Chapter 11
ELEVEN
When the Uber dropped Dora off on Chestnut Street outside her aunt Sephy’s beautiful pink house, she let out a deep sigh of contentment.
Saying goodbye to Mabel and Katie had been hard, but she’d left them with the chance of starting fresh, being able to live out their lives without the worry of finances for the foreseeable future, and it had eased the tightness inside of her heart, making her able to breathe again.
Telling her friends about Ambrose had helped too.
They had been surprised yet excited to hear she had finally found a guy she really liked.
Had she been waiting for their blessing without even realising that was what had been holding her back?
Maybe now she could focus on their relationship.
After learning that her entire life had been one huge secret, Dora had sworn to herself that from now on she would be as honest as she could with everyone. Lenny had stayed behind in London to sort out her affairs, which she had promised wouldn’t take longer than a couple of days.
‘Dora’s home.’ Hades’ voice croaked at her from the branches of the oak tree, and she laughed.
‘Yes, I told you I wouldn’t be long. Did you miss me?’
‘Forever and a day.’
‘Good afternoon, Dora, how are things, how is Sephy?’
Dora turned to see Mrs Pitcher, who lived a couple of houses away, standing near to the white picket fence, keeping a safe distance from the black crow that she was eyeing warily. ‘She’s okay, thank you.’
‘It’s so hard losing a sister. I lost mine and I don’t think I ever got over it.’
‘I’m so sorry, Mrs Pitcher.’
The woman smiled wistfully, eyes a little cloudy. ‘Oh, it was a very long time ago and most of the time I don’t think about it, except for when I get reminded and then it pricks at my heart as if it was only yesterday.’
Dora knew what she meant. She had lost her mom, a woman whom she had barely got to know this lifetime, and it hurt her deeply. She couldn’t say this to Mrs Pitcher though.
‘Grief is tough huh?’
She nodded at Dora. ‘Give Sephy my regards.’ Then she was striding down the street as if she was on a mission to get somewhere fast.
Dora exhaled not even realising she’d been holding her breath. There was a lot to contend with, but she was home where she belonged and that was all that mattered. As if to prove this, Hades swooped down and landed on her arm that she had held out for him without even realising.
‘I think Mrs Pitcher is a little scared of you.’
Hades tilted his head and began to rub his beak along her arm.
‘You don’t care though, do you?’
Opening the pastel pink front door, she let herself into Sephy’s beautiful home, inhaling the scents of Sephy, vanilla, lavender and lemon – it smelled divine. Ophelia, Sephy’s black cat, was sitting in her usual place on the second step up of the staircase.
‘Oh, hey Ophelia.’
Ophelia didn’t even glance in her direction which made Dora smile.
Cats were so picky about who they befriended.
If someone had told her she’d have a crow for a pet because the family cat didn’t like her, she would never have believed them.
As if to prove her wrong Ophelia jumped down and slinked towards her, rubbing against her leg.
Dora bent down and scratched between her ears.
‘You’re only being friendly because you’re hungry, but I can take the rejection. ’
Hades had taken off into the air before she’d gone inside and hadn’t even said goodbye, but she was getting used to him flitting off.
He’d been doing that a lot the last week before she’d left for London.
She wasn’t sure if it was his usual thing or if he was up to something.
Did birds get up to stuff? Hard to know, really.
There was a huge note stuck to the refrigerator, Sephy’s beautiful handwriting read:
Dora, come to the shop if I’m not home. Missed you. Xx
Dora had missed her aunt too although it had been the quickest trip she’d ever taken.
Shrugging off the bat-print backpack and hooking it over the back of the chair, she opened the fridge door and took out the never empty glass jug of fruit juice that Sephy always had in there.
Pouring herself a large glass she downed it.
She grabbed a couple of crackers out of the jar and headed to Sephy’s beautiful apothecary on Essex Street.
As she strolled down Summer Street the queue of people outside of the black painted Witch House was insane; it went around the side of it.
Dora understood the attraction now, though she hadn’t at first, but it was truly iconic.
It had belonged to Judge Corwin who in 1692 had found her and her aunts guilty of witchcraft and sentenced them all to hang.
It had also been Ambrose’s family home, though now turned into a museum.
He had told Dora that he hated it because of his father and Uncle George.
The house was complicated, like all of their lives, but it drew her in every time she saw it and she could only hope that once she began to work in the shop opposite that it would lose its hold over her and she would be able to ignore its gravitational pull.
