“I just came to pick up Alice’s things. She left without her coat or handbag.”

  He looked behind me and out to the street as though Alice might be hovering there. When he obviously didn’t see her he looked disappointed. “I can’t believe she just walked out on me this morning. It’s been chaos.”

  I bit my tongue before I could say, “Poor baby,” and murmured sympathetic noises.

  “So, she went to you did she? I didn’t think she’d gone far, not without her coat or any money.”

  I didn’t think it was right that he keep telling his customers that Alice was sick so I said, as gently as I could, “I’ve given her a job.”

  For a man I would call mild-tempered Charlie took an angry step towards me looking furious. “You did what? You stole my best employee? That’s not very neighborly of you.”

  “Alice told me she quit.”

  “Well she can’t quit. I refuse to accept her resignation. Or, at the very least, I demand two weeks’ notice.”

  I shook my head. “Come on, Charlie. You know you’re not going to do that. She’s upset.”

  He slumped into one of the cozy chairs he kept for customers and said, “Well, I’m upset, too. Honestly, I don’t know what’s got into Alice. She just announced she was leaving, without any proper explanation, or warning.”

  Had he not heard Alice? Perhaps I was marching in where angels would fear to tread, but I did feel involved in this romance, such as it was. I was the one who’d organized the love potion after all. I said, “Charlie, Alice has feelings for you. You can’t expect her to keep working here day after day when you don’t return her regard.”

  He crossed his arms over his chest and looked quite huffy. “What do you mean I don’t return her regard? I think very highly of Alice. She is a most efficient woman, makes excellent cakes, is never late and all my customers think the world of her.”

  I couldn’t help but smile. “Well, if I was looking for a recommendation from her previous employer, I guess I just got one.”

  “This is ridiculous. She doesn’t want to work for you. She’s happy here.”

  “If she’s so happy, why did she quit?”

  “Because she’s irrational.”

  “Because she loves you?”

  He shook his head, looking sad. “She’s been here three years. It’s never stopped her before. I blame this time of the year. Valentine’s and all that nonsense.” He waved a hand around. “Look at that. She’s made an entire display of love stories. On the front table, right near the door. They’re all there, the Brontës, Jane Austen, Shakespeare’s love sonnets and a load of modern books that I certainly never ordered all covered in pink jackets. I ask you. No wonder it’s made her suddenly romantic. As soon as February is over I’m sure this momentary madness will pass.”

  All I could think was poor Alice. Not only did Charlie appear not to return her feelings, he didn’t seem to have any respect for love at all. I said, “I’ll take her things now. If you let me know when her final paycheck is ready, I’ll come and pick it up.”

  “Why can’t she get it herself?”

  “I don’t think she wants to come into the shop.” Though, presumably they’d be seeing each other at today’s rehearsal of the play.

  “Tell her I’ll mail it,” he snapped.

  Chapter 12

  When I returned to the shop it was to find Violet staring at Alice and looking eager. I did not like it when Violet looked like that. Her last bout of eagerness had ended in the love potion fiasco. And every time she forced me to one of the coven’s potlucks or solstice events I seemed to make a fool of myself. I much preferred Violet when she was yawning and pretending to tidy the shelves while really checking her watch to see how soon she could go home.

  Meri was a much more efficient assistant but, sadly, Meri was going back to Egypt with Pete. I'd seen the way they'd looked at each other and I suspected that if she came back at all, it wouldn't be to work in my shop.

  Alice was tidying the mohair section and looking distressed. Before I could ask what was going on, she saw her coat and handbag in my arms and asked, eagerly. "How was Charlie? Does he miss me?"

  I couldn't lie to her. "He misses your efficiency. He doesn't seem to know where you keep the special orders when they come in, and he nearly had a temper tantrum when he found out I'd given you a job."

  She looked delighted and clasped her hands to her heart. "So he does care."

  "Honestly, I think he misses his efficient assistant. Which isn't to say he won't end up realizing that he cares for you. But you have to give him time."

  "And a makeover," Violet said quite firmly.

