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Jameson,” I retorted.
    His eyes turned playful when he responded. “And you’d have been right.”
    Completely unprepared for his comment, my subconscious kicked in again. “Good,” I stated before even realizing the word had passed my lips.
    I paused then, considering what had just transpired between us. Had we just acknowledged, to a complete stranger, that we were intrigued by each other? While that seemed odd, he appeared to take it in stride. This, I was learning, appeared to be his typical approach to everything.
    “ Mrs. De Ville, at the next store, isn’t as friendly as Olivia,” he made a nod toward the store we had just been in. “Don’t take it personally. She is the same way with everyone. Just giving you fair warning.”
    “ Thanks,” I said and began following him down the street.
    Without needing to openly discuss it, it seemed we’d just agreed to shop together. This was fine with me. Clearly, he had a better idea of where to go in this city than I did and as we walked he offered further insight, this time in regards to the school I’d be attending. “Mr. LaBarre is tough on grading. Ms. Boudreaux will attempt to intimidate you on the first day by pairing you with another student for an exploratory sparring lesson. You’ll learn quickly that she likes to test the boundaries of propriety. And be careful of Ms. Roquette. She’s just gotten off probation by The Sevens and is more wicked than usual. Can’t say I blame her. Being bound from speaking for six months has to be hard on anyone. Not that it wasn’t a relief for the rest of us.”
    “ How can someone be bound from speaking for six months?” I asked, a bit skeptical.
    He held back a smile while asking, “You’re completely new to this, aren’t you?”
    “ Yes,” I replied, unabashedly. Besides there was no hiding it.
    Jameson’s silence caught my attention and when I looked up I found him staring at me. He was reserved but fascinated.
    We had just turned right onto a street named Chartres. It was just as quiet as the previous one so his silence made me feel like I was standing in a spotlight.
    “ Where did you come from?” he asked almost tenderly.
    The softness of his tone made my heart skip a beat, something I’d never experienced before. Thrown a bit, I drew in a breath before answering. “Upstate New York.”
    “ I take it you weren’t going to this type of school there,” he said, motioning to the bag of mystical items I was carrying.
    Chuckling under my breath, I shook my head. “No. But I would love to have seen my professors faces if I carried these into class.” Then I thought about it and added under my breath, “And if I’d known about them, I would have.”
    He released a hearty laugh. “I take it you tested the boundaries of conduct there?”
    I smiled, unable to contain it. “Oh…I think the headmistress would consider that an understatement.”
    He nodded, convinced of something. “Then my assessment of you was right on.”
    His declaration made me ask, “Which was…?”
    He stopped in front of an unmarked gate, and one that I would have missed entirely if I’d been walking by myself. Beyond it was a courtyard covered in overgrown vines and tall, potted plants. But he paused there, choosing to answer me before entering.
    “ At the other store back there…before things started flying off the shelves…Olivia was warning you to take it easy with your supplies because they could be dangerous. But I already knew you could handle it.”
    “ Ah…” I replied, holding back a laugh because I was sure it would sound mocking.
    “ That’s what I was about to tell you when something hit me in the back.”
    I recalled that moment when he’d opened his mouth to speak but didn’t get the chance. I blinked, taken aback that he, being a stranger, had come to this conclusion about me.
    “ How could you possibly know that?”
    When he replied it was as if his explanation would bode no further questions, as