Lavender Lass Books - Thursday Newsletter 23

Welcome to Lavender Lass Books - Thursday Newsletter! Abigail and I have decided to publish The Magic of Burrows Bay one chapter at a time. As always, you can find out more information on these and all our other books at the Lavender Lass Books website.

We’ve created a group on Facebook just for our Thursday newsletter! It’s a fun place to talk about all things Burrows Bay related…and as we progress through the story, you’ll find out why we post all those 1920s-inspired dresses. Hope you’ll join us!

And we have all our stories at our Lavender Lass BookShop! You can save 25% on all our ebooks if you use our coupon code when you check out.
Lavender
Not very original, but easy to remember!

Finally, here is the next chapter of The Magic of Burrows Bay! We’ll have a new chapter every Thursday, so we hope you enjoy the story!

Maggie McCrae knew her granddaughters were not ready for the legacy she must leave them. The house, the grounds and everything that went with it would now be theirs. She vowed she would do all she could to protect them and hopefully, give them the time they needed to fulfill their destiny. Gabriella and Moira must learn to trust themselves and each other as they discover the true magic of Burrows Bay.

And remember, you can always catch up on all earlier chapters here.

Chapter 23

“I’m telling you that dream was so strange.  It seemed real, but weird at the same time.  And you weren’t much help.”  Gabbi glared at Moira.

“What was I supposed to do?”  Moira smiled.  “It was your dream.”  Gabbi had been like this all morning.  “It wasn’t real.  You were probably worried about Prissy going to the vet today.”

“Maybe,” Gabbi replied, hesitantly, “but Prissy is feeling much better.”

Moira had made breakfast and let Gabbi sleep in.  “Thanks for making breakfast,” Gabbi said, taking another sip of coffee.

“Even though you woke me up at somewhere around three in the morning, I figured French toast might make you feel better.”  Moira poured more coffee in their cups, then sat down at the table.

“You even put in bananas,” Gabbi said, smiling.  “I owe you, cuz.”

Yes, well, you can pay me back by not having any weird dreams while I’m gone.”  Moira smiled.  “After we finish eating, I’m going to see if I can arrange that flight to Billings on Sunday.”

“Moira,” Gabbi paused.  “Have you heard any music lately?  I could have sworn I heard some last night.”

“Before or after the flood dream where I was no help?” Moira asked, sarcastically. 

“Okay, fine.  I’ll let it go for now.”  Gabbi looked at her watch.  “One hour until Prissy’s appointment.  If Matthew gives her the all clear, she can go explore the house.   They’re going a little stir crazy in my room, but I had to keep her nearby to take her medicine.  Once we let them loose, we may not see them for days.”

Moira laughed.  “Very true.  Are there any spaces we need to close off?”  She wasn’t sure if Gabbi wanted the cats kept out of any rooms.

“No, I think we’ve gone through everything.  Well, the sunroom should probably stay closed until we repair the roof.  And they don’t need to go down to the wine cellar.”

“Easy enough,” Moira replied.  “Do you think they’ll enjoy running up and down the stairs?”

“Definitely.”  Gabbi smiled.  “I thought I’d move all their stuff into the bathroom next to my room.  It’s a great space, but the water is turned off except for the laundry area.  I’m guessing that means there are plumbing issues.  Any idea how much money that’s going to take away from our maid fund?”

Moira smiled.  “We’ll ask Emma.  She said she’d give us an estimate when we’re ready.  Maybe, we can do that as soon as I get back.”

An hour later, Gabbi was waiting with Prissy to see Dr. Matthew Rogers.  When he walked up, he lifted Prissy’s carrier and took them back to the exam room.

“How’s she doing?” he asked Gabbi but smiled at Prissy.  “Come here, little girl.  How are you feeling today?”

“She’s taken all her medicine and seems to feel much better,” Gabbi offered. 

Matthew was holding Prissy and stroking her fur.  Gabbi appreciated how good he was with her.  “So,” she said, “did all of her tests come back okay?”

“She’s in great shape,” Matthew assured her.  As she relaxed, her eyes lost the lavender shimmer and returned to blue.  He cleared his throat and looked down at Prissy.  “Let’s keep her on this new food and bring her back if she has any problems.”  As Gabbi started to say something, he held up his hand.  “I would prefer you make an appointment, but if something happens and it’s an emergency, just bring her in.” 

Gabbi smiled.  “Sounds like a plan.  And thank you for taking such good care of my little girl.”

Matthew smiled.  “You still want that tour of the vineyard?” he asked.

“Maybe later.  When you’re free,” Gabbi replied.

“Actually, I’m free the rest of the day.”  He picked up Prissy and put her back in the carrier.  “I just stayed to see this sweet girl.”  He looked at his watch.  “I’m here doing inventory, then switching with our other doctor, so he can have some time this weekend with his kids.”

