by Joyce
“So it wasn’t your idea to invite us?” I asked, wondering whose idea it was. His family had no love for us and had actively tried to keep Brian from being part of our coven. We weren’t worthy of the Fuller name.
“No,” he denied. “I wouldn’t do something like that to you.”
Mike grinned at his words.
“I think the rest of us would be very disappointed if we didn’t go.” Dorothy glanced at Elsie and me. “We’ve never been to a ball at a castle. It’s very exciting.”
“Are you ashamed of us, Brian?” Olivia asked and I echoed.
“No—them! They’ve obviously put some thought into this. It scares me that they invited you when I think we all know how they feel about you.” He frowned. “Sorry. I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”
“Oh, Brian,” Elsie remarked. “I don’t care how they feel. I just want the champagne and the castle!”
He shrugged. “Okay. If that’s what you want, you go this time, but you won’t ever want to go again. Believe me.”
“A ball at a castle?” Mike nodded. “Sounds fun. I think you should all go.”
“What do you have in mind?” I asked him quickly. “You’re a little too eager to get rid of me.”
“Just some pizza and friends, since Dad is working a case. Nothing much.”
“That’s fine,” I told him. “Just don’t wreck the house. Or clean it up if you do.”
He laughed. “Like Isabelle would let me do that. When I have friends over, she gives us these dirty looks, and I can just imagine her reporting back to you! See you later.” He hugged me and flopped down in front of the TV as we walked into the kitchen.
“You don’t think . . . ?” Olivia suggested.
“No. Mike isn’t a witch,” I answered. “We’d know by now.”
“There was Jerry Doffin’s daughter that he swore didn’t have magic,” Elsie said. “At her twenty-first birthday party, she levitated her cake across the room! He could still be a late-blooming witch.”
I thought about it, glancing toward my son. “I’ve never known anyone that late blooming. Mike doesn’t have any magic. As I said, we’d know by now.”
“We could test him,” Brian suggested.
“That would mean telling him that he could be a witch,” I replied. “I don’t think so.”
He jammed his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Just saying.”
“If we’re done with that, on to the shopping!” Elsie said. “I’m not sure about trying to create an entire ensemble with magic. I’ve been doing pretty well lately. But I don’t want to walk into the ball and have my gown fall on the floor.”
“Are you going, Molly?” Dorothy asked.
It wasn’t exactly something I’d always wanted to do, but my coven was part of my family too. Dorothy and Elsie might decide not to go if I didn’t. I wouldn’t want them to miss out if it was something they really wanted to do.
“Of course.” I smiled as though I’d never considered not going. “I suppose this means a visit to Madam Tunis’s Beauty Mark.”
“Madam Tunis!” Elsie was in raptures. “I haven’t been there since I was sixteen and my grandmother took me there for my senior prom. But I’ve never forgotten the experience. I’ve always been nervous about going, since Aleese isn’t a witch and neither was Bill. I didn’t want it to be too grand and have them wonder how I’d done it. Can we really go there?”
Dorothy was confused. “Madam Tunis?”
“The only witch dressmaker in Wilmington,” I told her. “I’d say this is occasion enough for it.”
“Really?” Dorothy’s eyes got wide. “A witch dressmaker? Cool. Don’t worry—I’ll be glad to pay, if it’s expensive. It’s my treat.”
“You know the money I left you isn’t going to last very long if you go around treating people to expensive gifts every few minutes,” Olivia said sourly.
“Like Molly said. It’s not every day you get invited to a ball.” Dorothy kissed Brian. “I’ll see you later. Wait! I have your birthday gift.”
“Okay. As long as I don’t have to go to the dressmaker too. I’ve never been inside the place, and I hope I never am.” He held her close for a moment. “Don’t forget they’ll send a car for you. It’s the only way you can get to the castle.”
“I won’t.” She snuggled close to him. “Let me get your gift.”
She ran to the car and came back with a pet carrier that had a large pink bow on top. “Open it.”
He smiled and carefully opened the carrier. “Just what I needed—a cat.”