  No wonder she’d been looking so eager. "What's all this about a makeover?" I asked.

  Before Alice could speak, Violet said, "I've been telling Alice how pretty she is. But she doesn't make the most of herself. With decent makeup, a new hairstyle, clothes that actually fit, she'd be a knockout."

  Alice blushed and shook her head. "But that's not me. I want Charlie to love me for who I am, not what I look like."

  Violet looked impatient. She put her hands on her hips and said, "Lucy. Tell her."

  I was certainly no expert in the whole male-female thing but I did have an opinion. "I think Alice is right. We need to feel comfortable with who we are. The man who loves us should see us as we are."

  Alice looked happy and Violet looked petulant at my words. I continued, "However, I do think you might try wearing a sweater that's the right size. I'm sure you can find something that's comfortable and looks less… baggy."

  Violet clasped her hands in front of her. "Please. Oh please, just do that." She ran to the rack where we kept completed sweaters that were for sale. Since my vampire knitters were so quick with the needles I always had a good selection. Violet flipped through them.

  She glanced at Alice and then at the sweater in her hand. She checked its size and nodded. "Try this one." It was a simple black sweater with a scoop neck in the softest cashmere. The garment wasn't tightfitting or revealing in any way but it was stylish. Sylvia had knitted that one, so I knew it would be exceptional.

  "Oh, I don't know," Alice said, but when Violet handed her the sweater and her hands touched the beautiful softness she said, "Well, maybe I could just try it on."

  I sent her into the back and we waited. When she came out we both nodded, enthusiastically. "That looks great on you," Violet said. I had to agree. It made her look young and stylish and hinted at a figure that I thought most men would consider spectacular. Both of us were too smart to comment on the figure-showcasing qualities of the sweater, though. We told her how flattering it was with her coloring and hair.

  She looked at herself in the mirror and her eyes sparkled. "Yes. I love it. I'll take it."

  I refused to take her money and told her it was a signing bonus for agreeing to teach classes.

  She looked down at herself. "But it doesn't look very good with the skirt, does it?"

  Violet shook her head. "Do you have some jeans? Everyone has jeans. Wear those. And boots or some decent shoes."

  "All right. Yes."

  Alice and I were supposed to go up to the college for rehearsal at four o’clock. I wasn't certain whether Alice would go, knowing that Charlie would be there but she was made of sterner stuff. She went home to change, Vi went off to have dinner with Lavinia, her grandmother, and I finished up my paperwork.

  I’d deliberately left my cell phone in my upstairs flat so I wouldn't be tempted to check my messages. However, I could only be so strong. The first thing I did when I got upstairs to get ready to leave for the rehearsal was to check the messages. Sure enough, Ian had phoned twice. A stronger woman would delete his messages without listening to them.

  I discovered I wasn’t that strong. The first message said, “Lucy. It’s Ian. I can’t even explain what happened last night.” He let out a noisy breath. “I hate trying to talk to you on a message. Can we meet? Just a coffee or something? Ring me.”

  Hardly groveling and if there was an apology, I hadn’t heard it. However, I did hear the confusion in his tone and had to accept that part of this mess was of my own doing.

  Still, I deleted both messages. In a couple of days, when the potion had worn off, then I’d talk to him, when I knew he was back to himself.

  I could feel the tension crackling in the air when I walked into the rehearsal room. I wasn’t sure if it was my powers as a witch that made me discern the strange tension or whether it was so bad anyone would've noticed. Alice and Charlie were as far apart as they could get. Charlie looked longingly at Polly. Miles was making a nuisance of himself over Scarlett and Jeremy was trying to talk to Alice. The jokiness and fooling about were nowhere to be seen. Charlie was speaking to Will and even though I couldn't hear his words I could hear that the tone was clipped and edgy.

  I now understood why Ellen Barrymore tried to keep the actors from getting into romantic attachments with each other. What a bad work atmosphere it created.

  When Scarlett saw me she came running over, leaving Miles in mid-sentence. "Lucy. I've been waiting for you. Can you run my lines with me? Please?"

