Bewitching Season by Marissa Doyle

like an exotic and
    peculiar species of bird, arranged the books Mr. Allardyce had finished pricing. A shiny bell hanging
    from the door announced them.
    Mr. Allardyce looked up at their entrance and stared for a brief second. Then he rose with a
    beaming smile, which, however, seemed to Persy to fade as he surveyed them.
    “My goodness! Can it really be? Is it the Misses Leland? Though last I saw they were still just
    pretty little girls in short dresses. Oh, Lady Atherston, your pardon. These handsome young ladies
    rather flustered me.” He came around the corner and bowed to them.
    “How good to see you again, Mr. Allardyce,” said Mama with a gracious nod. Her new visiting
    bonnet tottered alarmingly. “We were in the neighborhood, and the girls wished to stop by.” She
    introduced Lochinvar and Charles, smiled when Mr. Allardyce presented the girl with the duster as
    his youngest daughter, Lorelei, then turned back to Pen and Persy.
    “Don’t spend all your pocket money, Persy. Pray send my regards to Miss Allardyce, if you will. I
    hope we can count on her rapid return to us,” she said with another nod to Mr. Allardyce before
    sweeping out again.
    Mr. Allardyce frowned after her, the shop bell still tingling in her wake. “Her rapid what?” he
    said, more to himself than to them.
    Pen stared significantly at Persy. Deflated, she nodded back.
    “Excuse us, Mr. Allardyce,” she began politely.
    “Eh? I beg your pardon, but I’m not sure I understand what her ladyship said. It is an honor to have
    you visit, but, ah … isn’t my daughter with you? She stopped in a week or so ago and promised to
    come back in a few days and bring you along for a visit. We haven’t heard from her since then, but we
    assumed she was occupied with her duties. Is she ill?” He looked worried. The petite girl, openly
    listening, came to stand by her father.

“I think we need to discuss something with you, sir,” said Persy.
    Mr. Allardyce looked at their sober expressions and said a few quiet words to Lorelei. She nodded
    and moved into the back of the shop, reemerging with a straight chair. Lochinvar sprang forward to
    take it from her, then at her behest carried out two more.
    Mr. Allardyce put up the CLOSED sign in the window, then took a long pole and rapped smartly on
    the ceiling. A brief rap answered him, and a moment later, footsteps descending stairs could be heard.
    A brisk, handsome woman with Ally’s straight posture, luxuriant dark hair, and long nose came from
    the back of the shop, stopped in the doorway, and stared before breaking into a wide smile.
    “Miss Persephone! Miss Penelope! How wonderful!” She looked beyond them, and her smile
    faded. “But where is … ?”
    “We’d hoped you could tell us,” Persy said gently. “We expected to find Miss Allardyce here,
    because we haven’t seen her since we came to town.”
    Lochinvar discreetly moved to browse on the other side of the shop while Pen and Persy told their
    story to the shocked Allardyces. When Persy told of their dreams, Mrs. Allardyce turned very pale,
    and Lorelei red. Mr. Allardyce remained silent, only opening his mouth to ask to examine Ally’s note.
    He too held it between his hands for a moment, then pressed his lips together.
    “She’s either run away or been kidnapped, and running away doesn’t seem to answer what we
    know. Why else the horrible feelings in the note and the dreams?” Pen said in conclusion.
    Mr. Allardyce frowned. “But who? And why kidnap an ordinary governess?”
    “But she isn’t ordinary, is she?” said Charles into the silence. Across the room Persy saw
    Lochinvar look up at them from the book he’d been examining.
    Mr. Allardyce looked uneasily at Charles, then at the girls.
    “It’s all right,” Persy reassured him. “Charles knows. He sits in on our lessons when he’s at home.
    All our lessons. Ally—er, Miss Allardyce always permits him.”
    “‘Ally’?” Lorelei giggled.
    “But who