Although I hadn't planned to tell my best friend about my relationship with Elinor so soon, fate apparently had other plans.
That evening, when I returned home, Maggie had come over to visit and was already waiting for me on the porch.
"Sit," she said, patting the step beside her.
I didn't say anything and sat down.
"That girl who was with you—is she that French girl?" Maggie asked without any preamble.
I sighed and simply nodded.
"Yes."
"And you're… well… together?" she asked with obvious curiosity.
I blushed.
"I don't know… I guess so."
Maggie was silent for a whole minute, turning away and looking at the sunset.
Honestly, I had expected that right now my friend would bombard me with a whole bunch of questions. And even though I hadn't prepared for this conversation in advance, I was ready to answer every single one of them.
After all, I wanted to remain honest with my only friend.
Nevertheless, unexpectedly, the question Maggie asked me was only one.
"Are you happy?" she finally asked.
I hesitated a little before answering. But it wasn't because I was unsure of my answer. I was just… embarrassed.
"Very," I replied quietly.
"Then everything's fine," Maggie turned to me and smiled. "I'm happy for you!"
"Really?" I asked again.
"Really. You're my friend. I want you to be happy. With anyone."
Honestly, I was truly touched by her words.
As expected, my best friend really did understand me very well. I should have anticipated such a reaction from her from the very beginning.
I couldn't resist and hugged her so tightly that she let out a small yelp.
"You're the best, Maggie!"
"I know, I know," she snorted. "Now spill it—what were you doing by the lake all day?"
I pulled away from her and froze for a moment.
If it had been anyone else, I probably would have lied. But since Maggie already knew my secret, I decided to tell her the truth.
"Magic," I answered honestly.
Maggie froze and stared at me in surprise.
"What?" she asked again.
"She's teaching me magic. Elinor is a witch too."
Maggie looked at me with wide eyes.
She was silent for a few seconds, as if processing my words. Then she swallowed.
"So you… that story with the Bagshot brothers…" her voice trembled, "that really was magic?"
"Yes."
She let out a breath.
"No way! Is my friend really a witch?"
"Does that… scare you?"
"Me?" Maggie snorted. "My dad used to scare me with stories about witches and ghosts when I was little, and I still went into the forest. I'm not afraid. Especially not of you."
I hugged her again.
"You're amazing, Maggie Thompson!" I said again and smiled.
"I know," she repeated. "Alright, tell me then. What kind of magic? How does it work? Will you show me?"
"…Maybe," I answered evasively.
In the end, we sat on the porch until it was completely dark. I told my friend about Elinor, about magic, about the progress I had managed to make in our lessons. Maggie listened with her mouth open and asked a thousand questions at the same time.
Finally, when I had finished my story, my friend suddenly noticed something.
"You're glowing," Maggie said all of a sudden.
"What?"
I was somewhat confused by that remark.
Glowing… Did she mean magic? But as it turned out, she meant something entirely different.
"When you talk about that girl," Maggie smiled, "you're just glowing all over. I've never seen you like this."
I blushed involuntarily.
"…Really?"
"It's love," Maggie assured me. "You're definitely in love, Merope. And to be more precise, you're head over heels!"
In the end, I didn't have the strength to argue with her and simply accepted her words with embarrassment.
But later that night, I lay awake for a long time thinking about what she had said.
In love. Honestly, before this I had never been in love with anyone in my life.
In my previous life—in the twenty-first century—I had never had a boyfriend, even though several young men had confessed their feelings to me. However, it always turned out that at that time I didn't truly like any of them, so I refused. I didn't want to agree to a relationship just because I was afraid of hurting someone with my rejection. In the end, that would have been unfair not only to them, but to me as well.
So I believed that I simply hadn't yet met my person, with whom there would be mutual affection.
Therefore, what had happened between me and Elinor was definitely a first for me.
I remembered Elinor's eyes, her smile, and her touches. The way she had looked at me by the lake. And… the way she had kissed me.
And perhaps I really did agree with Maggie.
"I'm in love," I admitted to myself in the darkness. "I really like her…"
Thinking about it, I eventually fell asleep with a smile.
***
In the morning at the stable, I was in a good mood, and it was immediately noticeable. As Maggie had said, I might really have been "glowing" with happiness.
Thomas kept glancing at me but stayed silent for a while. Daisy, on the other hand, neighed happily, as if sharing my mood.
"Merope," Thomas finally called out to me when I was already about to leave. "You… be careful."
"With what?" I asked, slightly surprised.
"With that French girl," he frowned. "I know you've been spending a lot of time with her lately. But people say different things about her. That she's not simple, that her grandmother is strange… I don't want you getting into trouble."
I froze for a moment in surprise.
"Mr. Binns, she's good," I objected almost immediately. "Really!"
"I believe you," he nodded. "You wouldn't associate with bad people. But still… you be careful anyway. This world, and the people in it, you know, aren't always good."
"I know," I said quietly. "But she really is kind."
Thomas sighed and just waved his hand at me.
"Go on already!" he grumbled, and then barely audibly muttered gruffly, "Fool in love…"
But I didn't hear the stableman's last words, otherwise I definitely would have blushed even more. Instead, I smiled, said goodbye to Thomas, and ran off.
I ran to the lake, slightly out of breath. Elinor was already there, waiting for me.
"You're late today. I was already worried you wouldn't come," she said.
"Of course—I promised. How could I not come?" I replied with a smile, sitting down beside her.
For a while we silently watched the water, simply enjoying each other's company in the quiet. Autumn was almost over, the trees stood bare, and the lake was covered with a thin crust of ice along the shore.
At that moment, Elinor suddenly stunned me with news.
"…I'll be leaving soon," Elinor said quietly.
At first, I didn't even fully grasp the meaning of her words.
And then my heart almost stopped.
"When?" I asked quietly.
"In two weeks," she sighed. "My school holidays are ending."
For a while I was silent, trying to deal with the lump in my throat.
Of course, I knew that sooner or later Elinor would have to leave. After all, she lived in France and attended a magical school there, and she had come here only for a short holiday. I had known that from the very beginning. And yet…
Even so, it was still hard for me to accept.
"…I don't want that," I whispered honestly.
"Neither do I," Elinor took my hand. "But it's not forever. I'll write to you. And you'll be able to come visit me in France!"
"How?" I asked.
"I'll arrange everything. Auntie… she probably won't be pleased about it, but I'll manage. Just tell me 'yes.'"
I looked at her and saw hope in her eyes.
Honestly, at that moment I didn't think long about my answer.
"Yes," I said. "Of course, yes!"
Elinor smiled and kissed me. And in that kiss there was not only happiness, but also sadness, and our promise.
Deep down, I tried to calm myself with the thought that we still had a lot of time left. Two weeks is quite a long time.
And yet… inside me, a chill had already settled from our impending separation.