‘Thank you, Mrs Pagely, I'm sure it will be.’
‘Anyway, you enjoy your picnic. Oh, and Mr Branscombe is starting on the inspector’s flat and office —’
‘— on Tuesday.’
‘Yes, that's right,’ said the librarian, apparently surprised that Amanda already knew. ‘Well, I must get back. Have a nice time.’
‘Thank you, Mrs Pagely.’
Amanda and Tempest continued on their way. Presently they were climbing what had once been part of the night stairs of the 1000-year-old priory, long in ruins on the edge of the village.
They sat down on the makeshift platform that Amanda had fashioned, with the aid of magic some years before. She opened her plastic container of artisan smoked ham for Tempest and the beef and mustard sandwiches for herself. Amanda took a deep breath of early spring air and looked down at Sunken Madley.
Soon the apple trees would blush pale pink, and the wisteria would be in bloom around her cottage door. The gardens would be bobbing with golden daffodils and scarlet tulips, lobelias spilling indigo over the walls.
Amanda looked to the north, towards Hertfordshire and the hints of bright green beginning to clothe the bare trees. She took a bite of her sandwich and began to consider the questions that inevitably came to her mind in this place.
Department 14 ... so many unknowns about that. And Gwendolen … who would have guessed? How many more secrets did she have? Could she be the mysterious Wicc’Lord, the behind-the-scenes force for good? It would fit. After all, she was a woman, and more than half who had held that title, passed from teacher to student, had, historically, been female. Gwendolen had been in on Department 14 for decades. She knew about all the agents everywhere. Wow. Yes. Why not?
But there were other things to ponder. How did Gwendolen think Amanda would have her hands full at The Elms? And how would the new partnership with the inspector work? It was real now. She’d signed on the dotted line. What was the next move in finding The Grimoire with the antidote to her asthma? And what was all that other stuff the attackers went off with? Where did it go? Where was it now? And, importantly, what did it do?
Questions .... Chalice, bell, candle, books or boxes ... but most crucially: The Grimoire, the one hope of the asthma antidote, and what else besides? She had come so close to it. If she had done that once, surely she could do it again. Amanda pulled Tempest close, feeling his warmth and magical presence. She looked toward the west.
‘Whoever has got it, you’d better hide it well, you’d better bury it deep. Because I’m coming for it,’ said Amanda Cadabra.
The End
Author’s Note
Thank you for reading Amanda Cadabra and The Strange Case of Lucy Penlowr. I hope you enjoyed your visit to Cornwall and to Sunken. If the story gave you pleasure, I would love you to tell me your thoughts about your journey through the book. And if you could write a review, that would be tremendously helpful. You can post it on the e-store where you bought the book (if you’re not sure how to post a review on Amazon, there is a how-to on my website) or on Facebook, Twitter or your social platform of choice. It would mean a great deal to me.
Best of all would be if you dropped me a line at [email protected] so we can connect in person. If there is a character you especially liked or anything you would like more of, please let me know. Amanda Cadabra Book 7 is in the pipeline, and I want to make sure that all of the things that you liked about the first three books make an appearance for you.
For tidbits on the world of Sunken Madley and to keep up with news of the continuing adventures of our heroes Amanda, Tempest, Granny and Grandpa, Trelawney and Hogarth, visit www.amandacadabra.com, where you can also request to enter the VIP Readers Group or sign up for the newsletter to stay in touch and find out about the next sequel. The VIP Readers is a limited numbers group. Members are invited to receive and review an advance copy of the next book. If you are one of that treasured number, thank you for reading, evaluating and giving your precious feedback.
You can also find me on:
Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Holly-Bell-923956481108549/ (Please come and say hello. It makes my day when a reader does that.)
Twitter at https://twitter.com/holly_b_author
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.co.uk/hollybell2760/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hollybellac
Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18387493.Holly_Bell
and Bookbub at https://www.bookbub.com/profile/holly-bell
See you soon.
About the Author
Cat adorer and chocolate lover, Holly Bell is a photographer, video maker, and student of the Cornish language, when not writing. Whilst being an enthusiastic novel reader, Holly has had a lifetime's experience in writing non-fiction.
Holly devoured all of the Agatha Christie books long before she knew that Miss Marple was the godmother of the Cosy Mystery. Her love of JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings meant that her first literary creation in this area would have to be a cosy paranormal. If you would like to read an interview with Holly, you can find one here: Flora Meets Independent British Author Holly Bell
Holly lives in the UK and is a mixture of English, Cornish, Welsh and other ingredients. Her favourite animal is called Bobby. He is a black cat. Purely coincidental. Of course.
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Kim Brockway of Brockway Gatehouse Literary Services, for constant support, keen-eyed and intuitive editing and and to Flora for her ongoing encouragement and publicity,
