Who Knows?

*Hezzlie*

I can’t remember where Roan said Veronica’s room is–other than the second floor. It’s not like me to be able to find anything I’m looking for on my own, but I feel a tingling in the air and decide to follow it. Within a few minutes, I’m standing outside of a closed door and decide to knock.
Veronica pulls it open slowly, cautiously, one perfectly sculpted eyebrow arched. “Yes?”
“Wow. Can’t believe that worked,” I mumble, which makes her inquisitive look become even stronger. “Hi. Can I talk to you for a moment?”
“About what?” she wants to know, not opening the door any further.
I try not to be irritated. She’s in a strange land, after all, and she doesn’t really know anyone, except her driver, who is hanging around with the other servants in the mansion somewhere. “I need to talk to you about a friend,” I begin. I look around, not wanting to be overhead. “Can I come in?”
She eyes me for a moment longer before blowing out a breath and opening the door. Inside, I see the remains of her lunch and wonder if anyone ever eats lunch in the dining room. I think my mom probably does.
“We don’t have much time,” Veronica says. “I have to be back outside to meet your mother soon.”
“How is she doing?” I make a bit of small talk as we sit on a small couch at the end of her bed. This room is laid out differently than the ones I’ve seen before. It’s a bit smaller, though definitely large enough for one person. It has this sitting area and a table with a couple of chairs, as well as the bed, dresser, and an ensuite. It’s decorated in shades of purple, which must be why it was given to her. So far, both of the dresses she’s worn have been the same color.
“She’s not getting it,” Veronica says bluntly with a shrug. “I’m not sure where you got your talent.”
“Necessity,” I admit. I blow out another long breath and decide to just get to the point. “You know that my father, King Solomon, had a spell put on Mara that made her kill her mother when she got here, right?”
She nods. “So I’ve heard.”
“At first, Rowan was concerned that maybe I’d been compromised, too, though I’m fairly certain I haven’t been. Alistair tried to teach me magic, but I pretended I couldn’t do it and ignored him. I didn’t spend a lot of time in his office.”
She’s just looking at me like I need to get to the point.
I clear my throat. “We are concerned about my friend Abby.”
“Abby?” She says her name like it’s a foreign word. “Why?”
“Because… she’s not recognizing her mate. She’s old enough to. Granted, there hasn’t been a full moon since she got here, so maybe that’s why? Or maybe someone put a spell on her to keep her from recognizing her true mate so that she could do something… nefarious.”
Veronica stares at me for a moment longer before she bursts out laughing. It’s that stupid witchy cackle that makes me want to see if I’m capable of turning a person into a toad. Eventually, she gains control of herself and says, “That’s ridiculous. Maybe the man who thinks she’s his mate is wrong.”
“No, he’s not. Wait–how is that possible? Wouldn’t he know?”
She shakes her head. “Men are stupid, Hezzlie. Surely, I don’t have to tell you that.”
I want to growl at her now and remind her that I am part wolf. “Well, regardless of the reason, would it be possible to tell if she has a spell cast on her? I mean, is that something you would be able to detect using your own magic?”
“If anyone could do it, it would be me,” she says with a level of narcissism that makes my irritation grow even stronger. “But I’m not sure it’s possible.”
Breathing in deeply through my nostrils, I ask, “Could you check?”
“Will the girl be at dinner?” She brushes her fingernails over her shoulder.
I nod. “She should be.”
“Fine. I’ll see if I can detect anything.”
“Thank you.” That’s probably the best I’m going to get from her. I remember what my mom used to say about doing things for myself and ask, “If you are able to detect anything, what would that look like?”
“How would I be able to tell?” she asks. “I don’t know for certain, but magic usually leaves some sort of marker. A color. A smell. A sparkle.”
“A sparkle?’ I repeat, thinking this sounds ridiculous.
“Yes, but you’d have to be able to strip away all of the normal visual cues one would expect to see in order to notice it. Doing such a thing would take an immensely trained eye.’
She’s saying I shouldn’t bother because I won’t be able to tell. I nod. “Well, I hope you’re able to draw some conclusions.”
I stand and head to the door. “Hezzlie?” she calls.
I turn and look over my shoulder at her. “Yes?”
“Who is her mate?” She bats her eyelashes at me, and for a moment, she looks slightly human.
“Dean,” I tell her. “At least, he thinks she is. But she seems enamored with James.”
“James?” she repeats, and then she shakes her head again. “She’s wasting her time with that one.”
I open my mouth but close it. I want to ask how she knows that but decide it doesn’t matter. I didn’t even know she’d met either one of them. “Thanks again.”
I head out the door, but I’m not sure where to go. I should probably go take a shower since I haven’t done that yet today, but part of me wants to talk to Abby while Veronica’s words are fresh in my mind. I decide to head downstairs and see Wilma dusting in the main foyer.
“Oh, well, look at you!” she exclaims. “I wasn’t expecting to see you, dear. How are you?”
She’s so sweet; I just love her. “I’m fine, thank you. How are you?”
“Fair to middlin’,” she says with a little laugh. “Can I help you find something?”
I consider her request. Knowing how much of a gossip she is, I hesitate, but then, Abby is my friend. I could be looking for her for any number of reasons. “Do you happen to know where Abby is right now?”
“I believe she’s still in the infirmary,” she says. “She’s volunteered to help there. I’m not sure if she’s helping or not. Elise is quite put out.” She snickers. “Seems Abby isn’t too fond of our friend the nurse.”
I tip my head to the side and take that in, remembering dinner the other night. Abby had seemed so jealous of Elise just for coming into dinner with James. She’s clearly older than him and nothing more than a coworker and friend. “Well, I’m going to go check on them. How do I get to the infirmary?”
Wilma giggles and says, “It’s down this hall here. Turn right. Follow the hallway to the end and then turn left. It’s at the end of the hall.”
I go over that in my mind and actually move my arm to try and remember. “Thank you.”
Wilma laughs again and goes back to her dusting. I head out, hoping I can keep my directions straight.
It’s really not that hard to find the infirmary, which is good, because in an emergency, one should be able to get there quickly. I make my way there and pause outside of the door, not sure if I should knock or just go in.
I hear voices on the other side of the door. “I just finished folding those bandages.” I’m not certain, but I think that’s Elise’s voice.
“Well, they weren’t done properly.” That’s certainly Abby’s voice. “So I’m doing it again.”
“I assure you, they were done properly. We appreciate your help, but you needn’t redo work,” the other voice insists.
“Well, maybe you should just go fuck yourself,” Abby says.
Shocked, I push through the door and find Elise standing before Abby, her eyes wide as Abby glares back at her.
Yeah, something fishy is going on here, for sure.