“Oh yeah,” Cassandra replied, smiling, “right.”
They both got up and moved from the room.
Belle picked up her coffee cup and took a sip of it’s now not so warm, but still thankfully, caffeinated contents.
“Can I ask at this juncture,” Olive enquired sounding perplexed and not at all happy to be that way, “what on earth you’re on about with ghosts, entities, reincarnation and Corvettes?”
Belle looked at her peeved face and couldn’t hold back a little giggle.
“I’ll explain it after I take Belle to work,” Jack replied.
“If you’re cracking up, Jack Bennett, I’ll need to inform the Board,” Olive said staunchly.
“If you inform the Board of one word uttered at this table I’ll need to reconsider the glowing appraisal I wrote on Friday,” Jack returned.
“Oh yeah,” Olive’s cheeks went pink, “right.” Then she looked at Belle and whispered loudly, “I’ll consider informing the Board after I get my rise and bonus.”
That was when Belle’s little giggle frothed forth as full blown laughter.
And since her laughter was full blown she missed Jack’s warm smile aimed at her.
But she didn’t miss the velvet feel that hit the room.
* * * * *
“Mate,” Belle heard and she stopped on her way to Jack’s study and turned to see Cassandra coming her way.
Jack was going to take her to work, it was well late and Belle was glad that Jack had hired Dirk for the past three and half weeks he’d been a godsend.
After breakfast, Belle had run to their room to do some finishing touches on getting ready and Jack had gone to his study to give Olive some instructions so she could start work while he was driving Belle into St. Ives.
“Hi Cassandra,” Belle greeted.
“You live in Crazy Land,” Cassandra replied, a smile on her face as she arrived at Belle. “I mean, Angus and I just did a job up in Devon and those people were pretty nutty but your parents…”
Her dark brown eyes were dancing and her words were borderline covetous.
“I know,” Belle said quietly, “I’m pretty lucky.”
“You are, mate,” Cassandra replied and her face gentled. “But with the good comes the bad.”
Belle looked into Cassandra’s kind eyes, pulled in a breath through her nose and nodded.
“Let’s be sure this ends good,” Cassandra went on and then held up a necklace. It was a thin, long, silver chain on which hung a small glass amulet surrounded by pretty filigreed silver and it looked like it was filled with baby pink powder. “I need you to wear this at all times,” Cassandra instructed.
Belle caught the amulet in her palm and Cassandra draped the chain over Belle’s hand.
“What is it?” Belle asked.
“Protection. An all-rounder. I don’t know what we might be up against so this is pretty powerful stuff. Should keep you safe from just about anything.”
Belle blinked at her. “Anything?”
Cassandra nodded. “Can’t stop a bullet but there are things it can stop. The powder in that amulet is fifteen years old. It’s fermented. In witchcraft, time is power, power is time. All the best spells, potions and protections have to agitate, the longer the better. Fifteen years, mate, means that powder’s like gold dust.
Belle stared at the fragile glass ball anxiously. “What if it breaks?”
“Belle,” Cassandra got close and grinned, “you think I’d put what amounts to protective gold dust in an unprotected vial? Nothing can break that amulet. Trust me.”