Page 71 of The Clifftop Cottage

Leah’s heart clenched. Sometimes, when Maisie didn’t even realise it, Leah loved her so much it hurt. And so, when her darling girl had asked for a special witch’s cape, Leah made up her mind.

Especially since things with Dylan weren’t exactly right lately.

She could feel the distance growing between them, the unspoken words piling up. Conversations were careful, too careful. Like they were both treading lightly over something fragile, something neither of them wanted to break.

She knew Maisie sensed it. Children always did.

So if making this cape meant seeing that bright, open-mouthed smile on Maisie’s face, then Leah would do it. No matter what might come to pass between her and Dylan.

She stabbed her finger for what felt like the hundredth time, drawing a sharp bead of blood from an old raw spot. Leah swore under her breath and flung the half-stitched cape into a bag.

Enough.

She grabbed her coat and marched down the street to the local dressmaker, praying she wasn’t too late.

Luck was on her side – the woman was just about to close up for her lunch break when Leah arrived, slightly breathless, a plea already forming on her lips.

Fifteen minutes later, the cape was back in her hands, expertly stitched, more beautiful than Leah could have managed in a month of Sundays. She felt a rush of relief, already picturing the way Maisie’s face would light up when she saw it.

A small victory. But maybe those were the ones that mattered most.

As she walked home, she pulled her phone from her pocket, checking it instinctively. Still nothing from Erica.

Leah frowned.

She’d called her sister last night. Again this morning. Nothing.

She didn’t want to be the overbearing one. Erica had promised she’d come tonight, and Leah had always tried to be the kind of sister who trusted a promise. But still …

Maisie had been so excited to go guising with her special auntie.

Leah told herself Erica would show up. She would. She always did in the end.

Still, the worry gnawed at her.

Maybe she should pay her a visit? Just to check?

She hesitated, then shook the thought away.

If Erica said she’d come, then she’d come.

Leah picked Maisie up from school just as the last of the daylight faded, darkness swallowing the town in that quiet, creeping way it always did by late October. The sea air was crisp, carrying salt and chimney smoke from the cottages they passed, where fires were being lit and curtains drawn, ready for the evening’s knock at the door.

Maisie practically buzzed beside her, skipping along with boundless energy, pointing out every Halloween decoration they passed.

Outside one cottage, a grinning inflatable Frankenstein wobbled slightly in the wind, its green face lit up by the glow of a porch lantern. Another house had gone all out – paper bats dangling from the eaves, skeletons posed in comical stances by the front step. Jack-o’-lanterns flickered from nearly every window, their carved faces grinning eerily into the gloomy light.

“Oh, Mummy, look at that one!” Maisie gasped, clutching Leah’s hand and pulling her to a stop.

At the end of the lane, one house had outdone all the others. Fake cobwebs stretched over the stone walls, orange and purple fairy lights twinkling along the gutters, and a ghost – clearly someone’s old bedsheet with eyes cut out – billowing eerily from the washing line. A wooden sign, scrawled in thick black paint, hung by the door: Trick or Treaters Welcome – If You Dare!

Maisie clasped her hands together in glee. “We must go there, Mummy! I know they’ll have the best sweets.”

Leah squeezed her daughter’s hand. “You be thankful for whatever you get, miss. And remember, it’s Auntie Erica taking you tonight.”

Maisie gave a little squeal of excitement, practically bouncing in her boots. “I can’t wait! We’ve got to make sure she sees my cape straight away. I know she’ll love it!”

Leah chuckled, shaking her head as they carried on home. How had her daughter become so completely obsessed with Halloween?