Witch Is Where Magic Lives Now Page 8

  “Not straight away. Dexter and I talked about it and we decided to wait until Harry’s at school. Talking of which, has Florence started school yet?”

  “Yeah, she has.”

  “Is she enjoying it?”

  “So far, yes. Fingers crossed that continues.”

  “What about Jack? Is he still working from home?”

  “Yes, and that’s made all the difference. He’s able to take Florence to school and pick her up every day.” My phone rang. “Speak of the devil, it’s Jack. I’d better take this. It was lovely to see you again, Jules. And you, Harry.”

  I went through to my office. “Jack? Is Florence okay?”

  “She’s fine. I rang to tell you the boiler packed up a couple of hours ago.”

  “Great! What’s wrong with it?”

  “I don’t know. I tried switching it off and on again, but that didn’t work.”

  “My husband, the technical genius.”

  “I’ve got a guy coming over in about an hour. Is there any chance you could pick Florence up from school? I need to stay in for the boiler man.”

  “Sure, no problem. I’ll call it a day now and go straight over there.”

  ***

  Florence’s school, Tweaking Juniors, was located at the opposite end of the village to the old watermill. A small school, with less than a hundred pupils, it served Middle Tweaking, Lower Tweaking and Higher Tweaking. Jack and I had both been very impressed when we’d looked around prior to Florence starting there.

  Understandably, the school authorities did their best to dissuade parents from parking their cars near to the school, so I left mine outside our house, and made my way across the village on foot. When I arrived at the school, there were already several other parents waiting by the gates. By far the majority of them were mums, but there were a couple of dads there too. I’d only been standing there for a few minutes when a woman, about my age, came over and introduced herself.

  “Hi, I’m Julie. I’ve not seen you here before.”

  “I’m Jill. I’m here to pick up my daughter, Florence Maxwell.”

  “Oh? Jack isn’t poorly, is he?”

  “Err, no, he’s fine. He had to stay home because our boiler broke down this morning. He’s waiting for the repairman.”

  “Boilers can be such a nuisance, can’t they? We had to replace ours a few months ago. It cost an arm and a leg.”

  “Hopefully, it won’t come to that.”

  “Your husband is such a lovely man. He’s always making us laugh. My little boy, Gary, is in the same class as Florence. They’re really good friends. She’s probably mentioned him to you.”

  “Err, yeah, Gary. Of course.” Had Florence mentioned his name? I couldn’t be sure.

  Another woman came to join us.

  “Are you Jill Maxwell?”

  “That’s me.”

  “Jack is always talking about you. I’m Carol by the way. Kylie’s my little girl. Florence must have mentioned her to you. The two of them are as thick as thieves.”

  “Kylie? Err, yes, of course. Nice to meet you.”

  “Jack’s not ill, is he?”

  “No, he’s had to stay in for the boiler repairman.”

  “Jack is such a lovely man. You’re so very lucky.”

  “I am.”

  A bell rang inside the building and a few moments later, there was a clicking sound as the iron gates opened. We all made our way along the path to the reception building where the kids were waiting with their teachers. As each child spotted their mum or dad, they rushed across the room to join them. I couldn’t see Florence at first, but then she appeared, carrying something weird looking.

  “Mummy, look what I’ve made.”

  “That’s lovely, darling. It’s a fantastic—err—spider?”

  “It’s not a spider, Mummy. It’s an octopus.”

  “Oh yes, of course it is.”

  The legs of the spider/octopus had clearly been made from the ribbons that Aunt Lucy had given me that morning.

  “Do you really like it, Mummy?”

  “I do. It’s amazing.”

  “Where’s Daddy? Why didn’t he come to get me?”

  “He had to stay at home because the heating has broken.”

  “Is it cold in the house?”

  “I haven’t actually been home yet, but I wouldn’t think so. Anyway, the repairman will be coming soon.”

