Amanda Cadabra and The Strange Case of Lucy Penlowr

by Holly Bell

  ‘Yes, mainly, but I also wanted you both to enjoy some reward for your endeavours.’

  She smiled. ‘I understand. But how can I be sure I will dream about my time in the family crypt?’

  ‘Will you allow me to help?’ offered Hogarth.

  ‘Like hypnosis?’ Amanda suggested.

  ‘A little.’

  ‘All right,’ she replied readily. ‘I trust you. Uncle Mike.’

  ‘Thank you, my dear. Are you sure? You must be sure you are willing to do this. I have some idea of how disturbing such a trip into the past can be.’

  ‘If it’s our only way forward, of course. You’ll stay nearby?’

  ‘Yes, Thomas and I will be right here.’

  Mrrwwoaow.

  ‘And Tempest too, naturally,’ he added mock-hastily.

  ‘Of course. I want to help. What do we do?’

  ‘Do you know what popply root is?’

  Amanda did.

  ‘Yes, it induces … Granny very rarely used it. She said it was extremely dangerous and, if you didn’t get the mix right with dorchet grass, it could put you into a sleep you wouldn’t wake up from on this plane of existence.’

  ‘And she was right,' Hogarth agreed. 'I've made some, very carefully, I promise. The root is pretty ancient and has lost most of its potency, but on top of lunch and wine, it should just tip the balance into sleep.’

  Amanda nodded keenly.

  ‘Bring it on, Uncle Mike.’

  ‘Will you draw the curtains, Thomas, and light the candles? Amanda, make yourself comfortable on the sofa.’ She lay down on her side so she could feel the warmth from the logs burning in the hearth. Hogarth went to the kitchen. They heard the gas being lit on the hob.

  Trelawney still had his doubts.

  ‘Are you sure about this, Miss Cadabra?’

  ‘Yes, Inspector. It's all right. I promise you.’

  ‘Ok.’ He draped a large tartan blanket over her and gave her another cushion. Tempest burrowed and nestled in the angle of her bent knees ‘I’ll be right here with Mike.’

  ‘I know.’

  Amanda leaned up on one elbow as Hogarth returned and handed her a small earthenware handleless cup. She took a cautious sip and made a face.

  ‘It’s sort of delicious and disgusting at the same time.’

  Hogarth laughed. ‘Best description ever.’ He took the empty cup from Amanda, put it on the table and returned to his armchair. ‘Ready?’

  ‘Ready.’

  ‘Thomas, you’ve done this before. Take Amanda down the stairs.’

  ‘Me?’ he asked in surprise.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Oh. That all right with you, Miss Cadabra?’

  ‘It worked before,’ she pointed out sleepily, the potion already taking effect. ‘Remember the room at the asthma centre?’

  ‘I do.’

  He knelt on the floor by the sofa. Amanda closed her eyes.

  Trelawney spoke softly.

  ‘You’re holding your great-grandmother’s hand. It’s dry and cold and claw-like. Not like your granny’s. And you’re walking with her. You hear the sound of her stiff skirts. Now you’re walking down steps, stone steps, hard under your feet. Going down ... down ... down.’

  Amanda was already asleep.

  ‘You’re going through a big heavy door, and now you’re in a small dark hall of stone. You see the granite lectern and the big bowl with some wooden steps, with a handrail, leading up to the top of it. There are people in the shadows, and if you look hard, you can see their faces. You look at the faces. You’re interested in the faces, their hair, how tall they are. You go up the stairs to the top of the cauldron. You can smell the mist, but from up here, you can see the people. You look at the people.’

  Her head turned to the right on the cushions, her hand extended and fingers flexed, as if around an imaginary rail.

  ‘I don’t ...,’ she murmured. ‘I don’t want the mist ... I don’t wa... G…G... Granny!’

  ‘Miss Cadabra, wake up.’

  She felt a hand gently patting her cheek. Amanda gasped, her breath coming short. Hogarth opened the curtains.

  ‘Amanda.’

  She opened her eyes. Hogarth noticed how they searched instinctively for Thomas, reaching out a hand to her.

  ‘I’m here. You’re safe, Miss Cadabra.’ She grasped his hand. Then let go with a long breath.

  ‘I’m back.’