  I reminded myself that it wasn't her fault that she was acting this way towards me. She was under a spell, partly of my making, so I tried to be generous. I said I would. She ran back and Miles immediately took her aside and began speaking to her in a low voice and not, I was fairly certain, about the play.

  Liam, the actor playing Puck came and stood beside me and his gaze followed mine to where the tableau of clashing male egos was taking place. He shook his head and quoted, "What hempen home-spuns have we swaggering here?”

  I giggled. He was the perfect choice for Puck. Small and wiry, with a wicked sense of humor. I wasn't certain, but I thought I recognized him from the winter solstice event. That didn't mean he was a wizard, of course. He could just be curious. Still, when he gave me a wink, I felt nervous as though he might be perfectly aware that it wasn't the tensions of the play causing the bad atmosphere but a witch-concocted love potion.

  Alice hadn't had any sort of makeover, but she had taken her hair down and brushed it into shining curls. With the correctly-sized black sweater and decent jeans and boots she looked better than I’d ever seen her.

  Jeremy seemed besotted with her. He’d clearly used the same strategy to get Alice alone that Scarlett had used with me. He’d asked her to run lines with him. Charlie watched him with a strange expression on his face. I got the feeling that even if he didn't want Alice, he didn't think anyone else should have her either.

  Beside me, Liam chuckled again. Then he rubbed his hands together. "Oh this is going to be a very fun production."

  Ellen had come in quietly and was standing just in front of where Liam and I were. I didn’t think any of the actors had spied her yet, so she watched the drama on stage that had nothing to do with Shakespeare.

  After a couple of minutes she sighed, and started forward, her Chanel flats tapping as she approached the stage. Polly saw her first and came forward with her script in hand. “Ellen, I’m having such trouble with this scene. I don’t understand why Helena is acting like such a wimp. Can I play her sarcastic?”

  Charlie rushed forward, close enough that when Polly tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder, she struck him in the face. Good. “I can help Polly. Perhaps we could work on the scene together?”

  Ellen shook her head. “Polly, you will rehearse with Jeremy, and try playing the scene a few different ways. I’m not opposed to a feminist interpretation, but let’s see how it plays.”

  She turned and sought out Alex, who was never far from her side. I sometimes thought Alex Blumstein was Ellen’s bodyguard as well as general dogsbody. “Ah, Alex, can you find Jeremy and Polly a quiet place to rehearse? And see what the costume department found in the way of costumes we can re-use, will you?”

  When Polly and Jeremy left with Alex, Ellen continued splitting up the love-potion victims. “Charlie, you take the rustics to the main stage to work on their scene. Except you, Will, you stay here and work with Scarlett. Miles, you come with me. Lucy, can you run lines with Liam? We’ll all meet back here in an hour.” I was impressed at how masterfully she’d separated all the mismatched lovers. Ellen Barrymore was, indeed, an excellent director.

  After rehearsal I probably would have gone home but Alice came up to me and said, "Lucy, a few of the group are going to the pub and they've asked me to come with them. I feel a bit foolish as I don't attend school here. I decided I'd only go if you went."

  I could see that Jeremy was watching. It was pretty obvious who had invited her. “Do you really want to go?”

  She said, "I have to stop being in love with Charlie. I know that. I've given him three years of my life and my affection and he's made it clear he doesn't want them." She looked over at where Jeremy was talking to Scarlett, though they were both watching Alice and me. "It will take me some time to get over him, but I'm determined to try."

  I liked Alice and I wanted to help her move on so I agreed to go to the pub. As we were leaving, Scarlett came running up and grabbed my arm. "Lucy, you're not leaving. Oh, are you going to the pub? Perfect. Just let me grab my things." I was counting the hours until that stupid potion wore off. It certainly didn't seem to be lessening.

  When we got to the pub I realized, with a sinking heart, that Charlie had decided to come along too. I didn't think it would do Alice any good to have to watch the man she loved flirting with Polly but I soon discovered that Alice was made of stronger stuff. Charlie came up to where the three of us, Scarlett, Alice and I were standing and gave us his most charming smile. And Charlie at his best was extremely charming.

