At breakfast on Wednesday, there was a lot of excited chatter around the table.

“What’s going on?” Prue asked Yan, one of the other apprentices.

He indicated the mantelpiece where named envelopes were lined up. “See for yourself!”

There was one with “Frances Haywood” on in scrolled gold handwriting. She ripped it open.

Dear Frances,

You are invited to the Imperial Personifate

Guild of Medlock Annual Sahwen Celebration on 31 October

Dress code: formal evening wear

Master Woolstenbury

Agapantha joined her. “What’s going on?”

Cora breezed in, almost knocking Yan flying. She fanned herself with her invitation. “It will be so difficult to know what to wear. I only packed seven dresses.” She threw a barbed glance at Prue.

Prue sat down at the table with Agapantha. “Well, I certainly didn’t bring anything. What about you, Agapantha?”

“No, I wasn’t thinking of evening wear when I packed for the Guild.”

Lavender came in from the kitchen bearing a great tray of pancakes dripping with syrup. “Come on, girls, tuck in. Ah, you have your invitations, I see! Master Woolstenbury is confident they’re ahead on the hundred. We were a bit worried it would be cancelled, to be honest.”

“I don’t think I can go. I haven’t got suitable clothes,” Prue said.

“Nonsense! Everyone attends the Sahwen celebration! Perhaps Cora can lend you something?”

Prue thought that she would rather face an angry bear than borrow something from Cora.

“I’d love to, Lavender, but I’m afraid I only brought a couple of dresses, and they certainly wouldn’t fit her.” Cora’s face dropped in fake disappointment.

“Don’t worry, we can go shopping at the weekend. We have plenty of time,” said Agapantha, smiling at Prue.

Prue did have her apprentice money, but she wanted to send it home.

“It’ll be my treat,” said Agapantha.

Edwin glanced up. Things had been a little awkward since the parade.

“And you, Edwin. We can visit Bard’s Precision Tailoring and get something made specially.”

He smiled. “I’d like that.”

Cora puckered her mouth. “How sweet,” she said sourly.

*

The following few days were spent on repair duty – there was a backlog due to the craftsmen and masters working flat out on the hundred, so the apprentices were drafted in. They finished early on both days and Prue made excuses so that she could work in her memory lab. It also gave her time to sneak around and borrow all manner of equipment she thought might be useful, including an old GODAR which was left in a box in one of the labs. It was different to the GODAR she’d seen used in the harnessing, but she’d found books on older models in the library, so she’d been able to work out what needed fixing.