Chapter ONE - Weebly

to their mother as if they were old friends. He bought
them sweets over Elli’s objections—thinking back on
the day, he took no pride in this, but he had been alone
in the city for too long and was desperate to insinuate
himself into Elli’s life. Before the day was over, he had
wheedled an invitation to dinner—another memory that
made him wince.
But by the time their meal together had ended, it
was clear to both Ethan and Elli that the children adored
him. What was more, Ethan was taken with them as
well. He had always dreamed of having a boy, of raising
a son the way he wished his father had raised him. And
Clara, Holin’s younger sister, was as beautiful, clever,
and serious as her mother. How could Ethan not see in
her the daughter he and Elli might have had together?
He and Elli struck a bargain. She would let him into
their lives, allow him to be a friend to the children, but
under two conditions. First, he was never to reveal to
either child that he was a conjurer. And second, he was
to forswear forever his love for her.
The first was a trifle; the second was almost more
than he could bear. In the end, though, he decided that