I was in the still room when the back door wards hummed at me. I checked the camera feed on my phone, Sarah and her new friends were coming to visit, this could be interesting.

I opened the door before they knocked, and the Highsmith girl gasped. “She’s psychic.”

The fake American one rolled her eyes and pointed to the security camera above the door. “You’re so dumb, Raekah.”

Raekah, daughter of Jane and Bob. No wonder I had trouble remembering it.

Sarah sent me a tense smile, she did not want to be doing this. “Hi, um, so Bella and her dad moved into the Castle recently and he’d like to meet you, so I suggested I could introduce you and Bella.”

I waved them through to the kitchen, Sarah hissed as they entered. “Don’t touch anything.”

Fake America popped a non-existent hip and ostentatiously placed a finger on a copper pot. It zapped her. I winked at Sarah.

I moved past the girls, who were clearly trying to decide whether to make a fuss. “So you’re Bella, from the Castle, and you’re Raekah, I believe I’ve met your parents. They bought The Gatehouse six or so months ago, correct?”

Raekah nodded. “Yes, Mum said we needed a tree change.”

Another eye roll and snort from Fake America. I looked her over. “And you are?”

“Who’s asking?”

“I am.”

“But I don’t know who you are.”

“Yes you do, otherwise you wouldn’t be here.”

“Sarah says you’re a witch.”

“Yes.”

“So prove it, do something witchy.”

I went and put the kettle on. “There you are, all witches drink tea.”

A third eye roll and a disgusted ‘ergh’.

She wasn’t worth my time. I turned my attention to Bella. “Your father wants an introduction. Is there a reason beyond simple neighbourliness from the new Lord Mason?”

Bella gulped, clearly struck dumb by my witchy demonstration.

I herded the lot of them to the kitchen table, Sarah peeled off at my wave towards the cake box, putting a fresh lemon drizzle cake in the middle of the table a minute later.

You know I’m always prepared for visitors, especially when the sentient bees have been gossiping for days about an argument between four girls about the existence and nature of witches.

It took half a cup of tea and most of a generous slice of cake before Miss Bella was comfortable enough to share her request. Or rather her father’s. But she couldn’t share it directly with me; she nudged Sarah, twice, and tipped her head in my direction.

Sarah hissed. “Ask her yourself, she’s not going to eat you.”

Bella’s eyes went huge and scared and Sarah sighed. “Fine.”

She turned to me. “Sarah’s father needs to find some sort of missing pot and open it or something bad’s going to happen at the Castle.”

Interesting. I wonder what’s in the pot, or maybe who. Perhaps we have another Lady Charlotte on our hands.

I replied to Bella. “Do you know anything more than that? What the pot looks like, or how long it’s been missing?”

She shook her head, eyes still wide.

I stood. “Well then, I suppose I need to pay a visit to the Castle. Do you girls want to come along for the ride?”

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