Unable to trust my voice, I simply nodded. Then I turned on my heel and went inside the main door, aware that Winter was watching me go. I held my breath until I heard the bike’s engine rev and tear off again down the road. Only when I was sure he’d gone did I get to work.

I strode through the narrow corridor to reach the hotel bar. Fortunately, it wasn’t entirely deserted. Making a beeline for the group at the back, who were all nursing their drinks and looking glum, I did my best to smile and appear happy. This wasn’t the time to exude anything other than brilliant confidence.

‘Ivy!’ Barry got to his feet as I approached. ‘I’m so glad you’re alright!’

I stretched out my arms expansively. ‘You can’t keep a good witch down.’ It was probably just as well I wasn’t a good witch.

‘Come and join us.’

‘Actually,’ I said, ‘I’m pretty busy. I just need a few favours.’ I glanced at Amy. ‘Have you lost anything recently?’ I enquired.

Her fingers briefly touched her collarbone. ‘My necklace. I lost it, er…’

‘When Trevor Bellows tried to assault you?’

She blinked rapidly, her cheeks colouring and her eyes filling with dismay. Well, now I knew that Mazza definitely hadn’t been lying.

‘That should not have been allowed to happen,’ I admonished Barry.

‘I … I … didn’t know.’

Amy shot him a look. Obviously he had known. He’d probably been as scared for his job as she had been but that didn’t make his silence right – but it did make it more understandable. Slightly.

I forced my anger to a simmer to avoid it spilling over. ‘We’re going to make this right for you, Amy,’ I told her. Something in my expression must have convinced her I was telling the truth because she bit her lip and nodded.

I flicked my attention to Moonbeam. ‘How’s your mother?’

His nose wrinkled. ‘Furious. That vial was about the only thing keeping her sane. Now that it’s gone and she looks her age…’ His voice trailed off.

‘Just how old is she?’ My question had no bearing on anything important; I was simply curious.

He shook his head. ‘If you want to avoid being knocked unconscious again, you wouldn’t ask.’ He sighed. ‘Tarquin has told me that even if he could, he’s been forbidden from giving her another spell. I don’t know what we’re going to do.’

‘Is Enchantment going to continue?’

Barry’s shoulders drooped. ‘That’s the million-dollar question. Certainly not this series. Not now. Preparations are already underway to ship this lot of contestants home. The only silver lining is that they’ve all signed binding non-disclosure agreements.’ He raised his eyebrows meaningfully at me as he said this. I shrugged. I was probably going to be a corpse in a few hours so what did it matter? I’d tell the devil if I saw him. I doubted he’d care.

‘Give me your car keys,’ I said, without further preamble.