“Well?” Cory said. “Is he?”
“I don’t know,” Micah told her as he jabbed the weed again.
“Oh, come on! You have to be able to tell me something about him. Mother certainly hasn’t. She used to get mad at me if I mentioned him, so I stopped asking questions about my father’s side of the family when I was a little girl. Now the only time she refers to my father’s father is to say something unkind or that I’m as stubborn as he was. You met him, didn’t you? Can’t you tell me anything?”
Micah turned to face her. “Yes, I suppose I can. I think your mother has taken things too far. I understood her justification for cutting off ties with him, but I never approved. I liked your grandfather; most people did. He was strong-willed and very self-assured, but he did know his job.”
“Why did Mother dislike him so much?” asked Cory.
“Because your grandfather didn’t think your parents should marry. He told them that they weren’t right for each other, and that the right people for each of them would come along if they waited. Your parents were young and thought they were in love, so they refused to listen to him and ran off to get married. When they came back, they were already expecting you, so your grandfather didn’t say anything more. The damage had already been done, however, and when your father left, your mother refused to see your grandfather or even hear his name mentioned. I’ve always thought it was because she didn’t want to admit that he had been right. You know, I might have something for you. Come inside while I look for it.”
“What is it?” Cory asked as they walked toward the porch.
“You’ll see in just a minute,” her uncle replied.
Cory made them each a cup of tea while her uncle rummaged through the desk in his bedroom. When he came out he was carrying an envelope made from papyrus. “Here, you can have this,” he said, handing the envelope to Cory. “You and your mother were staying with me when your grandfather sent it. Delphinium threw it in the trash without opening it, but I fished it out and kept it for you.”
Cory Feathering, it said on the outside of the envelope. Ripping it open, she pulled out a pretty card decorated with flowers and baby bunnies. Happy Vernal Equinox, it said inside, along with the signature, Lionel Feathering.
“That’s my grandfather’s name, Lionel Feathering?” said Cory. “I never even knew that much. Mother refused to tell me his name.”
After examining the card, she returned to the envelope. Along with her name and her uncle’s address, there was a return address. “Do you think he still lives there?” Cory asked her uncle.
“As far as I know he does,” said Micah. “It’s the only address I have for him.”
Cory glanced out the window at the sundial. She’d have to get ready to go to Sprats’ soon. “Then I guess I’ll find out tomorrow.”
Sprats’ was packed when Cory arrived, and people she didn’t know greeted her as she made her way to the stage in the back of the room. Olot and Chancy were there and Cory’s drums were already set up. Cheeble was there as well, and he gave her a quick wave and a grin before returning to his conversation with a cute, young brownie woman who was sitting by the side of the stage.
“He’s in a good mood,” Cory said when Olot came to see her.
“Our success is going to his head. He’s gotten a following already. I heard him telling Skippy that he might quit his day job soon.” The ogre gestured to the satyr, who had taken a seat in the audience to talk to a table full of beautiful nymphs. “Skippy said he might quit as well.”
“Are we making enough money that they could do that?”
“If things go the way they have been, we will be soon,” said Olot. “By the way, the pigs are buying the cave. They take possession next Thursday.”
“I’m not surprised. They seemed to love it.”
Olot laughed, a great booming sound that had people turning to glance at the stage. “Love it! I had a terrible time getting them out of the pool. I bet they’ll spend most of their time there once they move in. They were talking about adding mud to make it a mud bath.”
Olot had gone to talk to Chancy when Priscilla Hood approached Cory. “I know you’re busy,” said Priscilla, “but I just wanted to tell you that I went on that date with Jack Nimble. He’s very nice, but he isn’t right for me. He likes the outdoors like I do, but he isn’t at all interested in hunting. At dinner last night, he said he’d rather climb mountains to catch a glimpse of rare creatures than take a nice leisurely walk through the forest to shoot them. I ask you, what’s the point of looking for animals if you aren’t going to get a trophy? Anyway, do you have anyone else for me to meet now?”
