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Who knew if lifting the curse would change anything between her and Abel? That wasn’t why she’d given her magic to dissolve it. She’d done it because it was the right thing to do. Now she knew he wasn’t living his life in a vice of shame and denial, she could rest easy. That felt like a gift in itself.

Besides, Abel had spent most of his adult life under a magical curse. He was hardly going to jump into the arms of someone born and bred a witch. And he had a life away from East Prawle. Magic spells didn’t tie all those things up in a neat bow.

He cleared his throat. ‘I suppose this means, I could—’

‘ABEL!’ came a shriek from outside.

He stood up straight in an instant and Temperance leapt to her feet. ‘Was that Gran?’

‘I think so.’

‘ABEL!’ came another shout, Margie’s voice breaking in between syllables. ‘Where are you, love?’

Temperance and Abel raced to the front door and down the steps. Abel took long, urgent strides to reach his Gran.

‘What’s happened, are you OK?’

Huge sparkling tears ran down Margie’s face, leaving track marks in her generous blusher.

‘OK? I’m not OK! I’m bloody marvellous! Your dad just called. Your dad. He wants to see you. Soon! He gave me his number so you can call him back, come on.’ She grabbed one of Abel’s hands and yanked him back towards the pub.

He looked back over his shoulder at Temperance as his gran hurried him along. His smile was almost wide enough to reach each ear, a haze of disbelief in his eyes. ‘You were right!’ he laughed. ‘Whatever you did really worked!’

Temperance watched them go, her heart feeling twice its size and full of bright white light. ‘Right. Definitely time for another drink.’ With a quick pit stop at home to dry her hair and throw on a bra and a jumper, she retraced Abel and Margie’s steps to the pub.

Temperance wanted to first find Susie when she entered The Witch’s Nose, but suddenly all she could see was fluffy white filling her vision and a bear grip around her ribs.

Diane was quietly sobbing into Temperance’s shoulder. ‘Thank you, thank you,’ she whispered into her ear.

‘Huh?’

‘I don’t know what you did, but it worked, clearly. Abel’s getting his dad back! They talked for a little while and now Abel’s having a walk to clear his head. A lot to take in, you know. Plans to make.’

‘Of course. I can’t even imagine. But you know,’ Temperance studied the tops of her slippers as if a convincing get-out was embroidered on them along with the bunny face and ears, ‘I didn’t do anything, did I? Just one of those random things.’

Diane’s glittering eyes narrowed. ‘Three women go and chant around a fire and suddenly something miraculous happens.’ Temperance opened her mouth to suggest the hog roast had been spiked and they’d just spent two hours in a mass hallucination, but Diane held up a silencing hand. ‘I don’t need the details. To be honest, I’m not sure I can handle them. Just take my thanks and blessings. If that’s what you’re into. You won’t combust near a cross, will you? No, no, I don’t want to know. We’re doubly back into party mode now so park your beautiful bum down and I’ll get you a stiff one.’

Diane skipped off to the bar before Temperance could tell her what she’d like in her glass. But Temperance was feeling altogether too zen to think twice about it. The doom was gone. The party was still in force. Susie and Stevie were safe. She could just enjoy herself.

A flash of red caught her attention and Temperance saw Susie’s Converse poking out of the snug.

Temperance slid around the corner, through the narrow doorway, her arms reaching into a showbiz wave, and started belting out, ‘I put a spell on youuu—’ At Susie’s snort of laughter, she stopped herself short. ‘Oh, hey Mark. Didn’t know you were coming.’

Mark had a massive grin across his face, one leg resting on the opposite knee. ‘Please don’t stop! I felt like I was at a Vegas cabaret. It was awesome.’

‘Ha! Um, a family inside-joke.’

‘And then some.’ Susie nodded. ‘Mark wanted to come earlier but couldn’t take his rig out because of the freak weather blip that we had.’ Her eyes drilled into her big sister’s.

‘Yeah, wasn’t that insane? I’ve been sailing here since I was about eight or nine and I’ve never seen anything like it. This intense pocket of low pressure, a proper thunder storm, all been and gone in half an hour. Bonkers.’

‘Bonkers,’ the Molland women said in unison.

Susie pointed at the stack of printouts spread out on the table before them. ‘Mark wanted to show us how far he is with the process. He’s filing it – himself – tomorrow.’ She rubbed his arm. ‘Plus, he realised he forgot his leather jacket last time when he was here. Don’t suppose you’ve seen it have you, Tee?’ If Susie had ever toyed with the idea of a career in panto, now was the time for her to apply for her equity card.

‘Erm, yes, you know. I have. I . . . found it . . . somewhere. And took it back to the shop for safekeeping. Shall I go and grab it now?’

‘I don’t want to put you out, Temperance. Sit down and have a drink first.’