A Witch In Winter Read Online Free PDF Page B

be an old book of recipes but it’s half burnt.’
    ‘I don’t think it’s recipes,’ Liz said slowly, leafing through the pages. ‘It looks more like a spell book to me.’
    Prue snorted.
    ‘You’ve had too much cava, my dear. On top of all that talk about burning witches.’
    ‘Oh shut up,’ Liz said mildly. ‘Look at this if you don’t believe me.’
    ‘I can’t see anything by torchlight,’ said Prue. ‘Let’s go into the living room – it’ll be lighter by the fire.’
    The fire had died down to embers but there was still enough light to see by. We all knelt around the hearth trying to make out the crabbed, spidery writing. It was headed ‘ Harm gainst the Fayling Gripe and seemed to be a list of ingredients, most of them illegible or burned, followed by an incantation in what looked like Old English.
    ‘Wow!’ Even Prue was impressed. ‘It really is a spell book. Let’s have a look at the rest of it, Liz. I can’t say I’m particularly bothered by the Gripes so perhaps there’s something more useful. Hey, Anna, does your dad have any more cava?’
    I took the torch and went out to have a look. There was no more cava and I wasn’t about to venture down into the cellar in the dark, but there was a bottle of whisky in the kitchen cupboard. The wind was howling in the chimney in a way that sent a shiver down my spine, and the torch made a shadowy cavern of the high kitchen ceiling. Something moved stealthily up in the rafters and I shuddered, longing to get back to the company of the others. I took the whisky, trying not to run as I made my way back.
    ‘Sorry, only this.’
    ‘Yuck,’ said Prue. She gave a ladylike belch. ‘Well, better than nothing I suppose. Pour away.’
    ‘The book seems a bit too burned to be useful,’ said Liz, ‘but while you were occupied we did manage to find something a bit more to the point than the Gripes. Look at this!’
    She held out the page slightly less charred than the rest, and I saw the heading Charm to Kepe A Hufband: to kepe a Hufband Faithfull both in Oath and Heart, let Þe wyfe take a little of her Blod and in secrette mix to his Wine. He will never quitte her .

    ‘Great,’ I said. ‘When I get married I’ll be sure to do that. No doubt my huff-band will be thrilled.’
    ‘And look at what Prue found – an incantation to bind an object of desire! You should try it on Philip, June.’
    We all craned round to look at the page. Prue looked up, her broad face shining wickedly in the firelight.
    ‘Go on, let’s try it out! Listen.’ She began to read haltingly, stumbling over the crabbed letters and unfamiliar spelling: ‘To bind an object of desire, close as flesh to bone, as fish to sea, as flame to fire. When the moon waxeth, let the witch hold in her heart the beloved, even while she speak aloud the words of power.’
    She held out the book and we bent our heads, silently reading through the short phrase. The strange words reminded me of doing Beowulf at school. Tréowlufu – I knew lufu was love, so perhaps tréowlufu was true love. Ferhþ I didn’t recognize – I thought perhaps it was either faith or forever or something of that kind. Sáwol I had a feeling was something like soul. I couldn’t suppress a shudder. What were we asking – or promising – with these words?
    ‘Come on, let’s do it!’ Prue urged. Her face was shiny and scarlet with wine. I wondered if she had someone particular in mind. ‘We’ll all do it together.’
    ‘Oooh … go on then!’ Liz took another slosh of whisky.
    ‘I’ll do it if it’ll make Philip ask me out!’ June giggled, and then gave an almighty burp.
    ‘Anna?’
    I didn’t want to. I really, really didn’t want to. There was something sinister about the burnt-up book with its scratchy, spidery writing. I kept wondering who had last held it, and why they’d sealed it in the bread oven. Had they been trying to conceal it – or destroy it? Either way, someone had gone to a good deal