifically, Camberwell, to a church they’d attended once before. That was a strange thing about Ogden—he wasn’t a very religious person, and yet he insisted on the household attending church every Sunday. Only the church they attended changed more often than the season.
The Brookley chapel was a pleasant walk from the masonry shop, but Elsie didn’t mind the travel into London, even if the Wright sisters would surely gossip about the Ogden household’s “path to hell” again. After all, Squire Hughes went to the Brookley chapel whenever he was not in London, and he had a very obvious and annoying way of twisting the vicar around his fat finger. If the squire had his way, he’d rewrite the whole Bible. Still, it was a pity she would not be able to observe Mr. Parker from afar.
It was a gray day. Thick, brooding clouds stretched pale across the sky, making the air cool enough for a shawl. The three of them shared a carriage together—Elsie, Ogden, and Emmeline. Elsie peered out the window, searching the bustling streets and tight-fitted homes. A horseless carriage, propelled by aspected wheels, passed by them, and a few minutes later they passed a mill, far from any water source, that used the same spell to turn its turbine. Such spells were common in the city, but seen only on occasion in Brookley. Rumor said people were starting to use energy from such things to power lights in glass bulbs that had nothing to do with magic, but Elsie would believe it when she saw it.
The church was an old but lovely building, kept in good repair. Ogden led them toward the front of the chapel. This church employed a spiritual aspector, as many did. Although they were schooled in theology, they were not part of the clergy. Rather, they were icons to the faithful. Many of the devout viewed them as a means for miracles. Some believed the spell for invoking inner peace actually summoned the Holy Spirit, although Elsie suspected it was nothing more than a feel-good spell for the soul. Spiritual aspectors could also invoke truth and make it impossible for a person to lie, which could be useful in religion. It was certainly useful in law enforcement.
Not every church employed a spiritual aspector, but it helped their numbers to guarantee some sort of blessing at the end of a sermon. Simple ones, like good fortune, peace, or discernment—ones that couldn’t go sour or be misinterpreted. If someone wanted a blessing greater than that, well, he would have to pay for it just as he would for any other spell.
Elsie swallowed, and adjusted the collar of her dress, her corset feeling a little too tight. If Mr. Kelsey turned her in, would they send a spiritual aspector to force her to spill every secret she’d kept from infancy up?
“Oh, pretty,” Emmeline said beside her, and Elsie followed her gaze to what, at first glance, appeared to be an angel. But a closer look revealed the translucent image was simply a man. A rather normal-looking one despite the fact that he was translucent. An astral projection spell—a master-level spiritual spell, if Elsie remembered right.