  I was so busy chatting to Florence that I didn’t notice the approach of a young woman until she was standing beside us.

  “Hi, I’m Florence’s teacher.” She was wearing a sensible cardigan and skirt, and very sensible shoes. Even her hair, which was taken up into a bun, was sensible.

  “Miss Soap?”

  “It’s Miss Hope, actually.”

  “Sorry, that’s what I meant. Florence was just showing me her spider—err—octopus.”

  “All of the children have made different animals using ribbon. Florence’s octopus is very good, isn’t it?”

  “It’s fabulous. She’s very clever.”

  “Is Jack poorly?”

  “No, he’s fine. He had to stay in because the boiler is on the blink.”

  “Right, I’d better get going. It was nice to meet you.”

  On the walk back through the village, Florence talked nonstop, telling me about the different animals that everyone else in her class had made.

  “No one had as many different colours of ribbon as I had, Mummy.”

  “Your octopus is brilliant. Just wait until Daddy sees it.”

  When we arrived at the house, the boiler repairman’s van was parked behind my car. As soon as we were inside, Florence went running over to Jack.

  “Look what I’ve made, Daddy.”

  “That’s a lovely octopus, darling.” He gave her a hug.

  How on Earth had he known it was an octopus? It definitely looked more like a spider.

  “Good news, Jill. The man says it won’t be a big job to mend the boiler.”

  “Thank goodness.”

  “Where’s Buddy, Daddy?” Florence pulled on Jack’s trouser leg.

  “He’s out in the garden.”

  “I’m going to play ball with him.” She ran outside.

  “Did everything go alright at the school, Jill?” Jack said.

  “Fine. I’ve just spent the last ten minutes talking to your fan club.”

  “What do you mean?” He laughed.

  “I was only standing outside the school gates for a few minutes, and two mums came over to ask where you were, and if you were okay. Then, when I got inside the school, Miss Soap, Hope, or whatever her name is, also seemed very concerned about you.”

  “What can I tell you?” He grinned. “I’m a popular guy.”

  “Apparently. Did the man say how much the repair would be?”

  “He reckons it shouldn’t cost much more than fifty quid.”

  “That’s good.”

  “Mummy!” Florence came running back into the house, clearly upset about something.

  “What’s the matter, darling?”

  “Buddy won’t fetch the ball.”

  “Are you sure? Have you thrown it for him a few times?”

  “Yes, but he just stands there. I think he forgot how to do it.”

  “Okay. You stay here with Daddy, and I’ll go and have a word with Buddy.”

  The Chihuahua was sitting on the path, giving me the evil eye.

  “Hey, Buddy, I thought we’d agreed that you were going to play ball with Florence.”

  “Yes, but if you remember, part of that agreement was that you were going to provide me with the food I’d requested. And yet, today, all I’ve had to eat is that same old slop.”

  “We’ve not had a chance to go to the supermarket yet.”

  “And that’s my problem, why?”

  “Come on. If you play with her today, we’ll make sure you get the new food tomorrow.”

  “No way. I played with her yesterday as a gestur
e of goodwill, but if you want me to do it again today, you’ll have to come up with the goods.”

  It was clear there would be no persuading him, so I went back into the house.

  “Where’s Florence gone?” I said.

  “She’s just nipped upstairs to the loo.”

  “Buddy is refusing to play with her until he gets the new dog food. Why don’t you pop to the supermarket to get it? I’ll stay here with Florence, and I’ll see to the boiler man.”

  “Okay.” He grabbed his car keys. “I’ll be as quick as I can.”

  A few minutes later, Florence came running down the stairs. “Mummy, Auntie Kathy is here with Lizzie.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I saw them through the window.”

  Sure enough, moments later, there was a knock at the front door.

  “I hope you don’t mind us calling around unannounced like this?” Kathy was standing there with Lizzie by her side. “I had to pick this one up from her friend’s house. She lives not far from here, so I thought we’d pop in for a cup of tea if there’s one on offer.”