“I’ll have to think about that,” said Cory. “I’m sure we’ll find the right person for you, but it may take some time.”
Priscilla returned to her seat with Marjorie, who smiled when Cory looked her way. Johnny Blue was seated by himself at a table not far from theirs; he waved when he saw Cory glance in that direction. She grinned and waved back, but her smile disappeared when she saw Daisy enter the restaurant with Tom Tom.
He had his arm around Daisy and they were talking with their heads together. When they reached the edge of the stage, he kissed her and left to find a seat, striding across the dance floor in front of Cory. She watched him for a moment, noticing the arrogant way he moved, his new-looking leather pants and shirt, and … Cory gasped when she saw Tom Tom’s scuffed boots. If the band hadn’t been about to start playing, she would have gone to talk to Daisy, but Olot was giving them the signal to warm up. The conversation would have to wait.
The audience talked and moved around while the band warmed up, but the moment Olot struck the first chord on his lute, everyone grew silent and all eyes turned to the stage. A new song, “Drifting Snow,” was the first piece they played. After that they turned to some of their favorites, including “Morning Mist.” Whistling and applauding, the audience showed how much they loved Zephyr’s music.
The band members basked in their praise, but the moment the break started, Cory headed straight to Daisy and practically dragged her to the back room, where the Sprats were offering cool fruit drinks and dried figs for snacks. Cory glanced at Tom Tom as she hustled Daisy between the tables and saw him scowl and get to his feet.
“You didn’t tell me you were dating Tom Tom!” Cory said as soon as they were in the room.
Daisy shrugged. “I didn’t know I needed to.”
Cory sighed, exasperated. “Listen, you’ve never asked me for advice about choosing a boyfriend, and I can respect that. I’ve never tried to tell you who to date either, although I have thought you’ve made some questionable choices. However, I have to say that I think you’re making a mistake with Tom Tom. He’s not a good person, Daisy. He kidnapped a pig once, he doesn’t help his own family, and he was very rude to me the day I met him.”
“Really?” said Daisy. “He’s always been nice to me. I didn’t even know you knew him. I met him when he came by to ask questions about you. I probably should have told you that, but I’ve been so busy and—”
“What’s going on?” Tom Tom asked, pushing past Skippy to get in the room.
“You’re not supposed to be in here!” Skippy told him.
“Stuff it, goat boy!” snarled Tom Tom. He turned to Cory even as he put his arm around Daisy.
“What have you been telling her?” he said. “You should learn to mind your own business. My relationship with Daisy has nothing to do with you.”
“Yes, it does,” said Cory. “A good person doesn’t stand by and let her friend get hurt. Daisy has been my friend for most of my life, and I’m not going to let her date a bully without knowing the truth. I think you were the one who kidnapped Noodles. I bet the guild you work for is the Tooth Fairy Guild!”
“Somebody kidnapped Noodles?” said Daisy, her gaze flicking from Cory to Tom Tom.
Cory nodded. “Yes, but he’s back now. And the day after he came back he threw up something he’d taken from his kidnapper. Look at Tom T
om’s boots, Daisy. Do you see how the left one is missing a buckle? I found one just like those when I cleaned up Noodle’s mess.”
“Don’t listen to her. She doesn’t know what she’s talking about,” Tom Tom told Daisy.
“I still have the buckle,” Cory told her friend. “The next time you come to my house, Daisy, I’ll show it to you.”
Olot came through the door then, his size making the room look small. When he saw Tom Tom scowling at Cory, he pointed at the door and said, “You have to leave. Only band members or restaurant employees are allowed in here.”
Tom Tom turned to Olot, a sharp retort on his lips. It died as his gaze traveled up and up to the ogre’s face. “I was having a pleasant conversation with my friends,” he finally said.
“I don’t think so,” Johnny Blue said from the open door. “I heard an angry voice in here, and I think it was yours.” He gave Tom Tom such a pointed look that the young man licked his lips and took his arm off Daisy’s shoulder.