  Chapter 42

  The Only Way

  ‘Oh. Yes ....’ Amanda sat up on Hogarth’s sofa, disturbing Tempest who, put out, climbed on to her lap and looked around with affront. She registered that she was in Uncle Mike’s sitting-room. The inspector was at her side.

  ‘All right?’ Trelawney asked.

  ‘Yes. Yes, quickly. Photos!’

  Hogarth spread out the prints on the coffee table beside them. Amanda looked carefully, then pointed.

  ‘This woman.’

  ‘Your mother, Skorna.’

  ‘Is it? Yes, and this woman ... and this man and this man ... this woman and ... erm ... I think ... this man.’

  ‘So that’s your mother, aunt Lughesven, uncle Droggerys, father Ughel, aunt by marriage, and aunt’s husband.’

  ‘Are they? All right. There might have been others, but they were too deep in the shadows to see their faces.’

  ‘Good. This, together with your great-grandmother, is the list, then, of the people who knew about The Grimoire, say, three to five years after the fire. That doesn’t necessarily mean any of them took it.’

  ‘They are the most likely culprits,’ replied Amanda.

  ‘Yes, so which of them was present the night it passed out of Growan House hands?’

  Hogarth looked at Thomas. Silence fell.

  Amanda stared into the fire. Only the sound of the flames could be heard. The wind in the chimney had dropped. The birds were silent. Finally,

  ‘There’s only one way,’ she said, then looked up at them. ‘I have to go back.’ Hogarth and Thomas kept quiet. ‘Back to the night of the fire. I’m the only one that can do it.’

  The men returned to their chairs. Hogarth leaned forward, forearms on his knees.

  ‘Do you understand how risky this is, Amanda? Riskier than any of the previous forays into the past.’

  ‘It’s my timeline, isn’t it?' she replied quickly. ‘If I make the wrong move, one or both of my progenitors could die, and I’ll never have been born.’

  ‘Yes,’ acknowledged Hogarth simply.

  ‘Well ... all I need to do is to observe and not be seen. Because any member of any of the three clans will kill me on sight, right?’

  Hogarth did not dress it up. ‘Yes.’

  ‘Even though I’m technically a Cardiubarn.’

  ‘You could try introducing yourself, but you’d probably get as far as ‘Hello, I’m ....’ before you found yourself joining your dear transitioned grandparents,’ he replied, injecting a lighter note.

  She gave a half-smile at that.

  ‘Yes. And if I die there, I won’t come back here?’

  ‘As far as my understanding of these things goes, no, no, you won’t.’

  Amanda cuddled Tempest as though for comfort.

  ‘So if it’s curtains there, it’s curtains here.’

  ‘Indeed.’

  ‘All right, got it.’ Amanda’s voice took on a stronger, more resolute tone. ‘So ... how do I do this?’

  Trelawney joined the conversation.

  ‘Are you sure about this, Miss Cadabra?’

  ‘I am,’ Amanda replied firmly.

  ‘In that case .... You’ll need to blend in. How about if you dress all in black? In the dark and the chaos, you could just be taken for one of the Flamgoynes. If Pasco is to be believed, there were plenty of them at the attack that night.’

  Amanda accepted this with a nod. ‘Good idea, Inspector. All right. How do I see and not be seen?’

  Hogarth took a folded piece of paper from his pocket.

>   ‘Peter gave me this diagram. See this door? It’s the east door. If you come in through here, look to your right. On the same wall as the door, is a long coat rack for the family, teachers and students. Young Frongar Dowrkampyer wore a long black coat which would have been hanging here if he weren’t wearing it. There should be other long winter coats too. You could hide behind them.’

  ‘So,’ Amanda summarised efficiently, ‘I just have to get into the house and hide there, watch what happens and get out without being seen or … hit by a stray spell or overcome by the fire and smoke?’

  ‘Not mincing matters, yes. I want you to understand the dangers before you agree, Amanda.’

  She sat, thoughtfully looking at her hands, then into the flames. Suddenly Amanda looked up at Mike.

  ‘I’ll do it. I understand, you see. I understand what Lucy went through. I know what it’s like to be a child and be alone in peril. I know only a taste of what happened to Lucy. It doesn’t matter about the grimoire. Lucy, all five of them, need to know what happened that night. I can do this, Uncle Mike. For Lucy. I can do this for Lucy.’

