When is a curse not a curse? How does a house become a prison? Why is a reformed murderer the only hope for a far-too-easily injured boy? Athelas has always been opposed to having a small, possibly-cursed Australian boy in the kitchen. When that small boy disappears, however, and Athelas's housekeeper Camellia strongly encourages him to do something about it, he finds himself wavering. YeoWoo wants nothing to do with the disappearing Harrow, cursed or otherwise. Caught up with her own investigation and preparations for revenge, she would prefer her housemates to remain unseen and unheard. Entirely absent is even better. But Athelas and YeoWoo have something in common: they both tread warily when it comes to their housekeeper, who runs the house with a tea-scented, magic-laced rod of iron. Camellia holds the key to Athelas's pretensions of reformation being accepted—and blames him for Harrow's disappearance. And she is determined to save Harrow, no matter what it takes. Life as a reformed murderer would be so much easier if the process didn't include so much … reformation.