  “Sure. Come on in. You’ve just missed Jack. He’s gone to buy dog food.”

  “Since when did you have a dog?”

  “Since a couple of days ago. It was Jack’s bright idea. By the time I found out about it, it was a fait accompli.”

  “Lizzie, come and see Buddy.” Florence took Lizzie by the hand. “He’s in the garden.”

  The kids disappeared out of the house, and Kathy walked over to the window. “A Chihuahua. How sweet.”

  “There’s nothing sweet about that dog.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’m only kidding.” Not!

  The two girls didn’t stay outside for very long because Buddy was still on strike.

  “Come and see my bedroom, Lizzie,” Florence said. “I want to show you the octopus I made at school.”

  “Okay, but let me show Auntie Jill my charm bracelet first.” She held out her hand.

  “That’s—err—lovely.”

  “Mum bought it for me last weekend, didn’t you, Mum?”

  “Yes, under protest.” Kathy rolled her eyes.

  Florence grabbed Lizzie’s hand, and the two of them disappeared upstairs.

  “I’m surprised you bought her a bracelet. I didn’t think you approved of her having jewellery.”

  “I resisted for as long as I could, but all the girls in her class have got them. Lizzie has been pestering me for ages to buy her one, so I said she could have it as a reward for being made captain of the netball team. They’re a right scam. The bracelets are cheap enough, but the charms are really expensive. I’ve told Lizzie that if she wants any more charms, she’ll have to save her pocket money, or have them for her birthday or Christmas.”

  Just then, I heard the front door open.

  “You’ll never believe it, Jill,” Jack shouted. “I didn’t need to go all the way to the supermarket. Incredibly, they had Buddy’s food at Tweaking Stores. Now that’s sorted, I suppose we’d better discuss whether or not we should let our little witch learn any more spells.”

  He walked into the room, saw Kathy, and his face fell.

  “Little witch?” Kathy looked puzzled.

  Fast on his feet as always, Jack stood there with his mouth wide open.

  “It’s something Florence is doing at school.” I jumped in. “They have to dress up as mythical creatures, and I suggested she could be a witch.”

  “Why would she want to be a witch?” Kathy said. “They’re ugly. Florence would make a much better fairy.”

  “You’re probably right. Nothing’s been decided yet, has it, Jack?”

  “Err, no. I’ll go and feed the dog, shall I?”

  “Good idea.”

  Chapter 10

  The next morning, on my drive to work, I reflected on the discussion that Jack and I had had the previous night. After Florence had gone to bed, I’d told him that Grandma had said we were being unfair by not allowing her to practise magic. I also revealed my own concerns that our decision might have an adverse effect on her later in life. It was only when I’d mentioned the possibility that Florence might be invited to attend CASS that Jack had become really animated. He’d been horrified at the idea, and his initial reaction had been that no daughter of his would ever go to a boarding school. Eventually, he’d calmed down and we’d managed to discuss the subject rationally. I told him that, although I couldn’t bear the idea of Florence going to boarding school either, it was probably something that she should be allowed to decide for herself when the time came.

  We agreed to put the subject of CASS on hold for the time being. Far more pressing was the question of if we should allow Florence to learn more magic now or stick to our original plan and wait until she was older. We also discussed the possibility of Florence going to Candlefield with me occasionally. Jack didn’t have any objections to that, but I could tell he was saddened by the realisation that this was a part of her life he would never be able to share.

  It was after midnight when we’d eventually decided to call it a day. We still hadn’t made any concrete decisions, but I’d suggested it might be helpful if I could speak to someone who had been in the same position, to see what decisions they’d made, and how it had worked out for them. I’d come up with the idea of contacting the headmistress at CASS. I was sure there must be pupils at the school who came from a similar background.

