Chapter Eleven

After tending the greenhouse, Mika nearly collides with Jamie, flustered by his closeness and scent, before they join Ian and Rosetta for the drive to Norwich. In the car, Ian presses for contingency plans; Mika explains glamours are hard and she’d prefer simpler confuddling teas, insisting nothing will go wrong.

The conversation shifts to Mika’s love life and secrecy. She admits she avoids serious relationships because she cannot share her truth. Rosetta defends Mika’s worth. To redirect, Mika asks about Lillian’s past. Ian and Jamie reveal fragments: Lillian left hostile relatives, and she took Jamie in when he fled home at sixteen. Jamie finished school, studied and taught, and returned when Lillian brought Rosetta.

Mika learns Lucie escaped a violent marriage, and that Ken and Ian joined for the gardens—though Ian’s insight suggests more. Rosetta confesses the girls feel like Lillian’s “strays,” prompting a discussion where Mika distinguishes niceness from kindness; they conclude Lillian is often nice but not consistently kind. Jamie, though conflicted, does not dispute this.

They arrive in Norwich, navigating the bustling, friendly streets. Ian unexpectedly shares that his mother was a witch, explaining his ability to see magic. Touched by trust and inclusion, Mika hears Ian declare her trial period over; he’ll formalize it with the household that evening. Buoyed by belonging, they continue toward the bookshop.