The Ladies of the Secret Circus by Constance Sayers (the little red hen ebook TXT) 📕

lovely town,” said Althacazur, dripping with sarcasm. “I see Bill is here.” He nodded toward Ben.

“Ben,” said Ben, correcting him from behind Lara.

“Whatever,” said the daemon, who was dressed like he was headed to a steampunk convention: military brown leather trench coat, top hat, and mirrored glasses. “You did a marvelous job battling Esmé. She’s back home where she belongs. I rather think she’s happy to be there, although she would never admit it, of course. She sends her regards, Bill. But now it’s time, my dear.”

Lara could feel the tears welling up. “I’m not ready. I need more time.”

Althacazur ignored her, tilting his body to get a good look at Audrey.

Confused, Lara looked around, continuing, “I did what you asked. I just need more time. Surely, I’ve earned it.”

And yet Althacazur wasn’t looking at Lara. A thin smile formed on his lips, patronizingly. “You made that perfectly clear.” He put his hands together like the Grim Reaper, waiting patiently.

But it was Audrey who turned to her daughter, wiping tears from her cheeks with dirt-covered hands. “In Paris, when I got there. You were dying. You didn’t have much time left.”

Lara recalled seeing her mother in those dark hours, but then she’d seen Todd too. She knew now that she’d teetered on the edge of death, but she’d come back. Lara looked from her mother to Cecile, confused.

“Despite Father’s efforts, you weren’t strong enough to absorb me on your own,” said Cecile gravely. “I’m so sorry, Lara. Had your mother not intervened, added her magic, you would have died.”

“Intervened?” Lara shot a look at Audrey. “What do you mean?”

“I made a deal with him,” said Audrey, a sad smile forming on her lips. She took the shovel and tossed it back toward the graves and shook the dirt from her pants like she needed to be tidy and presentable for what happened next.

Althacazur stood emotionless, letting the scene play out in front of him.

“No no no.” A primal scream erupted from deep inside Lara, followed by a gutteral moan. She clutched Audrey. “Please, no.”

“It was a necessary sacrifice,” said Audrey, placing her hands on Lara to steady her. “I agreed to go with them after we defeated Esmé. It was a fair deal, Lara. Anything to save you.”

“Oh, Mother, no.” Lara doubled over and Ben scrambled to get to her, but she fell on her knees in the field. “No. No.” She looked up at Althacazur. “Take me instead. I’ll go now. Please.”

“Oh that I could, you delightful girl.” He leaned on his walking stick and looked down over his sunglasses. “Cecile’s right, so sure was I that you were dying, I cut a different deal. I think you’d call it ‘an insurance policy.’ I’d thought you and Cecile would be strong enough together, but alas I needed more magic. On the bright side, it got you out of your deal, so it looks like we both got what we wanted.”

Cecile shot him a look to be quiet.

Lara had bent over like she was choking. “No. Oh please no.” Lara thought this was what it felt like to be gutted. She felt betrayed by Althacazur, tricked. But what had she expected?

“Ben,” said Audrey, looking up at him. “I need you to promise that you’ll be there for her.”

He nodded.

Audrey crouched down next to Lara, who was now on her knees near the edge of the field. She leaned to the side now, like she was unable to hold her body upright. “You and Jason can take care of everything together, Lara. All I ever wanted for you was a normal life. This was the cost, but I’m at peace with this decision.”

“But I’m not,” said Lara. “It’s all his fault.” She glared at Althacazur with fury.

“No,” said Audrey. “He gave me a choice. I knew the rules.”

Cecile stepped forward. “I’m so sorry, but Esmé and I shouldn’t have been born, Lara. It was luck that we are even here. Every day of happiness that we have was more than we were designed for.” Cecile put out her hand for Lara and pulled her up. The woman studied her face. “You know how much we’ve all suffered. The sadness, the magic, the circus—well, those things are our destiny. I’m sorry that is the legacy I have given you.” Cecile brushed Lara’s hair away from her face.

Lara turned to Audrey. “I’ll go instead. It was me who was dying. You didn’t want anything to do with this magic.”

“Lara,” said Audrey, more firmly now. “I cannot imagine a better fate for myself than living out my eternity riding horses in a circus—and waiting for you to join me someday.”

Lara held on to her mother, both women sobbing. Finally, Cecile separated them softly. Ben lifted a shaking Lara and began walking with her up the hill. She fought him the entire way. As if they knew, Oddjob and Moneypenny both began to moan from the barn—a low, mournful sound that continued until the morning.

Before she disappeared into the night, Cecile turned back. “We will see you again, my dear. We are your destiny.”

Audrey walked arm in arm with Cecile, never looking back, as if to do so would break her forever.

EPILOGUE

Kerrigan Falls, Virginia

October 10, 2006

After the bones were removed from his garden, after Lara’s mother had gone, Ben built a stone patio, then put his house up for sale. One of the “great homes of Kerrigan Falls,” declared the listing. It had an offer within a day. Marla had been living in the house since 1938, first as her grandmother Victoria, and then as her mother, Vivian. Long trips, lengthy illnesses—no one had ever questioned any oddities as Marla morphed from mother to daughter, and no one questioned them now. Lara had helped with that. While she wasn’t the talented illusionist that Esmé had been, she’d made a correction so that “Marla” showed up to sign the mortgage paperwork. In fact, there had continued to be sightings of “Marla” now and