That’s nice, Gabbi thought to herself.  “Well, if you and Ben want to take us through the vineyard today, I’m sure Moira would enjoy that, too.”  Gabbi’s eyes narrowed a bit.  “You did mean all of us, didn’t you?”

Matthew laughed.  “Why don’t you see if your cousin is free around two thirty.  We’ll be pruning the vines this afternoon, so we’ll be there until it rains.”

Gabbi felt a tremor up her spine.  “Rain?  Is it supposed to rain today?”

“Big storm forecasted for later tonight, but the rain will probably start around five.”  He looked at her closely.  “Are you feeling okay?”

“Yeah, sure,” she replied.  Get a grip, McCrae, she said to herself.  “We’ll see you then, unless Moira has something else planned.”  She picked up Prissy, paid the bill and walked out to her car.  Matthew looked after her for a moment, then turned to answer a question from the receptionist.

An hour later, Gabbi and Moira were eating lunch.  They decided a tour of the vineyard would be a great idea.  “I think it sounds like fun.  I know he wants to show us the grapes and explain the process, so we’ll want to keep the vineyard.”  Moira looked down at the plate.  “This is really a wonderful salad.”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”  Gabbi replied, a little distracted.

“Is everything okay?  Did something happen with Matthew?”  Moira looked at her cousin, closely.  “I know you said Prissy’s appointment went really well, but you seem a little worried.”

“It’s that stupid dream.”  Gabbi rolled her eyes.  “It’s supposed to rain tonight and that has me worried about water.  I’ve never had a dream bother me the next day.”

Moira took the empty plates and put them in the dishwasher.  “Let’s go see the grapes and then we can come back and read a few journal entries before I get ready for my date.  That should get your mind off the weather.”

Gabbi smiled.  “You’re still having meatloaf tonight with Detective Jack?”

“Of course,” Moira smiled.  “It’s a wonderful café and the apple pie was amazing.  If the meatloaf is as good, maybe we should take your dad there sometime.”

“He would love that,” Gabbi agreed.  “He’s all about comfort food, although he can tweak it into elaborate versions if he chooses.  He used to do this mac and cheese when I was a kid…” Gabbi stopped.  “I wonder if Gran taught him that one.”

“Maybe, you should ask him.”  Moira turned and started upstairs.  “I’m going to get my boots.  Need anything while I’m upstairs?”

“No, but thanks.”  Gabbi washed off the counter as Moira started upstairs. 

As she passed the library on the way to her room, she thought she heard music playing.  She stepped into the library and it stopped.  “Now, I’m imagining things,” she said out loud.  Then, she remembered the music in the ballroom.  “If there’s something you’re trying to tell us, why don’t you just say it?”

Seemingly in reply, the little carved box fell off the shelf.  Moira just stood there for a moment, then very slowly walked back to the stairs.  “Gabbi, can you come up here a moment, please?”

When Gabbi got up to the landing, Moira gave her a strange look.  “What is it?” Gabbi demanded.

“That music you heard last night.”  Moira paused.  “Did it sound like a flute playing very softly?”

“Yes, that’s it exactly.”  Gabbi stared at her.  “How did you know that?”

“Because it seems to be a favorite of whatever or whomever is in the library.”  Moira motioned for Gabbi to follow her.  “When I heard the music, I asked what they wanted…and that box fell off the shelf again.”

Gabbi looked at the carved wooden box on the floor.  “Okay, that’s just weird.”  She walked over and picked it up.  Trying something, she put it back on the shelf and walked over to Moira.  The box slid off the shelf and fell onto the floor again.

Moira’s eyes grew larger.  “Maybe that lever is pushing on it.  Try moving it over a bit.”

Gabbi did and nothing happened.  “Well, that seems to have been the problem.”  Gabbi shrugged and walked back over to Moira.  They looked over at the box, but nothing happened.  As they turned to leave, they heard a thud.  The box was back on the floor.

“What are we supposed to do?  We can’t open it.”  Moira was getting a little annoyed and said to the room in general, “Why don’t you do something helpful?  We know the box is locked.  How do we open it?”

It had been cloudy since Gabbi returned from the vet, but suddenly, a bright stream of sunlight came through the French doors.  They had the same type of stained-glass transoms above as the windows downstairs.  The sunlight lit up the part of the window that showed a figure similar to the one on the box. 

Moira walked over, looking more closely at the stained-glass picture.  “It’s a white horse and a woman, walking through the ivy.  Something about this seems so familiar.  A white horse and a woman...a kelpie!”

She hurried back to the bookcases and started looking for a book on Celtic mythology.  One seemed to be larger than the rest, so she pulled it out and set it on the big table.  “There’s something about a kelpie being a shape shifter.”