“I thought she was so beautiful.” Dorothy smoothed the black cat’s fur. “You don’t have a familiar. I understand because you didn’t have a permanent home until now, but you’ll love having her with you. Look how calm and beautiful she is.”
“She’s really nice.” Brian kissed Dorothy. “Thank you. What should I name her?”
“You’ll have to ask her,” Elsie said. “You can’t just pick a name, or you’ll end up with a cat named Scooter like Dorothy did. She’ll tell you in due time. She is quite a lovely cat.”
The nameless cat blinked her pretty, violet-colored eyes—unusual to see a black cat with pale purple eyes. I wanted to ask Dorothy where she’d found her, but the excitement of the ball drew us away. Brian took the cat and the carrier with him back to his apartment.
“We should go if we’re going to be ready by midnight.” Elsie stormed the door. “Who’s driving?”
CHAPTER 5
Madam Tunis ran a one-of-a-kind beauty shop in the heart of the old downtown area of Wilmington. It was in the Cotton Exchange building a few floors above Smuggler’s Arcane.
We decided to drive to the shop in Dorothy’s car, have our beauty treatment and then meet back at our shop to request a car from there. It would be good for us all to ride to the ball together. Besides, Olivia wanted to wait in the shop for us so she could say good-bye.
“We can’t just leave her there while we’re out having a good time,” Dorothy said as we trudged up the back stairs to the dressmaker. “She looks so sad.”
“She’ll be fine,” Elsie said. “She’s probably forgotten all about it by now. Harper is there. He always cheers her up. Let’s go. There are probably a lot of other witches getting ready for the ball too.”
Harper was Olivia’s cat who had been with her for many years. He was a Russian blue with a gray and white coat and blue eyes. He was very large and told many stories of being a British sailor in his past life. He couldn’t live at the house they’d once shared because Dorothy’s tuxedo cat, Hemlock aka Scooter, was there now, and the two familiars didn’t always get along.
We all had familiars—Elsie had a ginger tabby Manx named Barnabas who had the spirit of a preacher mistakenly hanged for witchcraft in the 1700s. It was only natural that Brian should have a cat too. It was another way his parents had ignored his training as a witch that he didn’t have a cat he confided in.
Leaving behind Olivia’s fears and woes, we entered the magical realm of Madam Tunis’s Beauty Mark. It didn’t look like much when you first opened the door—nothing but an empty dusty room. But for those with magic who could enter the shop, a world of glamour and delight awaited.
Madam Tunis was there to welcome us. She was a short, plump witch with strands of hair made from real gold. Her eyes were crusted with diamonds, and she had a single star-shaped ruby near the corner of her red lips. Her silk gown was made with magic fibers that were constantly moving and changing, like the colors of the rainbow.
“Welcome, ladies. Let me guess. You’re here to get ready for the birthday ball. As always, my ladies are here to help you become whoever you want to be. Will you want the entire treatment?”
“I’m sure we do,” Dorothy decided with a nod at us.
“Except for you, Elsie,” Madam Tunis observed. “I ado
re your hat. It is too perfect. No one here will suggest another.”
“You still remember me after all these years?” Elsie was as amazed and beguiled as Dorothy and I were.
“Indeed I do. I never forget a face or a name.” Madam Tunis bowed her head. “I am so happy and honored that you returned.” She clapped her hands, and three witches appeared. They took each of us into separate rooms, and the doors closed behind us.
I wished I was as excited as Elsie, but I truly felt more nervous and faintly sick at the idea of what would come next. I said as much to my attendant—a woman who looked to be about my age.
“Don’t worry. I won’t do anything you don’t like.” She smiled. “Now, what color did you have in mind? I’m thinking a vibrant blue that will show off your wonderful blue eyes. You have lovely hair. It’s a good mid-length to work with too. Maybe a touch of red in those brown strands for the night. What do you say?”
As I looked in the mirror, autumn red strands appeared in my hair. Blue highlights appeared on my eyelids. A soft sheen of makeup added glamour to my face. “Wonderful. I wouldn’t have thought of adding red highlights to my hair.”
