And before I could hand her the boxes back and suggest she policed her own child’s party food, she marched off towards the bar. I smiled down at Sèvres and she gazed back at me wanly.
‘Come on, sweetheart, let’s go and join the fun, shall we?’
I took her limp little hand in mine and led her off, without much hope of her suddenly discovering her inner party animal. As we went back into the living room, I spotted two children on the cusp of a big punch up behind the sofa, dropped Sèvres’ hand, chucked the boxes on a handy sideboard and dived in. When I emerged, I made a beeline for Miss Magick, who was leading a group of children in a wafty dance with silk scarves which, to her credit, they seemed to love, and asked her to get the show going. Lavinia and I rounded everyone up and soon there was blessed peace as – magically indeed – twenty-five children sat transfixed as Miss Magick ran through a remarkably good repertoire of tricks, keeping up a patter in her hypnotic monotone. I could easily have sunk into a chair to watch the whole thing, but it was time to put out the food. Xander was still busy in the other room, Lavinia was sitting with Toby, and Bunny was nowhere to be seen, so I started transporting platters of sandwiches and cucumber sticks from the kitchen by myself, while Pilar filled jugs with juice and water.
‘Oh dear, ohdear,’ I muttered to myself on my third trip, worried that I was never going to get it all ready in time, when I heard a calm voice behind me.
‘Can I help?’
Lando. I would have been pleased to see him, anyway, but I would have hugged him if it hadn’t been for the somewhat precarious sausage rolls I was now transporting.
‘Oh hello, yesplease. You could get the drinks from Pilar, thank you.’
With his help, the table was groaning with food in no time, and I was standing ready at the back of the room as Miss Magick said, ‘Let us finish with the magickal words we have learnt:scyld ðu ðe nu þu ðysne nið genesan mote.’
The children seemed to me to do a good job of repeating what she said, and she waved a sort of smoking bundle of herbs around as I brought some pedestrianism back to the room, clapping my hands and announcing, ‘Okay, everyone, tea is ready!’
Maybe she had cast some sort of spell, because they all stood up calmly and trickled out towards the dining room to take their seats. As Lavinia had now taken over, I hung back to speak to Miss Magick.
‘That was amazing, they all loved it.’
‘Thank you, thank you. I like to work with small people and with our animal companions, I find them receptive and joyful. Would you like me to read your cards?’
I hesitated. I don’t believe in fortune telling and crystal energy and so on, but there was something so soothing and yet beguiling about this woman, and I was so confused about what I wanted from life, that I couldn’t help myself, and I agreed. She led me over to her table, clear now except for some crystals and a deck of tarot cards, and I sat down.
‘Choose a crystal, whatever you’re drawn to,’ she said, and I took in the selection. As far as I was concerned it was nothing more than a collection of pretty stones, but I tried to get into the spirit and pick carefully. There was one I particularly liked, which was a sort of glowing, milky white, and I picked it up and handed it to Miss Magick.
‘Ah, an interesting choice, the moonstone. You are considering new beginnings and looking to be calmed yet inspired.’
I gawked at her, and she smiled serenely, then reached for her tarot cards and spread them out on the table in a practised move.
‘Please pick three,’ she said, and I did so, handing them to her. She turned them face up on the cloth and studied them silently. I regarded them intently, too, but could glean nothing from them but their names: Knight of Wands, King of Swords and The Fool. They didn’t look very auspicious to me. She continued.
‘All right, so it appears to me that in your past there was a man who was cruel, manipulative, perhaps a selfish lover? There’s also a sense of wastefulness there. Does that resonate?’ I nodded, intrigued now. ‘But here we have the present – I see adventure, perhaps more free-spiritedness?’ Again, I nodded. How did she know? She tapped the third card. ‘This is interesting, The Fool. He is upright, meaning new beginnings and an encouragement to be brave. He urges you to take risks, to keep trying with childlike wonder at the world, and then you will find the love you crave, even if that seems most unlikely.’
She looked up at me, and I stared at her. For a moment we didn’t speak, then she said, ‘Can you take something from that?’
I nodded, still dumbstruck, and she smiled that gentle smile again.
‘Here, keep the moonstone. Let it soothe and remind you. Take heart.’
I managed to stutter out my thanks as I took the smooth stone from her and went to face the rising noise level in the dining room. The table had been decimated, but all the children were happy enough. It was only when I noticed Sèvres, hunched greedily over a plate of thoroughly unsuitable food, that I remembered the glass boxes, tossed aside an hour ago and then completely forgotten. My hand flew to my mouth in horror.
‘Are you all right?’
‘Oh, Lando, oh God, I’ve made an awful mistake.’
‘What’s happened?’
‘I was meant to give Sèvres – that child over there – a special meal her mother had prepared, and I completely forgot. Now she’s eaten God only knows what, and I’m going to be in awful trouble. What happens if she’s ill?’
Lando took my shoulders and turned me to face him.
‘Penny. You are doing an amazing job today. I know poor Sèvres’ mother of old, and she’s a piece of work. Her daughter doesn’t need a special diet at all, she just suffers for her mother’s fashion whims. Look at her, she’s absolutely fine.’ To be fair, the child did look perfectly happy, hoovering up iced gems. ‘And anyway, her mother’s here, isn’t she? She should be in charge of her child, not outsourcing it to you.’
I nodded and relaxed a fraction. I did feel responsible, but knew he was right.
‘Have you had anything to eat yourself?’ he asked.
