“I’m sorry. I really didn’t want it to affect you, but I have brought it to your doorstep. I’m sorry, to both of you.” I sob deeper.
“No, no, dear. No sorry needed. You cannot handle all this by yourself. Family, my darling, we’re family and this is what family does.” She smiles that sweet comforting smile. “We’re going to figure this out. We have until this Wonderland Ball you were speaking about, right? When is that?”
“End of November.” I sigh, defeated.
“A few weeks then? OK. Until then do not let this eat you up. Maybe spend some more time with Sam and your new friends? Take your mind off this. Me and Aradia will do some research.”
I try to protest. “I can’t let you take all of this on yourshoulders.”
Granny calms me down. “Of course you can. I have lived through worse! But you can tell us if any of your dreams point towards any clues, OK?”
“OK. Thank you both for this. I’ve never felt so safe.” I wipe my hand with my sleeve and look at my granny, the softness oozing out of her. The image of home.
“I think we’re all safe with Aradia and her golf club running about the village.” She chuckles and dunks a biscuit in the rest of her tea before lifting the cup to a snoozy Nettle who is curled on the back of the sofa. He lifts his head sleepily and laps up the rest of the tea in the cup. He purrs thankfully and slips back into his slumber.
“Hot shower and bed.” She hits her legs and stands up. “Come here, both.” She pulls Aradia to her feet; Granny has a lot of hidden strength. They then both pull me to my feet, and we hold hands in a circle.
“We have spent centuries hiding. Well, no more. We’ve got each other, my beautiful girls. One more blip to get over and we will.” Granny squeezes us both into her.
The warmth of my family. My family. I can’t believe how wonderful that feels to say. The upcoming issue of Greg and his family melts away. A small part of me starts to believe that Granny is right. We can do this.
Sixteen
Halloween. Very fitting for a cottage full of witches. However, it’s far from the scary stories you tell children to keep them from being naughty. I loved Halloween as a child, but my mother would never let me partake in traditions, calling it complete nonsense. Which I guess I can understand now. But today I am about to have my childhood wish. Sam and I are planning to take Lola trick or treating then finish with the rest of the village at Gloria’s Halloween party she hosts in the cafe.
Obviously, as per Lola’s instructions, I must dress as a witch. This makes Granny and Aradia giggle with the irony of it all. Aradia dresses as Cleopatra and Granny as… Granny.
It has been a week since Greg turned up at the cottage and he has not been in contact since. Aradia has been trying to find any links to Greg and witch hunters that are known in the witch community in London. To my surprise there are a fair number of witches living in the city, settling for a metropolitan lifestyle rather than the laid-back country.
My dreams have been hazy as well. The same one over and over of me in the apartment married to Greg. I wake up with cold sweats and feeling sick. From what I have read from my own research of dream telling that, until something alters the future,dreams can stay the same. So, unless Aradia finds something out soon, it looks like I will be marrying Greg.
But that isn’t a problem I want to worry about today. All week Sam has taken me to and from work. We have spent the evenings in Gloria’s cafe with Lola and other customers coming in for their late-night treats. We talk more and more about our likes and dislikes. I feel like I know him inside out by now, even in such a short amount of time. He is just the perfect man. Sweet, gentle, funny and kind, but the wicked side hides behind his eyes.
I see it in the moments we say goodbye at the door. The tension between us builds each time but always interrupted by Granny or Aradia. I am trying my best not to fall for him, for my sake and for his. But he makes it near impossible.
Jim pops into the shop to see how I am doing. He brings Fi with him who is wrapped up in her fur coat and looking good for someone who is quite poorly. She is so kind and sweet to me, thanking me for allowing Jim to have some time off. He boxes up the last few pumpkins that have not sold and tells me to close early and take the box to Gloria and go and enjoy the celebrations.
Due to the history of the village, the villagers love to celebrate its spooky past of witches and ghouls who lived in the forest around us. The green is decorated with cobwebs and tombstones. Some of the surrounding villagers are out ready for Gloria’s famous Halloween bash.
I make my way to Gloria’s with the box of pumpkins wobbling within my arms. A small zombie flies past my legs followed by an apologetic mother nearly sending me flying with the array of squashes.
Someone catches me as I start to tumble.
“Careful there.” Sam smiles, appearing from behind me. In one swift scoop he has the box under his arm and me on hisother.
“Jim boxed these up for Gloria. I saw Fi. She looked really well today.”
He beams. “Amazing news! Probably down to you giving them both a rest.”
“Maybe. I like doing it though. It’s nice meeting new people.”
“Well, you have been the village talk of the town this month, so you must be doing something well.” He smiles, his dimples set in his cheeks, his stubble just peeking through, and his dark hair swept back. He is so handsome. Annoyingly handsome. His plaid shirt is rolled up showing his huge forearms.
“So, what’s your costume?” I tease. “Lumberjack? Not very scary.”
“Actually, I’m going for more of a pre-werewolf vibe.” He flexes his muscles and pulls down the V of his white shirt exposing the dark hair on his chest.
“Lazy.” I shake my head, laughing, but my God, yes to that. He looks like he could be a wild beast under his soft exterior.