Sephy’s shop was busy, mainly with women wearing witch hats and a couple of tortured boyfriends or husbands loitering as near to the doorway as possible, holding shopping bags.
Sephy was standing behind the counter looking as elegant as ever, wisps of her silver hair were hanging loose around her face where they had fallen out of the bun on top of her head.
‘Dora, darling, it’s so good to see you. Divine timing as always, come give me a hand, would you, dear. These ladies have been waiting patiently for a reading, and I haven’t been able to do it because the shop has been beautifully busy.’
Dora rushed to Sephy who scooped her into a brief hug before letting her go.
‘Almost everything is ticketed, but if it’s not just charge what you think.’
Dora’s eyes popped wide open at that suggestion, as she didn’t know anything about the value of the items in the shop.
‘Trust your instinct, Dora, it won’t steer you wrong.’
‘Where are Margo and Ambrose?’
‘Those two are up to no good somewhere, I imagine, but I must let them have time off occasionally. As much as I’d like them to run the place all day every day, I think they might hand in their notice. You’ll be fine, have fun.’
Sephy turned to the group of women who were lined up. ‘Ladies are you wanting to all come in together or individually?’
‘Together.’ Their voices sang out in unison. Sephy smiled at them.
‘It will be a tight squeeze, but we can make it work.’
She held open the black velvet curtain for them to go behind and blew Dora a kiss before letting it shut, blocking out Dora’s horrified face and the customers who were filling baskets with just about everything they could put their hands on.
Three hours later Sephy crossed the shop floor and locked the door, turning the sign to closed. ‘Well, that was unexpected even for this time of year. It has never been that busy before. How did you get on, Dora?’
Dora grinned at her aunt. ‘I had a lot of fun once I’d stopped panicking over what to charge everyone.’
Sephy clapped her hands in delight. ‘See, you were destined to be my assistant. Just wait until I teach you how to do readings, mix spells and do the magical stuff. You’re going to love it even more.’
Dora didn’t disagree; she was excited to learn everything Sephy could teach her.
‘Now, how was London?’
‘It was good, I felt better saying goodbye after telling them the good news.’
‘Wonderful, did you give Mabel my ache-away tea?’
‘Yes, I did, and she loved it.’
Sephy smiled and her emerald-green eyes sparkled. ‘I hope it helps, well it will if she follows the instructions. You did explain how long she must steep it for and to take it every morning as soon as she wakes, didn’t you?’
‘Yes, I did.’
‘That’s good. I’m afraid our day isn’t over yet, Dora, we have a meeting at nine p.m.’
‘What kind of meeting?’
Sephy opened the top drawer behind the counter and took out a black postcard with silver writing on it.
Floor six, Hawthorne Hotel @21.00 all of you must attend.
‘There’s no date, or who it’s from?’
‘It arrived this morning, that means that the meeting is tonight. The council of witches doesn’t announce they exist, but unfortunately, they do, and they must have a pressing matter that needs to be discussed.
This is only the second time I have had to attend a meeting with them in all the time I’ve lived in Salem. ’
Dora looked perplexed. ‘The council of witches, what is that?’
‘It is something that we don’t talk about outside of this shop or the house.
All witches and magical beings are under the guidance of the council.
It has always been this way since the witch trials ended and actual witches began to gravitate to Salem.
It’s one of the oldest establishments in New England and we do not disobey them.
If they request a meeting then we are duty bound to attend it. ’
‘But Lenny isn’t here.’
‘I will explain that to them, but as an added bonus you made it back in time so that should appease them.’
‘Should I be worried? It sounds scary.’
Sephy smiled at her. ‘English women fear no one regardless of how scary they may seem. We are powerful in our own right, we proved that, and you did especially by binding that brute Corwin out of our lives forever. I think it could be about that night, but all you must do is tell the truth about what happened. I knew it might send ripples out into the community when Hecate took him away. I’m surprised it has taken them this long to call a meeting to be honest, but it is what it is, and we did no wrong so don’t you forget that, Dora.
It was us or him, we chose us, we chose our family, and we will do that every single lifetime if we must. Now let’s go get supper, I am starving.
It’s been a long day, I’m grateful that Margo is in work tomorrow, my poor feet are in need of a long soak in my special blend of lavender, mint and Epsom salts. ’
Dora smiled at Sephy, she didn’t seem the slightest bit perturbed about the council of witches, so why should she? Everything would be fine, wouldn’t it?