Morina and the Switching Spell Ch. 08
Chapter 8: Morina gets an invitation to Ayresdon Manor.
20 May 1944, Saturday at 0415.
I vaguely remember hearing giggles and moans during the night. Those were female voices, and the sounds were loud enough to be heard, but not loud enough to wake me. Maybe it was all part of some unremembered erotic dream, but the pleasant sounds only added to my overall feeling of happiness and comfort.
"Morina," I heard a woman's voice call my name. She seemed so far away.
"Morina, it's time to get up," that was Agatha's voice next to me.
I opened my eyes, and the dark outline of her face was only a few inches above me.
"I'm sorry to wake you, but I'm going to Ashford, and I thought you might want to come with me," Agatha said quietly.
The room was still dark, and it took a while for my eyes to adjust enough to make out a few more details.
"What time is it?" I asked sleepily.
"Quarter past four," Agatha said, stepping back into the room.
I was snuggly tucked beneath the sheets with a warm blanket over me. Someone else must have tucked me in because I couldn't remember doing it myself. As I pulled the sheets and blanket aside to sit up, the cooler air hit my naked skin.
"You had such a pleasant smile on your face, I must have interrupted a dream you were having," Agatha said from the other side of the room. I heard her opening and closing the cupboard doors and the sound of plates and forks being placed on the table.
"I don't remember the actual dream. I only remember the sounds of girls giggling and moaning," I said as I felt around the sofa searching for my clothes.
Just as my hand touched the cup of a bra, I noticed the distinctive odor of sex in the room.
"That wasn't dream, was it?" I asked and then remembering that I woke up alone in Amanda's bed.
"Where's Amanda?" I asked.
"Can't you guys keep it down? Some of us don't have to get up at four bloody fifteen on a Saturday morning!" Amanda's voice came from Agatha's bed.
"Sorry,"
I whispered, giggling slightly.
"You don't have to whisper. It serves her right for keeping me awake half the night. At least she can go back to sleep after we leave," Agatha replied.
"I didn't hear you complaining last night. Sounded more like moaning to me," Amanda chortled.
"I hope we didn't wake you last night," Agatha said, turning on the light.
"Ugh, that damn light!" Amanda yelped, pulling the blanket over her head.
"I thought it was a dream, and I slept through it. But I appreciate what you guys did for me last night," I replied.
***
After a couple of quick showers and a breakfast of scrambled eggs, Agatha and I were off to London Allied Headquarters to pick up dispatches before heading on to Ashford.
Agatha parked in front of an unimposing building, that belied the sprawling underground complex beneath it. Not having the proper security clearance, I waited in the staff car while Agatha went inside. She said it would only take a couple of minutes, but she was gone for nearly half an hour.
"What happened in there? Or aren't you at liberty to say?" I asked.
"Good news for you, I hope. We have an audience with Lord Ayresdon at his manor estate this morning. With any luck, he can secure you that position as communications operator at Ashford Airfield," Agatha said, cheerfully.
"Oh Agatha, that's wonderful! Thank you," I replied, leaning over, and giving her a kiss on the cheek.
"Are you sure you want this? You will be one of the few women stationed at the airfield," she asked.
"Absolutely, I want this, at least until D-Day or shortly afterwards, whenever that will be. After that, I'd like to return to my duties with the WASPs," I answered.
Agatha drove eastward towards Ayresdon Manor, somewhere in Essex County. On the way, she gave me a brief description of the opulence inside the manor house and the beautifully manicured gardens and lawns surrounding it.
"Be careful what you say around the servants. They're non-magicals and have no idea that Lord Ayersdon is a warlock," she warned me.
"How is that possible? Surely, they must see or hear things from time to time to make them suspicious?" I asked.
"That's a mystery to me too, but John Ayresdon is a powerful warlock who pays attention to even the slightest of details. I don't know how he does it, I know I couldn't manage it," she answered.
We watched the sun rise in front of us, passing several towns and villages until we came to a short drive blocked by an imposing gate. A tall brick wall extended outward from either side of the gate, preventing prying eyes from looking inside.
Stopping well in front of the gate, Agatha looked around to be sure that no one was watching before pulling out her wand.
"Auffibrilare!" Agatha incanted, pointing her wand at the gate.
The heavy, wrought-iron gate swung open, and Agatha drove forward. After we passed the gate, I looked back and saw the gate swing shut again.
Just inside the gate was a small traffic circle with tall bushes in the middle of the circle. Presumably those bushes were there to block the view of anyone looking through the gate to gain a glimpse of the manor and grounds inside.
On the other side of the circle was a long drive bracketed by lush lawns and beautifully sculpted topiaries and hedges. A large, three-storied Georgian manor stood at the far end of the drive, with landscaped flower gardens planted along the front and sides.
Agatha parked in front of the manor, and we climbed the four wide stone steps to the double doors. Just as we reached the top step, both double doors swung open and an impeccably dressed man in what I presumed was a butler's outfit stood just inside.
"Good morning, Miss Brewster. So good to see you again," he said cordially to Agatha.
"Thank you, Charles. This is Morina Spellman from the United States," Agatha responded.
Charles looked me over approvingly. There was just the faintest hint of a smile on his otherwise expressionless face.
"Good morning, Miss Spellman. Please come in, his Lordship is expecting you both. He is currently breakfasting on the terrace and was hoping you would join him there," the butler said, stepping aside for us to enter.
He closed the doors behind us and led us to the back of the large foyer. The large grandfather clock in the corner chimed eight times as we walked towards the back of the manor house. There he opened a set of double sliding oak doors to what could only be described as a dining room, except it was large enough to be considered a banquet hall, complete with a large fireplace.
We walked past the large, highly polished, wooden table in the middle of the room to a set of double glass doors with floor-to-ceiling glass-paned windows on either side. Through the glass, was a large terrace, below which a large rectangular reflecting pool could be seen beyond. There was a working fountain in the middle of the reflecting pool.
Passing through the double glass doors, Charles turned to the right where a handsome man looking to be in his early thirties sat in front of a marble table looking out onto the reflecting pool, the fountain, and the beautifully landscaped lawns and garden that surrounded them.
"Miss Agatha Brewster and Miss Morina Spellman, Your Lordship," Charles announced before withdrawing to a respectful distance out of hearing range.
"Good morning, Agatha!" he said cheerfully, standing as we approached. He held out his right hands towards her as she neared. He kissed it gently before looking at me.
"Good morning, Your Lordship! This is Morina Spellman, the young witch I told you about," Agatha said, introducing me.
