I considered removing it completely but if it did have any magic surrounding it – and that magic was linked to Belinda herself – then its removal could cause chaos. This way was safer. And I’d get a good look at the thing.

‘This is amazing!’ Belinda gave a twirl. ‘I feel like a Scottish princess! You really are a talented witch, Ivy!’

I was indeed. I’d be more talented if I could tell what liquid was inside that little glass bottle. I moved closer to her. ‘I just need to make a few adjustments,’ I said, with a furrowed brow as if I were trying to work out what was missing.

The vial was hanging on a delicate silver chain and was stoppered with a tiny amount of purple wax. The etching on the outside of the glass appeared to be Chinese characters, so I had no way of knowing what it said. There couldn’t be more than three ounces of liquid inside it and, now I was close, I could see that it didn’t resemble mercury at all. It was silver and relatively viscous but there were strands of other colours within it.

Distracting my audience, I flicked out another rune and altered Belinda’s hairstyle from loose chic to an elaborate chignon. For good measure, I added a tiara on top. ‘Now you’re Queen Belinda!’

She reached up and touched her hair. ‘Wonderful! I need a mirror!’

I winced. She’d already done enough damage with the make-up artist’s mirror. The last thing any of us needed was more bad luck to contend with. Even though I knew I’d regret it later because of the energy it required to conjure one up, I created a full-length mirror out of the chair I’d been sitting upon.

While Belinda gasped some more, I angled my head closer to the vial. I could see swirls of black and orange in the silver liquid. They seemed to moving all the time, expanding and contracting within the confines of the glass.

‘Beautiful,’ Belinda said. She curtsied to her reflection.

I smiled. ‘A workman is only as good as her tools.’ I glanced at her reflection and focused on the vial, memorising every millimetre of it. This was probably the best chance I would get.

I released the spell and reversed the runes, returning Belinda to her original form before doing the same to the mirror so I could sit down again. They might have been simple spells but they were enough to sap me of what little of my energy remained. All I wanted to do now was curl up and sleep. Okay, that was about all I ever wanted to do. This time, however, I was genuinely liable to doze off while on television. Between bringing down the zombie and all of this malarkey, my body was about ready to throw in the towel and resign for good.

Fortunately, Armstrong was clearly concerned about the changing light as the day wore on and motioned to Belinda to wrap things up. She smiled, pointing down at her clothes with an expression of marvel, and thanked me.