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‘It’s fine. We rehomed that visitor to Edward long ago. Last I heard it was happily helping on his ghost tours and haunting puppets in the theatre.’

Mia shook that thought off and concentrated on her delayed dinner. The cup, when she took a sip, was filled with fragrant, herb-laden tomato soup. ‘This is delicious. You undersell your talents.’

‘What is it?’ Katie peered into the cup.

‘Soup.’

‘Interesting choice.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I didn’t make the soup,’ Ophelia explained. ‘The cup did.’

‘You mean it’s an instant soup? Which brand? It’s delicious.’

‘Not exactly. It’s a cornucup.’

‘A cornucup?’

‘Like cornucopia,’ Katie explained. ‘You add liquid, and it adjusts to whatever the drinker wants it to be.’

Mia stared at the cup – and the red-brown liquid that slowly steamed within it – watching as the green herbs calmly rearranged themselves into a heart. She swallowed hard. ‘Anything?’

‘Well, anything that would usually come in a cup, obviously.’

‘Obviously.’ She took another sip. ‘Hang on, all these years I’ve been bringing over bottles of wine and you had this?’

‘It doesn’t work for alcohol. That would be irresponsible.’

‘Of course it would.’ Mia shook her head.

‘It’s OK.’ Ophelia patted her knee reassuringly. ‘You can take as much time as you need to get used to all this. It’s a lot to take in.’

‘Yeah, it really is.’ She sighed.

‘That reminds me. Phe, Mia wanted to ask you something.’ Katie ignored Mia’s mumbles as she chewed frantically. ‘She said sex with Aiden has been unusually intense and wondered if it’s a normal magic thing?’

Mia’s cheeks were burning hot as she swallowed under Ophelia’s gaze. This was somehow so much more awkward than the sex ed demonstrations she did for work.

‘Intense in what way?’

‘Like I can feel… more… than I’m used to when he touches me. Like little electric shocks, but nice ones.’ It didn’t even come close to explaining it, but she hoped it was good enough.

‘Is it only intimate touches?’

‘When we were down by the river, I saw a glow over the water when he held my hand. And when he hugged me, I saw it everywhere. He said it was living magic. It was beautiful.’

‘Can I have your hand?’

Mia put down her plate and gingerly rested her fingers against Ophelia’s cool ones.

‘Don’t worry, I’m not spelling you. I wouldn’t do that without permission. I’m just testing a theory. Can you look at Katie’s necklace for me, and tell me what you see?’

‘A silver fairy sitting in a bluey-silvery moon?’ She’d seen the necklace hundreds of times before.

‘Nothing different about it?’

‘No. Should there be?’