  Before I got out of the car in Washbridge, I made a call to CASS. I hadn’t yet met the current headmistress, Hildegard Bogart, and I expected to have to leave a message, asking if she would call me back. As it turned out, as soon as I told the receptionist my name, I was put straight through.

  “Jill Maxwell? This is Hildegard Bogart speaking. I have a note in my diary to give you a call soon, but you’ve saved me the trouble.”

  “Thank you for speaking to me, Headmistress. I was hoping to make an appointment to come over and talk to you sometime?”

  “You can pop over now if you like.”

  “Are you sure that’s convenient?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Great. I’ll be with you in a few minutes.”

  I magicked myself straight over there.

  “That was jolly quick, Jill.” Ms Bogart cut a commanding figure. Tall and solid, she was much younger than Desdemona Nightowl. “Come in. Come in. I do hope you’ll let me in on your secret spell.”

  “Sorry?”

  “The one that allows you to magic yourself between Candlefield and CASS. I hate those dreadful airships.”

  “I’d be more than happy to show you, Headmistress, but I’m afraid the spell only seems to work for me.”

  “How very disappointing. Do have a seat. Can I get you a drink?”

  “No, thanks. I’m afraid I can’t stay long.”

  “I do hope you’ve come to tell me that you’d like to resume your teaching duties.”

  “I’m afraid not. At least not at the moment. My daughter, Florence, has only just started school. Maybe when she’s a little older.”

  “How old is she? Five?”

  “That’s right.”

  “Such a lovely age.”

  “I want to make sure she’s settled before I take on any more commitments. I hope you understand?”

  “Of course, but please bear us in mind when circumstances allow, won’t you?”

  “Definitely. I really enjoyed my time here with the kids.”

  “It won’t be too long until your daughter joins us here at CASS. It’s surprising how fast the years fly by.”

  “Surely that will depend on whether or not she receives an invitation.”

  “I shouldn’t really say this, but I think that’s pretty much a formality. Anyway, what can I do for you today?”

  “I’m here concerning Florence. You may not be aware, but my husband Jack is a human.”

  “I had no idea. That must make life very difficult. Does Florence know she’s a witch
?”

  “Of course. I’ve never tried to hide that from her.”

  “Aren’t you worried she might say something to your husband?”

  “No. She knows it’s our little secret. My problem is that I’m unsure how much magic I should teach her at this age. I had planned to keep it to a minimum until she was older, but my grandmother, Mirabel Millbright—”

  “Mirabel? She’s your grandmother?”

  “That’s right.”

  “I should have realised. Sorry to interrupt. You were saying?”

  “I’d intended to wait until Florence was older before teaching her any more spells, but my grandmother is firmly of the opinion that I should be doing it now. That’s why I’m here today. I’m hoping that I might be able to speak to pupils who are in a similar position—who have one parent who is a human and one who is a sup.”

  “That could be difficult.”

  “Oh? I assumed you’d have a few pupils who fell into that category.”

  “We don’t, and there’s a very good reason for that. The human parent would naturally expect to be able to look around the boarding school that their child is about to attend, but that’s impossible.”

  “What a mess.”

  “As it happens, we do have one child from the human world with us at the moment. Maxine Pearldiver’s mother is a witch and her father is a human.”

  “How did they manage to get around the issue you’ve just highlighted?”

  “Her parents split up shortly after Maxine was born, leaving her mother to raise her alone. Her father simply disappeared and has played no part in her upbringing, so the decision to send Maxine to CASS was her mother’s alone.”

  “I see. Would it be possible for me to speak to Maxine?”

  “I’m sorry, Jill, but I can’t allow you to do that without first getting permission from her mother. I’m sure you understand.”

  “Of course. In that case, would you be able to let me have her mother’s contact details?”

  “Unfortunately, I can’t do that either—data protection and all that stuff. What I can do, though, is contact Maxine’s mother on your behalf. I’ll explain the situation and see if she’s willing to talk to you. If she is, I’ll ask her to get in touch with you directly. Is that okay?”