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Brutus blinked up at me with overly innocent eyes

‘You do reht earlobe ‘When I do that, you spring into action Got that?’

‘Food’

I counted to five in my head ‘Do this for me, Bruty baby, and you can have all the food you want I promise I’ll even et those fishy treats you like so much’

Brutus didn’t say anything else but he gave a loud purr That was the best answer I was going to get

Winter popped his head out of the door ‘We’re all good,’ he said He held out his arm ‘You’ll love my family, Ivy’

I took his arm Mmm I had my doubts If I made it out of here without any more bruises, I’d count that as a win I shook out my hair, drew in a deep breath and walked into Winter’s ancestral hoh It couldn’t be that bad

The first thing I noticed upon crossing the threshold was the smell: old-fashioned beeswax mixed with the aroma of home-baked bread I sed The kind of person who kneaded their own dough was not the kind of person I normally had much in common with Didn’t Winter’s parents know that supermarkets sold bread in handy sliced loaves?

The floor – a heavy cream carpet that estured at ht ostensibly be to avoid tracking in dirt but the action made me feel more relaxed Perhaps I should have come in my pyjamas

There was a great deal of shinythe staircase to ht to an old-fashioned bureau and various side tables onhouse; there was no sense of stark bleakness as there had been in Blackbeard’s place, but this place didn’t seeht of my oobbly pieces, most of which had been flatpack and inevitably had several screws rinned to myself

A couple appeared It didn’t take a genius to knoho they were The man possessed the same stiff spine that I’d often observed in Winter, coupled with a moustache which had been waxed to within an inch of its life Although he was retired, his smartly pressed jacket still bore thehis military career The woether with a reh to use cold cream every day since she was about three years old, or I could look forward to Winter’s skin reot more and more wrinkled Then I blinked as I realised what I’d been thinking I coether Well, well, well

Winter’s mother held out her arms ‘You must be Ivy I’e’ She drewwhich, I had to admit, was not what I’d expected ‘Raphael has told us so much about you’

My stomach dropped Which parts exactly? Had he told them that I was often too lazy to walk to the end of the road to buy ement with one of the kids who lived in a nearby flat? Had he mentioned that sometimes I turned my underwear inside out so I could wear it for another day without washing it? Maybe, I thought worriedly, he’d told them about the time I’d watched five episodes of Antiques Roadshow in a row because I didn’t knohere the remote control was and I couldn’t be bothered to look for it

I forced a sood, I hope!’

She s Uh oh

George, Winter’s father, obviously wasn’t the hugging type I supposed I should be grateful he didn’t salute; instead, he offered me his hand and, when I took it, squeezed mine until I was certain it was about to drop off ‘So,’ he said, ‘you’re a witch’

Retrieving ed a nod ‘Yes’

‘But you’re not in the Order’

‘No’

He regarded me with sharp eyes ‘You couldn’t handle the discipline?’

‘Father!’ Winter said, his brow creasing

‘So like that,’ I murmured

By lared icily down at him ‘That is not Princess Parma Periwinkle’