She nodded. “Put yourself in my hands, Molly. You’re going to be fabulous!”
First came the beauty bath that was filled with so many different types of flowers and essences that I lost track. It smelled heavenly, as did the shampoo and conditioner she used on my hair. The bath and shampoo made my whole body glisten as though I was covered in glitter. It was a wonderful, rejuvenating feeling.
My glittery blue gown was slinky, slit up the right side to give a clear view of my leg from ankle to thigh. It was more daring than anything I’d ever worn. The attendant tried different styles with my hair and finally ended with one that was flattering as well as glamorous. She piled the newly colored locks up to give me more height and left a few strands at my ears and forehead.
“Now jewelry.” She mulled it over. “Sapphires seem the obvious choice, especially with your wonderful amulet. Will you be wearing that tonight?”
My hand went to it immediately. Repeated warnings not to remove it had made me a little jumpy when someone mentioned it. “I never take it off.”
“No, of course not. I wouldn’t either if I were you. Let’s try something more unique than sapphires, shall we? What about fire opals?”
I looked at the large earrings that appeared. Blue and silver wound through them. The fire opal necklace hung at the deep V in my dress without being too gaudy. There was also a matching bracelet and a matching anklet for the exposed leg.
“Perfect!” I couldn’t believe it was me in the mirror. “I never looked that good twenty years ago.”
“You are stunning. You have such a wonderful natural glow about you. It doesn’t need a lot of dressing up. I hope you have fun at the ball tonight.”
“Thank you.” I walked out of the small room, teetering on sandals with six-inch heels. I usually wore flats. I hoped I wouldn’t fall down the stairs as I entered the castle.
Dorothy was waiting—a vision in gold and green. “Oh, Molly! You look awesome. I hate that it all wears off by morning. I wish Joe could see you like this.”
“It isn’t permanent magic,” I said wistfully. I wished he could see me too.
“But I bet we could still send him a picture.” She took out her cell phone. “Let’s do one of each of us and then one together. I’m so excited about going tonight. Is that wrong, since Mom can’t go?”
I would have liked to hug her, but I was afraid it would ruin everything that had been done to both of us. I didn’t know how durable the magic was. “Your mother has seen and done amazing things in her travels. One ball is nothing. Don’t let her fool you. Just have a good time with Brian tonight and don’t worry about it.”
A third door opened, and Elsie sashayed out. “Well? How do I look?”
Her attendant had matched the black and sequins of her hat with her dress and graced her beautifully with emeralds. She all but dripped them as she turned for us to see her. Surprisingly she wore a short black velvet skirt that showed off her very pretty legs, which were encased in black stockings.
“It’s a shame Larry can’t be there tonight.” She hiked her skirt to show us emerald-studded garters. “I would’ve liked to see the look on his face.”
“Probably just as well,” I said. “He might’ve had a heart attack when he saw you.”
“Okay. Pictures of all of us,” Dorothy said. She glanced at her cell phone. “Good thing too. It’s almost midnight.”
She snapped a dozen photos, and we were ready to go.
Madam Tunis came out to wish us a wonderful time at the ball. “And don’t forget—the magic ends at dawn. Your previous clothing will be under what you’re wearing now, so no need to panic about being caught out in the altogether. You look wonderful, ladies. Come back for our specials at Summer Solstice.”
We waved good-bye and went slowly and carefully down the stairs again to Smuggler’s Arcane. None of us had the kind of money it took to boost our magic to the point where we could appear and disappear at will. We had always been lower-level witches and had been happy with it. Magic was something we were born with, passed down through our family lines, but not our goal in life. Not like the Fuller family and Drago.
Larry surprised Elsie by waiting at the door to the shop. His eyes never left his glamourized girlfriend. “Woo-hoo! Seeing you like that is enough to make me howl. You look delicious, Elsie.”
