“How did I end up with you?” she asked curiously. “Why didn’t one of the witches in India take me instead?”

“It was the early nineties,” Primrose explained. “By the time you were born, all the adult witches your mother and grandmother had known were married, with their power kept secret from husbands and in-laws, and none of them could afford the risk of taking in an orphaned child who would inevitably display uncontrollable bursts of magic. It was not so different here, either,” she went on, “but I was unusually privileged. I had money, and I was beholden to no one, so it seemed only right that I take you into my care. And for what it’s worth, Mika, I have never regretted it.”

This was quite possibly the most astonishing revelation of the entire hour. Mika demolished the last scone to cover up her surprise.

“Am I supposed to pass all this history down to other witches once you’re dust in the ground?” she eventually asked.

Primrose let out a peal of ladylike laughter, so long and full of mirth that Mika would have been downright offended if she hadn’t had such a ready sense of humour. “No, poppet, I don’t expect that of you,” Primrose said, dabbing at the corners of her eyes with her napkin. “Our tradition is to pass our history down from eldest witch to eldest witch. I use the term eldest loosely, as each leader chooses her successor and it does not necessarily have to be the next witch in age.”

“Is this your subtle way of telling me you won’t be appointing me leader of the Very Secret Society of Witches anytime soon?”

“The fact that you persist in calling it that should give you your answer,” said Primrose acidly.

Mika hid a smile. “Out of curiosity, who are you going to pick?”

“I don’t expect to shuffle off this mortal coil for a while yet, dear, so I haven’t settled on anybody. At the moment, however, I am inclined to choose Belinda.”

“She’d be good at it.”

“I’m aware. Believe it or not, I do know what I’m doing.”

Mika toyed with her teaspoon, studying her warped reflection in the back. One last question nagged at the back of her mind and she knew that if she didn’t spit it out now, quickly, she’d lose her nerve. “Have you ever considered breaking with tradition and letting witches spend more time together?”