The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman Page A

sent to two different boarding schools, and that when you went to Paris you turned your back on who you were.”
    Susanna’s fierce distaste for this annoying girl was evident.“My dear, you are young,” she said coolly. “Therefore I’ll excuse your rude manner. You may stay through breakfast.”
    The sisters made up the spare room for their cousin. It was a cramped, chilly space with a single bed. Years ago, another family’s cook had resided here, and had cried herself to sleep every night. It was still possible to see tearstains on the floor.
    â€œWhere’s Henry?” Jet asked.
    â€œMy parents killed him, of course. They said he got into the rat poison, but I’ll never believe that.”
    April lay down on the bed, weary, one arm flung over her eyes. As it turned out, she was not immune from rejection.
    â€œYour mother hates me,” she said.
    â€œOur mother is too well bred to hate,” Franny said. “She disapproves.”
    The crow found his way to the room and let out a shrill caw.
    April opened her eyes. “You have a familiar,” she said to Franny. “And your parents haven’t killed him yet?”
    â€œHe’s not a familiar,” Franny said. “He’s a foundling.”
    â€œFine,” April said. “Tell yourself that.” She gazed down the hallway, then turned to Jet. “Where’s your brother? Out raising hell?”
    â€œGuitar lessons,” Jet said. “He’s quite serious about it.”
    â€œI suppose he has time for hell later on.” In an attempt to rally, April sat up and gazed in the mirror. She unbraided her pale hair and dabbed on some lipstick. The sisters exchanged a look, for unless they were mistaken, their cousin’s eyes were brimming with tears.
    â€œApril, I’m sorry,” Jet said.
    â€œWhy on earth should you be sorry?” Franny asked her sister. “She’s the one who arrived here without an invitation.”
    Instead of the smart talk they were used to from April, their cousin cried for a moment, then pulled herself together.
    â€œDo you need some water?” Franny said, touched by the sight of her adversary in tears.
    April shook her head. “Did your mother warn you not to fall in love?” she asked the sisters. “Did she say it would ruin you? Because it’s common knowledge that she ran off to Paris with some Frenchman she was mad for, but he had some sort of accident, and that was that was that. She can be cautious now if that’s what she wants, but as far as I can tell, love is like a train that will keep going at full speed whether you like it or not, so you may as well enjoy the ride. If you try to avoid it, you’ll just make everything worse. What’s meant to happen will.” She looked at Jet more closely. “Congratulations. I can see it’s already happened. I hope he’s worthy. Who is he?”
    â€œLevi Willard,” Jet said.
    April looked stricken. “That’s a bad idea.”
    Franny was quick to defend her sister. “I don’t see how this is your business.”
    â€œWell it is and it’s your business, too. The Willards despise our family. There’s some sort of feud. It’s been going on for hundreds of years. It has something to do with the curse.”
    The sisters looked at her blankly.
    â€œDon’t you get it?” April said. “He’s part of the secret.”
    â€œI doubt that,” Franny said.
    â€œYou can doubt all you want.” She turned to Jet. “Have you met the Reverend?”
    â€œNot yet,” Jet admitted.
    â€œYou probably never will. He’ll refuse to be in the same room. He’s not too well bred to hate us. I wandered into his gardenduring my first visit to Aunt Isabelle’s and he came out and poured salt on the ground, as if I had contaminated the place. Our aunt went over there, and I received a letter of