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.Which reminded her.‘Er – exactly how well do you know Zillah Flanagan?’‘We’re good friends – I’ve known her for a few years.We’re much the same age.I like her a lot – we have a giggle when we get together.Why? Oh, she’s your neighbour now, of course.’Amber nodded.‘Her cottage is amazing.And she’s lovely – but, well, I think she’s lonely – and now that everyone is trying to convince me that astral magic really works, I was thinking about Cassiopeia and the lost love thing and ’‘For God’s sake, whatever else you’re thinking of, don’t try to star-wish her and Timmy Pluckrose together!’ Mitzi shuddered.‘A match made in hell.Smashing people, both of them, but totally wrong for each other.And I’ve already told Zil never to settle for second best.’Amber refrained from saying that she had very different plans for Timmy Pluckrose.‘Oh, no – it was nothing like that.Actually, I was wondering if you knew anything about Lewis’s father?’‘Nothing at all.Zillah’s never mentioned him.I think he may have been a youthful mistake, maybe not even a longstanding boyfriend, just a fling – or maybe he was married – whatever, it’s always been a no-go area.Oh crikey, Amber, you’re not going to dabble, are you?’‘No – no, of course not.But everyone has been telling me how the stars can make impossible things happen, so I thought I’d put it to the test.’‘OK,’ Mitzi perched against a rocking chair.‘Now let me give you a bit of friendly – very friendly – advice.This magic stuff, whether herbal or astral, is not to be taken lightly.It’s not a game.You have no idea what you may unleash.And seriously, if you’re thinking of trying to conjure up some man from Zillah’s past who she clearly wants to forget, simply as an experiment, then I must warn you against it, love.Honestly.And then there’s Lewis to consider …’As Amber hadn’t considered much other than Lewis since they’d first met this wasn’t difficult.‘No, really,’ Mitzi obviously saw the gleam in Amber’s eyes.‘He’s grown-up, clearly extremely happy and well adjusted, with just Zil.He may have all sorts of issues about his long-lost father turning up.’‘He has,’ Amber admitted.‘He got quite angry about it.He says he doesn’t want to know.’‘There you are then, best leave it well alone.You can certainly wish that Cassiopeia will make some wonderful man come along and sweep Zillah off her feet and make her as happy as she deserves to be, but please lay off asking for Lewis’s father to make an appearance, or pairing Zil with Timmy, OK? Too dangerous.Anyway, love, lecture over – and just in time.Looks like the funeral’s over, too.’As Amber circulated with plates and napkins and a suitably sympathetic expression, it became clear that Bertha Hopkins had left no close relatives and that the assembled crowd in the back parlour were either friends of an age to enjoy a good funeral, or distant nephews and nieces all keen to get a share of the pickings, such as they were.Slo, looking sombre and exactly like a Central Casting funeral director, helped himself to a Wild Endive Whirl from her piled plates.‘Not a bloody tear from one of ’em.Disgusting.Me and the girls –’ he nodded his head in the direction of Constance and Perpetua who were also dressed top to toe in Edwardian black outfits complete with veils ‘–worked the crowd as ’ard as we could – gave ’em the real tear-jerkers, all the dirges and that – and not so much as a snuffle.Bloody disgusting.We felt right failures, I can tell you.It ain’t a proper funeral unless the congregation is all prostrated with grief.’Amber looked at the crowd round the table.They were all chatting merrily as if they were at a birthday party, drinking non-stop and laughing immoderately.It didn’t seem right.‘Ask young Mitzi to slip ’em all one of the specials,’ Slo lowered his voice.‘She makes ’em for us just in case it looks as if we ’aven’t done our job proper.And –’ he looked over his shoulder ‘– if our Constance or Perpetua asks, you ’aven’t seen me, OK?’He sidled round the outside of the room and sloped off into the garden.Doing as she was told, Amber found Mitzi deep in conversation with two elderly ladies dressed in drooping frocks and crocheted cardigans and – surely not – cycle helmets draped in black crepe.‘My neighbours.’ Mitzi introduced them with a gentle smile.‘Lavender and Lobelia Banding.Lav, Lob – this is Amber Parslowe.My new assistant.’They all shook hands, hampered more than somewhat by the Bandings having towering pyramids of food on two plates each, and Amber gathered from Mitzi’s eye-language that mentioning the cycle helmets was a no-go conversational area and she’d make explanations later [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]