  ‘My dear.’ He came over and hugged her. ‘Thank you. From all six of us.’

  ‘When?’ asked Amanda.

  ‘Tomorrow night.’

  ‘Kali moon?’

  ‘Yes,’ Hogarth confirmed.

  ‘If only,’ she said wistfully, ‘like Kali, I could destroy the forces at work that night and protect the innocent.’

  ‘The innocent got out,’ he reminded her.

  ‘Perhaps they were protected then. Yes. I'll be ready.’

  ‘Right. To business. You’ll need to get some black clothing. Thomas will help you. He remembers the Flamgoyne get-up. Alright, Thomas? Outfit for Amanda.’

  ‘And for me,’ Trelawney responded firmly, ready for the inevitable protest.

  ‘Why, Inspector?’ demanded Amanda, with echoes of her grandmother’s imperious tones.

  ‘I’m coming with you,’ he stated.

  ‘Oh no, you’re not,’ she countered hotly.

  ‘Oh, yes I am.’

  ‘It’s too dangerous,’ Amanda insisted. ‘And that’s your timeline too.’

  ‘I was already born,’ he pointed out, irrefutably. ‘It’s actually safer for me than for you.’

  Amanda was reduced to, ‘Yes, but —’

  ‘No “buts”. I need to be there. Look what happened last time you —’

  ‘Yes,’ she agreed hastily. ‘Very well, but just inside the time portal.’

  ‘Agreed.’

  ‘Fine.’

  Hogarth grinned, having watched this school-playground exchange with considerable amusement. ‘I anticipated as much. Here’s the budget.’ He handed an envelope to Thomas.

  Trelawney opened it and showed it to Amanda. She looked at Hogarth.

  ‘Good grief. We shan’t need all that.’

  ‘Get whatever you require,’ Hogarth replied soothingly.

  ‘We’ll bring back the change,’ said Amanda correctly.

  ‘And I’ll get receipts wherever possible,’ added Trelawney.

  Hogarth laughed. They were like two children sent off to buy a pint of milk at the local shop.

  ‘If you wish. Now. I must get on. I have another coat to get on the dining-room walls and the skirting to do before bedtime. Feeling rested, Amanda?’

  ‘Yes, thank you, Uncle Mike.’

  ‘Good. Thomas, if you’ve nothing urgent on at the station, take Amanda for a nice drive and a nice relaxing dinner by the sea.’

  ‘I’m not sure how much I can eat,’ replied Amanda.

  ‘You’ll be hungry again. You’ll see. Ok, Thomas?’

  ‘Yes, of course. And I think, Miss Cadabra, I should stay with you tonight.’

  ‘Really?’ she asked doubtfully.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘I was about to suggest that’ said Mike.

  Amanda looked from one to the other.

  ‘Well … if you think it’s important. You’ll be comfortable, Inspector?’

  ‘Perfectly. My father’s cottages have excellent mattresses.’

  She laughed. Then fell silent. Suddenly Amanda mused, ‘There was a storm that night, wasn’t there?’

  ‘The night of the attack? Yes,’ responded Hogarth curiously.

  ‘Hm. Oh well, I’ll try not to get struck by lightning!’

  ‘Good move. Until tomorrow night, you two. Here for dinner … and then ….’

  Amanda felt better for the sea breeze and tang of salt on her lips. Clouds were gathering out to sea, sailing landward, threatening rain. But Amanda and Trelawney were in luck and not a drop fell, though the light dimmed.

  Chapter 43

  Gearing Up

  The following morning, Trelawney conveyed Amanda and, of necessity, Tempest to Plymouth. Her familiar, however, soon proved his worth. The expedition would have been extremely protracted, if he had not conducted them to just the right stores in Drake’s Circus, the one charity shop, the one stall and the one independent down a side-street, that stocked precisely what they required. With only one tea break and the minimum of time awaiting one another outside dressing-rooms, Amanda and Trelawney amassed all of their sartorial needs for the night’s work ahead.

  They soon forgot the gravity of their purpose and began to enjoy the ruse, of looking for outfits for a theme party, with which Trelawney regaled the sellers and shop assistants.

  Being careful to pay in cash, so as to leave no paper trail, they purchased, for Amanda, a long black skirt and blouse, as well as an ankle-length coat with a hood. Black gloves and black boots completed the ensemble.