She blushed and flirted, but I thought his description of how she looked was a poor choice for a werewolf. Even though he’d sworn off eating people for many years, sometimes being around him still made me a little uncomfortable. Werewolves and witches weren’t friends by nature. They’d come to accept one another, but anything else was purely by accident.
“Why are you here, you old rogue?” Elsie asked.
“I got your phone call about being all dressed up and how I should come by to see you.” He waggled his shaggy brows and grinned. “I wouldn’t have missed it.”
“You know I didn’t call you,” she said. “How did you guess what we were doing?”
He sobered a little before he started slobbering. “No. Really. I got your phone call.” He took out his cell phone to show her. “That’s funny. It’s not there now, but I talked to you.”
“That’s strange,” Elsie told him. “I wish you could come with us, but you know those witches on the council have sharp noses. They’d smell a werewolf a mile away.”
“I don’t want to go to something where I’m not welcome anyway, sweetie.” He carefully kissed her. “I’ll see you when you get back. Have a good time. But keep the dress, huh?”
Elsie laughed and said good-bye, not bothering to explain that it was temporary. I called for the car, and Dorothy checked her makeup again in the mirror behind the counter.
“Where’s Mom?” she asked, her eyes toward the ceiling, as Olivia frequently floated up there.
“She’s here somewhere.” I nodded toward the staff that was in the corner. “She couldn’t leave without it.”
“She’s been practicing, you know,” Dorothy explained. “She says other ghosts don’t need a physical prop, so why should a witch? It’s not going to be long before she can go wherever she wants. She can levitate stuff easily now too.”
“Sounds like our witch is really becoming a ghost,” Elsie remarked.
I looked for Harper but didn’t see him either. “They might be downstairs.” I peeked down the opening into the cave below where we conjured and held training for Dorothy and Brian, calling for Olivia. The cave connected directly to the Cape Fear River, an old rum run for pirate smugglers. “But I’m not attempting those stairs in these heels.”
“Yeah. Me either. They don’t hurt my feet, but I feel like I’m going to fall over.” Dorothy glanced down at the intricate gold sandals
on her feet. “I guess she’ll be okay. I wish I didn’t have to leave her. I don’t understand why witches don’t like ghosts.”
“It’s just one of those things.”
“Look. I must’ve left my bracelet here.” She picked up her mother’s bracelet. “Maybe I’ll wear it to remind me of her.”
“Ladies!” Elsie’s voice was edged with excitement. “The car has arrived.”
CHAPTER 6
Both times we’d been invited to the Fullers’ castle, a car and driver had been dispatched for us. Tonight, it was the same black limo in front of Smuggler’s Arcane that had picked us up the last time, and the same driver.
This visit was much more auspicious. The last time—I couldn’t even bear to think about it. The circumstances weren’t something that I’d ever want to do again. Just thinking about it made me want to cry.
It seemed no one drove or otherwise arrived at the castle. We’d speculated that this was because it wasn’t in our world. Elsie thought it might just be in another country, but I wasn’t convinced that was true. Whatever the location, the Fullers were very conscious of their security. Sending a car for each visitor took a lot of magic, but they could keep out the riffraff that way and keep the location of their home a secret.
The driver was stiffly polite as he helped us into the car. Unlike the messenger with the invitation to the birthday ball, the driver was a real person. He still wore the Fuller livery well with his height and broad shoulders. When the door was closed behind us, he assumed his position behind the wheel and we were off.
I tried to see out of the windows, but they were too heavily tinted to view anything moving in the darkness. I finally sat back with nervous butterflies in my stomach, not at all sure we should be attending Brian’s birthday bash. The last time we’d been at the castle, I’d felt like a stranger in a strange land. We all had. We were housewives, mothers, teachers and librarians. Hobnobbing with celebrity witches wasn’t fun or relaxing.
I was sure Olivia would have fit right in. As I’d said to Dorothy, her mother had spent her life traveling the world and meeting wealthy, famous witches like Drago and the council. She wouldn’t have felt intimidated at all. But this had come too late for her. It had to be enough for her that Dorothy was there in her place.
