“What an adorable little girl,” said Hildegarde. “It’s hard to believe she’s related to you, Wizard.”

“Where did you get those big blue eyes, sweetheart?” asked Celia.

“I was born with them,” said Antonia very seriously, which made both the twins start laughing again.

“I’d better warn you, Wizard,” said Hildegarde with a grin for her sister, “that if you leave the girl with us too long Celia may make her into a nun, of much too pure a mind to want to associate with some magic-worker.”

“And who was it,” Celia shot back with an answering grin, “who was saying just today how much fun it would be to teach a little girl to use a sword?”

Antonia looked up at me again. “I haven’t seen any swords yet,” she said in anticipation. “Will I see a dragon too?”

“I’ll keep the girl with me though dinner,” I said and escaped.

As we walked back across the courtyard, Antonia asked thoughtfully, “Do you love other ladies besides my mother?”

“Of course not!” I replied, shocked.

“Those ladies are very pretty,” she said in explanation.

I had tried to tidy my chambers for her arrival, but she immediately clambered onto my desk and started leafing through papers, telling me she was looking for good magic spells. When I lifted her down and threw the papers into a drawer she crossed straight to my bookshelves and started to climb, working the toes of her small shoes in between the volumes.

“Here, I want to show you something interesting,” I said quickly, taking hold of her again and planting her in a chair. “And, Antonia, I don’t want you on my shelves.”