Grown Enchantress (Book #2, Young Witch Series)

Chapter 2

Jessamine led Madeleine down to her favourite garden, the rose garden, currently in full bloom, filled with every colour rose you could imagine, all laid out in neat rows, and tucked away corners. Jessamine loved this garden because it was all her, neat and orderly in the obvious spots, but running wild in the corners, where no one really saw. She was the only gardener in this garden, with very few of the staff allowed to do any work in here, but they were more than welcome to take a stroll through it.

When they got to Jessamine's favourite corner, covered in yellow roses, with a few pale pinks and white hovering around the edges, she led Madeline to the seat she tucked away there, and kept free of the flowers. It was painted to imitate them, which brought cheer to Jessamine in winter, her roses that never slept.

"What's wrong?" Jessamine asked Madeline, ushering her to sit, "You seem upset."

"I've never been sent from home before." Madeline said, "If I've travelled, it was always with my parents."

"That's no excuse for snapping at people." Jessamine said softly, "We're trying to help you settle in. There was no need to try to unravel my dress."

"I'm sorry." Madeline said, hanging her head, "I wasn't thinking."

"Do you get away with that at home?"

"Yes. Then my parents caught me, and I was forbidden from working magic until they asked you if you would teach me. Why do you have to teach me? There are many Enchantresses in the kingdom, and they chose the youngest of them."

"Well, I am one of the more qualified to teach you what your mother wants you to know." Jessamine said dryly, "They want you to learn household magic. Which I specialise in. No other Enchantress or Enchanter does."

"Why do they want me to learn the work of Shamans?" Madeline said scornfully, "They could have asked a shaman to come and teach me!"

"They could have, but they would prefer you to learn this from me. I have the power to stop any of the tricks you might choose to play." Jessamine said sternly. "Now, I do have some rules for you." Madeline's head jerked up at that, her eyes flashing in anger.

"Rules?" She exploded, furious, "You can't give me any rules to follow! I am a princess!"

"But I can. I have a letter from your parents, that if you try to keep going down this path of wrongful magic use, you will be disinherited, and your younger sister will take the throne." Jessamine said calmly. "They want you to succeed in the world, and this type of magic will be best suited to the everyday world for you. Training in war magic is a long and difficult journey, and hardly the sort of thing a Queen is expected to do. Household spells, to help make sure your castle is kept clean and orderly, cooking, to make sure your guests are well fed, and you can do a lot with cooking." Jessamine said with a wicked smile, "That's partly how I charmed my way to full proper training to become an Enchantress." Madeline looked up at that, "But there are other ways, like potions, I make and use a great many of them."

"You make poisons?" Madeline asked, shocked.

"No, potions." Jessamine corrected, "I use them to do things like help the crops grow, which produces better profits for my farmers, and in turn, greater profits for me. I help to clean bad water sources, and ease births, I can cure disease, in both human and animals. I can also do silly things, like make a potion that will turn your hair or eyes a different colour, or make your hair shorter or longer. I sell them for profit. The small ones to my own local workers provide the base cost to make more. But I will show you in a few years how that will all work." Jessamine looked fully at the princess, "Are you going to come inside now?"

"Yes." Madeline said, standing and shaking her skirts out. "What are the rules. I want to make potions!"

"It takes years to build up the skill to make a potion." Jessamine said, standing more gracefully than the princess. "You have to learn the basics first."

"But I want to make potions right now!" Madeline stamped her foot.

"I said no." Jessamine said calmly, not at all worried about the girl. She knew she would have a hard time settling in, and wondered how she would take to the lesson she would learn in the morning, about working like a servant for the next few years. "Now, the rules; No harassing the servants. You may be a princess, but I am their mistress, and I said you are to get no special treatment." Jessamine looked Madeline in the eye for that one, making sure the message had sunk home. "That includes getting them to help with your chores. You need to do them; my servants have other things to do."

"But that's not fair!"

"Isn't it?" Jessamine asked, starting to walk around the garden, Madeline running to catch up. "Your parents sent you here to learn, and learn is what you'll do. You will be expected to keep your room nice and clean; no servant is going to do that for you. You will make your bed, and your own fire. Your water will be brought up for you, and your fire lit in the mornings, but you keep the fire going. You will put away your clothes, and select what you will wear for the day. If you choose wrong, you will have to go and change. If you choose wrong, no servant will help you to get dressed again, including your own."

"But how will I dress if no one is to help me?"

"You will learn. Women do it all the time. I need your measurements, so I can make fresh dresses for you. What you have will be fine for your morning lessons, but you will need work clothes for your times with me."

"I have to work?" Madeline asked, appalled.

"Yes. You're not just here to laze. You have you tutors in the morning, and me for magic use in the afternoons." They had reached the front door, and Jessamine turned to Madeline. "I suggest you go and get ready for dinner. After dinner, we will sit a while, and tomorrow, we will begin." Thomas came out of the shadows at the front door, holding it open wide for the both of them, to reveal Claire waiting for her mistress inside.

Once the two younger girls were gone, Thomas turned to his wife. "Is she okay?"

Jessamine looked up at him. "She will be fine, in a few weeks, when the shock of what she is going to be asked to do tomorrow will have worn off. I have no idea what I'm going to do with her maid though." She sighed, "I think it would be better if I got a maid for a while, just to train the girl up properly. Maybe one who can dress royalty would be best. I wonder who would be able to get one?" She mused, thinking aloud.

Thomas was used to her doing this, it was how they had managed to get on so well together in their past. She thought aloud, and he left her to it, letting her work it out instead of providing all the clues and answers.

"How about the housekeeper?" He asked her, "She usually does the hiring, and from what I've seen over my years, housekeepers know everything."

"What a wonderful idea, I'll go and see her now. I'll be up to change in a minute." She stood on her tip toes, and kissed him on the cheek, before skipping off to find the housekeeper. No matter how old she was, she still went to find the servants, without having them come to her if she could help it.

Thomas shook his head and went up to his room to get changed for dinner, hoping that Jessamine would never change.