Page 1 of Blackmail and Broomsticks
Chapter 1
Something felt wrong when I woke up. The sunshine streamed through a gap in my curtains, creating a dazzling path across the floor and my bed. That in itself wouldn’t be too bad. Sleeping until ten, which I guessed it to be, was a luxury any perimenopausal woman, no, make that any woman juggling household, job, and family, would welcome. I barely remembered when I last had the opportunity, despite being recently divorced and the mother of a university student.
The truly ominous sign that got to me was the silence. Tension rose in my body as I heaved myself out of bed. My bedroom showed no sign of a sleek black cat. Cosmo Merlin de Beaufort, my familiar and mentor in the art of witchcraft, should have been here, cracking a metaphorical whip over me.
Since I’d inherited him, the house which included the private lending library downstairs, and witchy powers from my Aunt Violet last fall, he’d been dictating my timetable. I’d become used to the touch of his paw or the impact of his full body weight when he jumped up next to me in the morning, on those rare occasions when he’d slept in oneof his own cat beds. They were strategically placed in different parts of the house, although he usually ended up claiming his share of my bed.
Where was he?
“Cosmo,” I called out as I dashed out of the room, trying to insert my arms into my bathrobe on the move. I almost had one arm in when I stepped onto the dangling bathrobe belt and tumbled forward, into the hallway.
For a heartbeat, my mind went blank. Then I felt a spell forming in my mind, like an echo. My fall slowed, I slammed down my hands and caught myself.
“Nice work, Bex.” Cosmo sauntered up to me from the kitchen and rubbed his head on my leg.
“It was,” I agreed, pleased with my fast reaction. The clumsiness was nothing new, but the subconscious resort to spells to save my skin (or self-esteem) was a work in progress. Then I remembered why I’d rushed around so fast that I’d tripped. “Where have you been?”
He stared at me with a wide-eyed gaze rivaling an ingénue. “Right here, of course.”
“I see that, but --” I broke off and scanned him from his whiskers to the tip of his tail. Was his fur less glossy, his voice less silky and superior? I had no idea how old he was, but allusions to his illustrious past and eras no living human could remember made me wonder how many of his nine lives he’d already finished.
I stroked his silky head. He turned tail and strolled into the kitchen, where I expected him to demand his breakfast. True to his aristocratic roots, Cosmo had a refined palate.
But, in another first that gave me yet more reason to pause, he hopped onto the chair next to mine. “You could do with coffee, and pancakes, and bacon.”
My mouth watered. “I will, as soon as you tell me what’s going on with you. I worry if you don’t act like yourself.”
“I always act like myself.” His tail swished.
More prying would be useless. I started the coffee maker and opened the fridge to take out the ingredients for my pancakes, waiting to hear his breakfast order while I whisked together eggs, milk, and flour. It didn’t come.
While my pancakes sizzled in the pan, I noticed the empty tuna can in a corner. Last night, it had been half full. “Did you help yourself?” I asked Cosmo.
His whiskers twitched. “It was either that or wake you up to feed me.”
“That’s a first. Maybe I should call the vet.” I reached for my phone.
“There’s no need. Don’t let your pancakes burn.”
I switched off the stove, grabbed the pan handle and slid the fluffy, golden pancakes onto a plate. Instead of bacon, I’d decided on blueberries. I eyeballed what would have been a feast if it wasn’t for the worry over my familiar.
He sighed. “Bex, I promise you, I’m fine. I wanted to surprise you.”
I sat down and cut off a piece of my first pancake.
He sighed again. “Why do humans complicate everything?”
“Humans in general or me, specifically?”
“Both. For months, you complain about me dragging you out of bed for your lessons, and today, when I let you sleep in on the one day the library stays closed in the morning, you’re not happy either.”
I wiped my mouth and kissed him on the forehead. “Poor you. I apologize.”
“Accepted. I’d also accept a few morsels of chicken.”
“You already had the tuna.”
“That was hours ago.” He sounded hurt.
