The Marvelous Magic of Miss Mabel by Natasha Lowe Page B

chest was so constricting she could hardly breathe.
    â€œWhy did you do it, Mabel?” Miss Brewer asked softly. “What was the point of all that?”
    â€œTo make the liver taste nice,” Mabel said, meeting Miss Brewer’s gaze.
    â€œThen why not just put it on your own meal? Why get the whole school involved?”
    â€œBecause everyone hates liver. And I thought the girls would like it.”
    Miss Brewer reached out a hand to stroke Oscar. “You don’t have to buy the girls’ friendship with clever tricks, Mabel. You have enough to offer on your own.”

    Mabel spent the rest of the afternoon polishing all Miss Brewer’s crystal balls. Oscar jumped into her lap for company, and his soft, warm presence had a calming effect. It was only when the bell rang at the end of classes that Mabel’s anxiety returned. Miss Brewer handed her a letter to give to Nora, and as Mabel got up to leave, she said, “Remember what I told you earlier, Mabel. Look on it as a day of reflection.”
    â€œSuspended!” Ruby and Tabitha gasped, crowding around Mabel in the hallway.
    â€œSuspended,” Emily Bisset repeated, overhearing as she walked by. “Mabel Ratcliff’s been suspended!”
    â€œOh, poor Mabel.”
    â€œThat’s terrible.”
    Word spread like dragon fire, and Mabel had never felt so embarrassed as she shuffled over to join her chaperone group.
    â€œI’m surprised they didn’t expel her,” Winifred said loudly. “It won’t be long before Mabel gets thrown out.”
    â€œTake no notice,” Tabitha said, standing protectively in line behind Mabel. Ruby gave her a quick hug before darting off to join her own chaperone group. Even Violet Featherstone gave Mabel a sympathetic look. The walk home was quiet. Violet flew slowly at the head of the line, and no one spoke.
    When Mabel was dropped off, she ran straight to the greenhouse and handed the letter to her mother, wanting to avoid Nanny Grimshaw. Mabel stood in silence while Nora read. She could feel blood pulsing in her ears, and the smell of roses was overpowering. “Are you furious?” Mabel whispered at last.
    â€œI’m disappointed that you’ve been suspended,” Nora said. “But I’m not cross that you like to experiment, Mabel. Just not with magic, not at school.” Nora sighed and tucked a strand of Mabel’s hair that had escaped from one of her braids back behind her ear. “You have to follow the rules. Help me in the greenhouse if you want to experiment. We can work together.”
    â€œBut I’m a witch, Mama. I want to experiment with magic,” Mabel said, and to her horror she started to cry. “I’mnot being bad. I just like to invent things.” Her glasses fogged up, and she took them off, wiping them clean on her skirt. “None of the other girls feels like this. They don’t care about experimenting. That’s why they don’t get into trouble.” Mabel kicked at a piece of broken flowerpot. “I wish I was like everyone else, then I wouldn’t care either.”
    â€œNo, you don’t.” Nora gave a wistful smile. “But it’s not easy being different. I should know.” Mabel hadn’t thought of her mother as different before. She was just her mama, but now that Nora mentioned it, Mabel could see she wasn’t like other people’s mothers, sitting in the house all day embroidering and entertaining friends. “I must say I think chocolate-flavored liver is rather ingenious,” Nora said, kissing the tip of Mabel’s nose.
    â€œNanny wouldn’t approve,” Mabel sighed. “She won’t let me have supper, breakfast, or lunch when she hears.”
    â€œThis doesn’t concern Nanny,” Nora said rather briskly. “It concerns you, me, and Miss Brewer. I will tell Nanny you are not going to school tomorrow, and that will be the end