  ‘Best if you keep the hood up, if you can without impeding your field of vision,’ Trelawney advised her.

  For the inspector, they found a black suit with black rollneck and a long black coat. Amanda couldn’t help remarking that it became him very well.

  Tempest looked the humans up and down, and thought, hm, don’t expect me to dress in black.

  During the day, the cloud cover grew thicker and the air humid, and both Amanda and Trelawney were relieved when their task was over. However, Tempest’s ulterior motive for smoothing their path became apparent. He made it clear that he desired a visit to a certain gourmet food establishment some 20 minutes out of town, and what his requirements were once they arrived.

  Nevertheless, appreciating his help during the morning, Amanda willingly handed over the money for his chosen delicacies. Trelawney looked a trifle scandalized at the bill.

  ‘It’s all right,’ she reassured him. ‘I brought some spending money. I don’t often take holidays.’

  ‘I can see why. I wouldn’t be able to afford them either if I had to support his habits.’

  She laughed.

  Trelawney dropped witch and familiar home, encouraging Amanda to rest so as to be fresh for later.

  ‘I have to admit, efficient as our trip was, I am exhausted. I’m not used to shopping. Although considering what we’ll be doing later, I shouldn’t think I could sleep a wink.’

  Nevertheless, once she had consumed a cup of tea and a gingernut and had Tempest’s example of profound slumber beside her, Amanda fell into a doze and did not awaken until 5 o'clock. The room felt stuffy. She opened a window, but the air outside was no better, damp and warm under a lid of dark cloud.

  Amanda showered, dressed, put on subtle makeup, cut the tags off her new clothes and put them all into one bag. She sat on the sofa, cuddling Tempest and watching the clock, until Senara and Perran appeared either side of her. Amanda looked at them with relief.

  ‘Oh, I’m glad you’re here.’

  ‘You’ll be fine once you’re on stage, bian,’ said Grandpa hearteningly.

  Granny was more frank.

  ‘I’m not going to tell you you’ll be all right. Because we don’t know. But if you’re careful and look for your chances, you may come out of it alive.’

  ‘The important thing,’ replied Amanda, ‘is that I come out of it wi
th the knowledge of what happened,’ replied Amanda.

  ‘Well, both are good,’ tempered Grandpa, ‘but if you can only do one thing, then bring yourself back out of there.’

  ‘Are you sure you don’t know anything about what happened at Growan House?’ Amanda asked.

  ‘I told you, love, it happened long after your granny and I ran off into the sunset, and we didn’t come back here until you were about to be born.’

  Granny folded her gloved hands and turned to face her granddaughter.

  ‘You can always tell Michael Hogarth that you’ve changed your mind and he can sort out his own love life!’

  ‘But it isn’t just that, is it?’ responded her granddaughter. ‘I need to know where that grimoire is, if I’m to have any chance of a cure for my asthma. But no. It isn’t even that. Lucy deserves to know what happened that night. And I’m the one person that can give that to them.’

  Senara had known full well that suggesting to Amanda that she abandon her purpose would serve to strengthen her resolve. ‘It’s no good, Granny. I’m going to do this.’

  ‘Sure, bian?’ asked Perran.

  ‘Yes, and the inspector will be here in a minute. I must put on my coat and shoes.’

  ‘We’ll be off then.’

  Amanda nodded, feeling she must reassure her grandparents.

  ‘You’ll see. I’ll be fine.’ She stood up, Senara and Perran melted into the ether and Tempest reluctantly roused himself. They were standing at the open door when Trelawney drew up.

  It was growing darker, even though it was some time until sunset.

  The inspector came to meet her, took Amanda’s bag, put it in the boot and opened the car doors for her and Tempest. Her familiar was snoozing in his blanket before they reached the end of the road.

  ‘Rested?’ he asked Amanda.

  ‘Yes, thank you. Feeling rather excited. Not sure I can eat dinner.’

  ‘Have a little now and the leftovers afterwards,’ Trelawney suggested.

  ‘You think there’ll be an afterwards? You sound very sure.’

  ‘Let’s expect the best. You’ll have Tempest with you. And you’ll have me,’ Trelawney pronounced with mock grandeur. That provoked a small smile.