  "How lucky I am to find three gorgeous girls." He glanced towards the bar. "What can I get you?"

  Alice said, not without a certain amount of pride, "Jeremy's already gone to get me a drink, thank you." And then she walked away. Charlie watched her go and I thought, whatever his feelings, he was not indifferent.

  He mumbled something and then followed her. "Alice, wait. I want to talk to you."

  She turned. "Yes? What is it?"

  He seemed at a loss for words and then said, "I don't understand what's going on. You left me completely in the lurch. Please, can you at least come back to the shop until I find someone to replace you?"

  Was he really that clueless? Alice made a sound of irritation then said, "No. I can't.” And then she walked up to where Jeremy was heading towards her with two drinks in his hand. I didn't want to be the recipient of Charlie's moaning so I said to Scarlett, "It's my turn to buy you a drink. What will you have?"

  She followed me to the bar and we both ordered a glass of red wine. I wasn't in the mood for anything fancy, and I didn't think she was either. Miles and Will came in with Polly and Liam. They were all laughing.

  Naturally, all the talk was about the production. Miles kept trying to get Scarlett's attention. Scarlett was clearly more interested in talking to me. And Charlie seemed torn between trying to talk to Polly and trying to overhear every word Jeremy said to Alice.

  That was difficult as Jeremy and Alice were sitting in the corner, speaking in low tones, but he didn’t miss the moment that Jeremy reached over and twirled a lock of Alice's hair around his finger. It didn't matter that we couldn't hear the words, it was pretty obvious Jeremy was hitting on her big time. She might still be in love with Charlie, but Alice was not immune to the attentions of a very attractive young actor. Her eyes were sparkling and she seemed perfectly happy with her company.

  Miles looked around and asked, “Where’s Daffyd? I thought he was coming.”

  “He’s being fitted for his ass’s head,” Liam said. Then put on a Welsh accent. “His Welsh ass’s head.”

  Then, as though he were Daffyd wearing his donkey head, Liam quoted from the play, “O kiss me through the hole of this vile wall! Look ye, Boyo.”

  And Miles, not to be outdone, put on an even more broad Welsh accent and answered, “Not going to lie to you, that ass’s head looks lush. Wilt thou at Ninny’s tomb meet me straightway.”

  Of course, we all laughed. It was impossible not to, and then Miles dug out his script so they could play the rest of the scene, adding every Welsh cliché they could think of.

  When they’d done the scene, Miles said to Scarlett, “We should run lines together. I want to get our timing right in the scene where we get lost in the woods.”

  I thought he wanted an excuse to spend time alone with her, but they were also serious about doing the best job they could and so she immediately agreed. Miles said, “My phone’s over there in my bag. Give us your number, and I’ll call you later.”

  Scarlett took out a pen and wrote her mobile number on the front page of the chunk of the script and then Miles tore off the corner and pushed it into his jeans pocket. “Ta.”

  Then Polly, no doubt fed up with Charlie talking to her and watching Alice, suddenly stood and said she had to go. She had studying to do and an early class in the morning. With a wave to all, she left.

  Charlie didn’t leave, as I’d hoped he would. He stayed, talking to Liam, but still keeping an eye on Alice. Liam seemed to be enjoying the drama. I was glad someone was.

  After a while, Jeremy stood up and so did Alice. They both put their coats on. Alice said, blushing, "I'll see you tomorrow morning, then, Lucy."

  I tried to remain casual as I said, "Yes. Bye."

  Charlie took a few steps forward and said, "Alice? Where are you going?"

  Jeremy immediately went into tough guy mode. "What's it got to do with you?" he asked, taking a step towards Charlie.

  "Oh, no," I said. I did not like where this seemed to be going. Alice looked at me, just as horrified.

  Charlie, who always seemed so laid-back and easy-going, stood to his full height and also took a step forward. "Alice is my friend. I don't want her to do anything stupid. That's what it's got to do with me." As he said the words he stepped closer until he was within striking distance of Jeremy.