Abby the Witch by Odette C. Bell Page A

after all, what was their story? But he refused
to meet her eye.
    The woman
motioned for the two of them to follow her then led them into the
large open kitchen. A fire was burning in the hearth and a large
solid table was set in front of it.
    With every
step, Abby knew with growing certainty that this was not her time.
Somehow, through the break in that terrible storm, she'd
travelled back in time.
    If Ms Crowthy
existed in this time, Abby could be sure of one thing – she would
be travelling here right now to clap Abby around the ears for being
a terribly bad witch. For, not only had Abby clearly landed herself
in an adventure, but she'd gone and found a strapping male
companion to boot. But worse than both of those, Abby had taken on
the most powerful force in the universe – Time. Abby was a very,
very bad witch.
    They sat down
at the table, the woman insisting on Abby sitting as close to the
fire as possible. Which of course meant Abby was roasting. She
wasn't sick, after all, just extremely strung-out at the prospect
that she'd somehow saved Mrs Hunter's son only to drag him back
through time to heaven knows when.
    She was
relieved to note that Charlie was curled up by the fire. He looked
up as she sat down and gave her a very knowing look. It said 'we've
travelled back in time, but hey, look, here's a fire, so I guess
everything is okay for now'. Abby smiled at him and fought the urge
to scoop him up and hug him tighter than she'd ever done
before.
    'Alright you
two, you can start by telling me what you were doing up on that
cliff in that terrible little storm? Weren't eloping, were you?'
Their host asked cheekily as she cut the bread into hearty
slices.
    Abby blushed
into her bowl of soup all the more for the little laugh Pembrake
gave as he answered: 'No ma'am.'
    'May I ask
what your name is?' Abby half-whispered, before the woman could
make any more insinuations.
    'Oh you're so
polite!' the woman reached over and actually pinched Abby's cheek.
'It's Martha, dear. You've been lucky with this one, 'she winked at
Pembrake, 'right little sweetheart and no mistake.'
    Pembrake
nodded, his expression neutral apart from the small curl at the
side of his eyes. 'Indeed.'
    'So, what's
your story then?' Martha passed round the bread and then ripped off
a chunk of her own and dunked it into her soup. 'Bet it's a good
one.'
    Abby smiled
nervously. 'Well-'
    'I rescued her
off the ship,' Pembrake finished off her sentence coolly. 'She was
travelling with us when the storm hit.'
    Martha's eyes
lit up with the sheer romantic possibilities of Pembrake's story.
'My word! What a lucky girl you are!' she turned to Abby and nodded
enthusiastically. 'Being rescued by such a handsome man!'
    Abby just
nodded back at her mutely. It wasn't exactly the version of events
she remembered.
    'Maybe you can
help us with a discussion we were having earlier,' Pembrake
interrupted Martha's twittering politely, but firmly, 'do you mind
if I ask you a question?'
    Martha nodded
happily, probably sure that if she went along with Pembrake's
question, he'd fill her in on more details of his heroic rescue.
'Of course, ask away!'
    'What's the
date?'
    Abby shot
another quick look across at him, but he continued to look calmly
at Martha.
    'The date?'
Martha's grey eyebrows flattened in surprise.
    'Yes.'
    'It's a
Tuesday.'
    'Tuesday the
what?' Pembrake pressed.
    'Tuesday the
1 st of April, the Year of the Pearl.'
    'The Year of
the Pearl?'
    'That's
right.'
    '28 years
before the Year of the Rose?'
    Martha
regarded Pembrake's observation with a confused sideways glance at
Abby. 'Well yes,' she mumbled.
    Pembrake
slowly placed his spoon down on the table beside his steaming bowl
and finally met Abby's gaze. 'Oh.'

Chapter 5
    Abby waited
for Pembrake to speak again, a stream of witchly wisdom running
through her head. He couldn't just leave it at 'oh'; travelling
back in time was worth more than a muted exclamation.
    According to
the kind old woman before them,