“I was just leaving,” Tom Tom said, glancing from Olot to Johnny Blue.
No one spoke until he left the room, then Johnny turned to Cory and said, “What was that all about?”
“That was Tom Tom,” said Cory. “I think he’s the one who took Noodles.” Johnny’s eyes narrowed as she told him about the buckle that Noodles had brought home.
“Uh-huh,” said Johnny Blue. “Don’t worry about Tom Tom. I’ll keep an eye on him.”
When the band returned to the stage, the audience clapped and stomped their feet. Everyone in the band was grinning when they started to play. They played their new version of “Silver Moon” first, followed by “Owl Goes A-Hunting.” After that they played old favorites until they were too tired to play anymore. Cory wasn’t the only one to get blisters on her fingers that night.
She was covering up her drums when Tom Tom hopped onto the stage. Cory watched him sidle past her bandmates to join her in the back. “I’m sorry I was so rude earlier. I’d like to take you and Daisy out to eat to make up for it.”
“Actually, I’ve had a very long day and I’m tired,” said Cory. “I really just want to go home and get some sleep. Thanks for asking, though.”
“You can sleep later,” he replied, and was reaching for her arm when Johnny Blue stepped onto the stage.
“If she’s going out to eat, it will be with me,” Johnny Blue said.
He had approached so quietly that Cory hadn’t known he was there. Apparently, neither had Tom Tom. He scowled when he saw Johnny Blue, but he let go of Cory and stepped back.
“And I’ll see that she gets home safely,” said Johnny. He glared at Tom Tom, who looked defiant for a moment, then smirked and sauntered off to join Daisy.
Chapter 20
The first important thing Cory did the next morning was to send messages to Marjorie and Jack Nimble to set up a date for that very day. The second was to head to the address on the envelope that her grandfather had sent her years before. Cory had never visited the part of town where her grandfather lived. It was in an older, well-established neighborhood where big lawns led up to houses that could almost be called mansions. When Cory found the address on the post by the street, she fluttered in place, wondering if she’d ever been inside the house when she was a baby.
The stone house was three floors tall with a wide covered porch at its center. Tall trees dotted the property, shading the lush lawn that surrounded the nearly circular driveway. A flower garden filled the circle, and in the center of the garden, water splashed from one stone lily to another in a white marble fountain.
Cory returned to her human size after landing in the street in front of the house. She walked slowly up the cobblestone driveway, studying the flowers, the lawn, and the fountain. When she stepped onto the porch, she glanced back and noticed that the driveway wasn’t as circular as she’d thought, but instead was shaped like a heart with the rounded top of the heart by her feet and the pointed end touching the road. Now that she was close to the house, she could see that the heart motif seemed to be everywhere. Tall urns flanking the door were filled with bleeding hearts, their heart-shaped red blossoms trailing down the sides to partially cover the hearts etched into the ceramic. Hearts were carved into the wide front door and a heart made of mother-of-pearl that was no bigger than her thumbnail was mounted on the door frame. “Press me” was written on the center of the heart.
“Huh,” Cory murmured. “There’s no accounting for taste.”
She pressed the mother-of-pearl heart and heard bells chiming nearby. After waiting for what she thought was a reasonable amount of time, she was reaching for the heart again when the door opened and the scent of flowers wafted out of the house.
At first Cory thought the person standing with his hand on the door was a brownie or some other kind of sprite. He was about two feet tall and was wearing tan slacks, a light blue shirt, and yellow and blue shoes like she’d seen humans wear for running. At second glance, she saw that his bald head, unlined face, pudgy hands and arms made him look more like a six-month-old human baby. His expression, however, was not at all babylike. He was scowling at her, looking irritated and bored at the same time.
“Whatever you’re selling, we’re not buying any,” he said in a surprisingly deep voice, and started to shut the door.
Cory grabbed hold of the door to stop it from closing. “I’m not selling anything.”
“We don’t do questionnaires or petitions either,” he said, tugging on the door.