Gabbi arched one eyebrow, not really surprised that Moira was so caught up in her research she had almost forgotten about the box flying off the shelf.  “What do you think it means?” she asked.

“Here it is.”  Moira looked up and smiled.  “A kelpie is a mythical beast in Scotland and has other names in other lands.  Known for its ability to transform into a person, often a lovely woman, to lure men to their doom.  It can also take the form of a black horse to entice children to ride on its back and drown them.”  Moira made a face.  “Not very pleasant.”  She kept reading.  “Oh, this is better.  A white kelpie, which could transform into a beautiful woman, was thought to protect those too close to the water.  Often seen at Loch Ness and once reported saving a child right before the sea monster appeared.”

Gabbi looked up.  “That’s a little different than the other stories.”

Moira nodded.  “That’s often the case with myths.  Some good, some bad, but usually it’s more one way with a possible exception.”  She walked back over to the transom.  “The ivy is hiding a lot of the details, but it’s definitely a white horse and a woman.  No fox, but the mermaid on the box might be the kelpie in transition between the two figures.” 

Gabbi went over and picked up the box.  “It feels normal, but it doesn’t want to stay on the shelf.”  She handed it to Moira.  “What do you think?”

“Hmm… the Celtic cross and rowan tree are telling us that all is safe.  The serpent or dragon is usually a sign of danger, the fox could be for cleverness.  So, we have a possible kelpie, danger and a need to be clever.  This is all just a guess of course.”

Gabbi smiled.  “Your guesses are pretty good.  That must come from being a bookworm.”

“Very funny,” Moira replied.  “She pushed lightly on the woman figure and it moved.  “Look, Gabbi.  She moved slightly.”

“Be careful not to push the wrong one.  It might be the way to open the box.”  Gabbi bent down to see it.  “I think the woman and the horse since they’re together on the transom…what do you think?”

“I agree.  But it seems a little too easy.”  She looked back at the book.  “Rowan tree and Celtic cross.  They both stand for Celtic history, but the Rowan tree is much older.  It was a favorite of the Druids.”  She looked at Gabbi.  “I’d guess the horse, the mermaid and the tree.”

“Okay, try it.”  Gabbi held her breath as Moira gently pushed on the horse and the mermaid with one hand and then on the tree with the other, carefully avoiding touching the cross.  The figures barely moved, but as she pushed on the tree there was a click.  Moira let go and the box opened.

“You did it!” Gabbi exclaimed. 

Moira smiled, carefully opening the box all the way.  Gabbi bent over to look more closely and there was a folded piece of paper inside.  On the underside of the lid, there was a very small vial of water attached to the wood.  There were wires leading to the sides that had the dragon and the fox, and probably one to the cross directly above it.

“Push the wrong button and the water hits the paper and no more message.”  Moira saw there was also a wire that seemed to run along the top edge of the box, where it met the lid.

Gabbi saw it, too.  “Or if it’s forced open, the water hits paper and still no message.”

“We’re lucky it didn’t break when it fell.”  Moira pulled out the paper and laid it on the table.

“No chance of that since it always landed on the rug.”  Gabbi nodded to Moira.  “Go ahead and read it…you’ve earned it.”

Moira smiled and took a moment to steady her hands.  Picking it up, she unfolded the paper and read the message aloud.  “The apothecary must be guarded by those whose hearts are pure.  Only the Three may open the book.  Make yourselves and your beliefs as one and only then can the book be opened.

“Okay, that’s a start.”  Gabbi looked at the message.  “Is that it?”

Moira nodded.  “Well, there’s not much we can do until we talk to Marissa and that isn’t going to be easy.” 

“For any of us,” Gabbi said under her breath.

Smiling, Moira shook her head.  “Not just for the obvious reasons.  The message says, ‘make yourselves and your beliefs as one’ and that’s going to take some time.  Especially, if Marissa doesn’t know about the Three.”

Gabbi looked at her watch.  “It’s two twenty.  We should probably go to the vineyard.”  She started to put the message back in the box.  “Should we leave it here?”

“Maybe, we should put the message with the journals and other books, so we can keep everything together.”  Moira suggested.

Gabbi placed the slip of paper into the secret opening behind the bookcase, then set the box back on the shelf.  This time it stayed there.  “We should go,” she stated, “before anything else happens.”

Moira smiled as they walked out of the library.  “We don’t want to be late for our tour of the vineyard with a certain attractive vet.”  She fluttered her eyelashes.

“Nice.  Very nice.”  Gabbi shook her head.  “He was actually civil this morning, but I had Prissy with me.  He’s really good with her.”

They walked down the stairs and out the front door.

Join us next week for the another chapter of The Magic of Burrows Bay!