Prologue
“Cat, come here this instant! You need a bath, you naughty little sprite!” Marina bellowed, her usually playful demeanor replaced with growing frustration.
She chased after the little girl as she darted out of the bathroom. Cat’s laughter echoed through the house, racing around in her little pink polar bear patterned nightgown, her bare feet skimming over the worn wooden floor. The tiny redhead dodged around the furniture with an agility that belied her four years, sapphire eyes sparkling with mischief.
“No! I do a love spell!” she shouted back, her giggles filling the room. Rowena sat on the couch, trying to focus on the television, her face etched with annoyance.
“Right what’s all this then? That twat Tony Blair is announcing his resignation. I know you Americans can’t be bothered about it, but I’m trying to watch the telly” she said, her British accent sharp and clipped.
Her eyes flicked from the TV screen to the chaos unfolding in front of her, the remote clenched tightly in her hand.
“It’s about bloody time,” she muttered to herself, her irritation tempered with a hint of satisfaction.
The flickering image of the British Prime Minister continued to speak, but the words were drowned out by the commotion in the room. In a corner of the room shrouded in shadow, Delphine nursed a glass of whiskey, her eyes dark with grief. She watched the lively scene with a mixture of sadness and longing, her heart still raw from loss.
“Kitty Cat, please,” Delphine said, her voice cracking slightly. “It’s almost bedtime. Let’s not make this harder than it has to be.”
But Cat, undeterred, continued her game, her small body a blur of movement. Marina finally cornered her, scooping the child up with a triumphant laugh and delivering a flurry of tickles.
“Got you!”
Cat squealed with delight, wriggling in Marina’s arms.
“I want to do a love spell, Auntie Marina! Please?”
Marina sighed, her exasperation melting into affection.
“Tomorrow, little one. Right now, you need a bath.”
As the house settled back into a semblance of calm, Rowena turned up the volume on the TV, leaning forward with keen interest. Olive entered the room, her apron dusted with flour and carrying a tray of brownies to the coffee table. The rich sweet chocolate aroma bloomed in the center of the room, laced with a touch of nutmeg and cinnamon.
Cat wiggled in Marina’s arms, reaching chubby hands towards the plate of brownies and grunting. Olive giggled and handed her a fudgy square, still warm. Melted chunks of chocolate dotted the top, smearing Cat’s fingers as she crammed a huge bite into her mouth. Marina opened her mouth and the little girl laughed when she chomped down on a corner of the brownie Cat offered.
“Don’t eat too much, Cat. Or you, Marina. You’ll get tummy aches,” Olive chided. She saw Delphine’s distant expression and moved to sit beside her, placing a gentle hand on her knee.
“The price of love is the pain we feel after they are gone,” she said softly. “But it means the love was real, Delphine.”
Delphine sighed, her eyes filling with tears.
“I know, Olive. It’s just... hard.”
Before she could say more, Cat, still in Marina’s arms, reached out to her.
“Auntie Delphie are you sad because of love?”
Delphine took a deep breath, composing herself. She pulled Cat into her lap, feeling the warmth of the child against her.
“Love is when you care about someone so much that you want to be with them all the time,” she said, her voice steady despite the tears. “Like I loved Auntie Jen.”
Cat’s eyes widened with understanding.
“I miss Auntie Jen,” she whispered.
Delphine hugged her tightly, the ache in her heart easing slightly.
“I miss her too, sweetheart. Every single day.”
Cat, with the simple wisdom of a child, wiped away Delphine’s tears.
“I can love great big and help you, Auntie Delphie. I want to love a whole big lot, just like you and Auntie Jen. I can do big strong love spells.”
Delphine smiled through her tears, her grief momentarily soothed by Cat’s innocent promise.
“I bet you can, Kitty Cat..”
Marina, seeing the tender moment, gently took Cat from Delphine’s lap.
“Alright, little love witch, it’s time for that bath now.”
Cat pouted but didn’t resist, her energy finally beginning to wane. As Marina carried her towards the bathroom, Cat’s head rested on her shoulder, her eyes drooping sleepily.
The living room grew quiet again, the only sound the soft murmur of the television and the occasional clink of Delphine’s glass as she set it down. Rowena glanced at the screen, where Tony Blair continued his speech, then turned her attention back to her chosen sisters.
“Love is a powerful thing,” Rowena mused, her voice thoughtful. “It can bring us to our highest highs and lowest lows. But it’s what makes life worth living.”
Olive nodded, her hand still resting on Delphine’s knee.
“And real love never truly leaves us. It’s always there, in our hearts, in our memories. That’s what keeps us going.”
Delphine smiled faintly, drawing strength from her sisters’ words. The pain of losing Jen was still there, but so was the love they had shared. And as long as she had that, she knew she could face whatever came next.
In the bathroom, Marina filled the tub with warm water, the steam curling up like wisps of magic. Cat sat on the edge, swinging her legs and chattering about the spell she wanted to try. Marina listened with a smile, her heart swelling with love for the spirited child.
“Tomorrow, we can do a love spell together,” Marina promised, helping Cat into the tub. “But tonight be a mermaid, please baby? We need to wash away the day’s adventures.”
Cat giggled, splashing water as Marina gently scrubbed her hair.
“I’m gonna do great big love magic,” the child whispered into a handful of bubbles and blew, sending a spray of foam, and the faintest shimmer of magic across the water.
