Mathilda, SuperWitch (Mathilda's Book of Shadows #1)(16)

Mavis broke in. “Luckily, dearest Algernon had a healthy imagination and made up most of it so convincingly, even under torture, that they believed him.” Clever Algernon. “Unfortunately, he gave away some of the real Prophesies too.” Uh-oh. “In the meantime, Sebastian’s great-great-great…?” Mavis stopped and looked at Ash.

“Great,” he said.

Mavis kept going. “Grandfather, Hamish Wilding, wrote The Myth of The Mathilda Register making it clear that all of what Algernon told was either made up or not prophesies at all, but history. Furthermore, he printed Mathilda Honeycutt, The Prophesies. In turn, his clever wife, Eleanora, put a spell on it.”

“Anyone who had a dark heart.” It was Sebastian’s turn. “Read stories of how most of The Prophesies either went unfulfilled or had already happened. That the Mathilda they’d thought was one person was really many Mathildas over the centuries, starting with Mathilde de Flambert and ending in 1698 with Mathilda Winterbottom one of the Witchfinder General’s victims during The Burning Times.”

Now Mavis. “For those who didn’t have a dark heart, but were pure –”

“And magical,” Sebastian cut in.

“They could read The Prophesies in one-heart-stoppingly brilliant volume,” Mavis finished.

“It worked,” Sebastian added. “Over the years, as it took longer and longer for you to make an appearance and for any of The Prophesies to come true, people began to believe it was all legend, just myth.”

“But if that’s the case, why are people after me?” I asked.

“Oh, darling, not because they think you are The Mathilda but just that you are A Mathilda and therefore, well, I think they believe it’s better safe than sorry.”

Great.

“How do you know it’s me?”

Mavis threw her head back and laughed.

The she stated, “You, my girl, are unmistakably The Mathilda.”

I didn’t know what this meant but decided to pursue it later.

“But these people who are after Rory,” I said. “They mentioned The Mathilda Register in front of Josephine.”

Mavis looked at Sebastian who in turn looked at me and said, “That isn’t good news.”

You’re telling me.

18 January

Update

(Cannot face another marathon writing session.)

Rory:

Is okay.

Living with us, going to school, watches his Mom constantly thinking she’s going to off herself. Josie (my nickname for Josephine) wants us to let him think that rather than worrying about bad guys trying to off him!

He makes me sad so I’m stuffing his face. Mavis says to back off as he will weigh three hundred pounds and be bullied if I don’t. (What does Mavis know? The boy needs love and nothing says love like an enormous sugar cookie with lashings of powdered-sugar icing. Especially when he gets to help me make them.)

Cosmo:

Has become potty-trained after massive effort by Mavis, Lucinda, Josephine, Rory and Myself (and Ash singlehandedly taught the dog how to sit by saying, sharply in his deep voice, “Sit!” and the dog sat but then so did everyone else in the room).

Josephine:

Just finished the notice she gave on the jobs and is working with us in the café (must admit this is very helpful, as, unlike many of the coven members, she can bake).

Also living with us – Mavis handled her landlord who is a “friend”.

Josie, without having to worry constantly about the untimely death of herself and/or her son, has gotten the color in her cheeks, lost the bags under her eyes, put on a pound or two and got the shine back in her hair.

In other words, the bitch is a looker.

Ash says good morning to her every time she comes into the kitchen in the morning wearing a little nightie and short robe.

He never says good morning to me, just reads his paper, or, if I’m lucky, looks at me warily like I might mistakenly blow up the kitchen or something.

BecBec:

Is on my shit list (has been since taking me to see Rory and Josephine for what seemed to be no apparent reason other than to upset me).

Keeps zooming around and keeping me awake at night and babbling at me.

I tried to start faerie-speak lessons by walking over to a table and pointing at it and saying, “Table. Table. Table.” But when I motioned it was BecBec’s turn, she said (in high-pitched squeal), “Eek-eeeeek-eek-eek.” I don’t think they call a table that but what do I know?

Lucy:

Likes Josephine, dotes on Rory, doesn’t have much time for Cosmo. “Bloody dog… why didn’t he get a cat?”

Made this fabulous red cake with this luscious, whippy, creamy frosting that may be my new most favorite cake in the whole, wide world.

Mavis:

In hog heaven.

Café seems to be going well, her regulars came back and we have a few new regulars (Mavis: “Thank the goddess, The Gables, darling, is hell to heat.”)

She’s pleased with my progress in The Craft.

She gets a real kick out of Rory and gets to mother Josie, who needs her soft touch. Josie may be getting color into her cheeks but she’s still pretty jumpy and fragile.

I tried and failed to get more info out of Mavis about Dad, Granddad, Le Société, Mathilda’s Register, being one hundred and eleven etcetera but she said we’ll have another session later and, “There is only so much a girl can take.”