“I’m here to see Mr. Feathering,” said Cory. She shoved the door open wider and stepped into the large foyer, brushing past the baby-man who was spluttering and making faces at her. Her shoulder bumped a set of bells that were hanging just inside the door, making them sway and ring. They were the bells that had chimed when she’d pushed the button. Cory glanced from the bells to the little man. “You can tell him that Cory Feathering is here to see him.”
He shut one eye to peer at her with the other. “Stay right here,” he finally ordered, and closed the door with a bang. Turning his back on her, he disappeared into another room.
While Cory waited for him to return, she studied the foyer, noting the wide set of stairs that swept up one side to a landing on the second floor, and curved again until it reached the third floor. She thought the stairs would have been lovely if the banisters hadn’t been overdone with carvings of hearts and flowers. Set into the center of the marble floor of the foyer was a huge red garnet heart, and above the heart there was a round table supporting a vase filled with roses, lilies, carnations, baby’s breath, hydrangeas, and daisies. The flowers reminded Cory of a wedding bouquet. She had walked over to look at the flowers when she heard someone giggle. Glancing up, she saw two more babylike people peeking at her from the second-floor landing. They both wore plain blue dresses and had miniature mops in their hands. When they saw that Cory was looking at them, they moved out of sight.
A moment later, the little man was back. “Come along,” he said. “We don’t have all day.”
Cory followed her escort, walking slowly behind him as he toddled through the house. At times he seemed so unsure of his footing that she was tempted to scoop him up and carry him, but she was afraid he’d consider it insulting. When she wasn’t watching him, she looked around, curious about the house. The heart motif was everywhere—carved on the legs of tables and chairs, embroidered on cushions and in framed pictures on the walls. Some of the pictures included more babylike people, only these were dressed in diapers and had small feathered wings. There were vases of flowers everywhere.
They were in a hallway when Cory heard a sound behind her. She glanced back and saw faces watching her from the doorways she’d already passed. Every one of them looked like a human baby; some were more feminine than others. A few of the little people waved at her shyly.
A moment later, Cory’s escort opened a glass door leading outside to a stone terrace that ran the width of the house. An elderly man was seated at a table, re
ading The Fey Express with a half-filled mug in front of him. When the little man cleared his throat and said, “Here she is,” the elderly man put down the paper and turned to look at them.
“Thank you, Orville,” said the man, but his eyes were already on Cory’s face.
“She says she’s Cory Feathering,” said Orville.
“You already told me that.”
“Well, is she?”
The man studied Cory’s face a moment longer and nodded. “I do believe she is.”
Wearing a satisfied look, Orville turned and tottered back through the door.
“Please, sit down,” the man said, gesturing to a chair across from him. “Would you like some mulled cider?”
Cory took a deep breath. She could smell the tart scent of apple and spices of the man’s drink. “Yes, please.”
The old man picked up a small bell and rang it. In less than a minute a little woman who resembled a bald baby girl opened a door and stepped onto the porch, looking at him expectantly. “Another mulled cider and some breakfast, please, Margory. I’ve found I have an appetite after all.”
The little woman smiled as if he’d said something wonderful, and scurried back through the door.
There were so many things Cory wanted to ask him, but the first one that crossed her lips was, “If it isn’t rude, may I ask what kind of beings Margory and Orville are?” asked Cory.
“They are putti,” said the old man. “Putti are much like cherubs, but without wings. The putti you see here worked for me for many years. I’m semiretired now, but I kept them on however I could.”
They sat for a moment, inspecting each other in silence. Cory could see some resemblance between them. His eyes were the same shade of blue as hers. His mouth was the same shape as hers, with a thinner upper lip and a plump bottom lip concealing even, white teeth. His hair was white, but it was as thick as hers, curling across his forehead and down the back of his neck. Although Cory’d never thought much about her own appearance, she thought he was a very handsome man. “You are Lionel Feathering, aren’t you?” Cory said after a while. “I mean, no one has introduced us.”