Magic in the Stars Read Online Free PDF Page B

youngest
daughters.” Well, yes, she hesitated at sending a damp blanket to a schoolroom,
but that was beside the point. “I believe by the time they’re of an age to come
out in society, no one will mistake you for anything less than their aunt.”
    “I would rather stay with you, my lady,” Jennet said
stiffly.
    Aster fought a forlorn smile and tried to be positive. “I
understand the comfort of familiarity. I, too, would prefer to keep you. But we
all know the rules we must abide by. I cannot become too attached to anyone.
The danger in my chart is very clear.”
    “Yes, my lady,” Jennet said with just a hint of defiance.
“But I would rather face danger with you than leave you.”
    At this example of her servant’s steadfast loyalty, Aster
wiped away another tear. She would become a watering pot if she did not toughen
up. “Mary said the same, and I dared to let her linger. You know what happened.
I cannot bear to let anyone else suffer her fate. Please don’t ask it of me.”
    Jennet bobbed a curtsy. “Of course, my lady. Although I’m
not young and foolish enough to let my skirts near a fire.”
    “I know you’re not. That’s why I chose you. That doesn’t
mean a carriage won’t run over you or the plague won’t strike you.” Which made
her worry about any orphans she might take in since she attached to children
quickly, but Aster could only confront one obstacle at a time.
    “I’ve already grown too devoted to your company,” she
continued, “so it’s safest if you depart swiftly. The timing is propitious.
With everyone mourning the king’s death, there will be no activities these next
months. All society will depart from town, and I’ll not have an immediate need
for a companion. Lady Hamilton is a generous, kind employer. I would never send
you otherwise.”
    “Of course, my lady,” Jennet said properly. “But I am still
willing to take the risk of staying with you.”
    Aster’s soft heart lurched at this loyalty—a certain sign
that she was doing the right thing. “Let’s just think of it this way—there are
thousands of other good women in desperate need of help to achieve their goals.
My aunt has already found another likely prospect for training. Would you deny
someone else the chance you were given?”
    Jennet’s eyes widened at this perspective. “No, my lady,
certainly not. You have saved my life. I just hope your next student is as
grateful as I am. And should you ever have need of me . . .”
    Aster smiled gratefully. “I appreciate that, thank you. I
believe in spreading one’s good fortune. So, should you ever have the
opportunity, remember that sometimes all it takes is a helping hand to change a
life.”
    With that larger goal to occupy her mind, Jennet dropped a
deeper curtsy and hurried off to pack.
    Aster sighed and jotted off a note to her Aunt Daphne,
accepting the responsibility of training a new ladies’ maid. Often the women
her family rescued from workhouses weren’t suitable as companions. But she
could always use a maid.
    And then, reluctantly, she wrote Aunt Gwenna, saying she
would take the children in a month, to help in training a governess. She simply
could not see how she could employ small children in any occupation that
wouldn’t be dangerous.
    She supplemented the small stipend her family provided for
her support with astrology readings. She could stretch her income to feed a few
children. Perhaps she could let out a few of the upper rooms . . .
if she did not become attached to the tenants.
    Shiva, her black feline, leaped into her lap, prodding Aster’s
hand for a rub. “I’m glad my chart allows cat friends,” she murmured,
scratching behind a kitty ear. “It would be dreadfully lonely otherwise.”
    Shiva purred agreement. Tabby raised his striped head from
the hearth to see what he was missing, but he was old and lazy. Once he’d
ascertained no treats would be forthcoming, he settled back into the
jewel-toned Turkish rug he