Prelude to a Witch Read online

  Prelude to a Witch

  Wicked Witches of the Midwest Book Eighteen

  Amanda M. Lee

  WinchesterShaw Publications

  Contents

  Prologue

  1. One

  2. Two

  3. Three

  4. Four

  5. Five

  6. Six

  7. Seven

  8. Eight

  9. Nine

  10. Ten

  11. Eleven

  12. Twelve

  13. Thirteen

  14. Fourteen

  15. Fifteen

  16. Sixteen

  17. Seventeen

  18. Eighteen

  19. Nineteen

  20. Twenty

  21. Twenty-One

  22. Twenty-Two

  23. Twenty-Three

  24. Twenty-Four

  25. Twenty-Five

  26. Twenty-Six

  27. Twenty-Seven

  28. Twenty-Eight

  29. Twenty-Nine

  Mailing List

  About the Author

  Books by Amanda M. Lee

  Books by Lily Harper Hart

  Prologue

  Seventy-Five years ago

  Tillie Winchester was in a tizzy.

  It wasn’t all that much of a surprise to her mother. Caroline Winchester had learned long ago that Tillie was always in a tizzy. In fact, the day she gave birth to Tillie they were in the midst of a tornado ... and infant Tillie had more energy than the storm. Still, Caroline couldn’t help but be concerned as she rolled dough for a pie and watched her daughter stomp through the house.

  “What’s wrong with her?” Caroline asked her other daughter as she watched the spectacle. “Is she in one of her moods?”

  Ginger, always the calm one of the two, shrugged as she washed blueberries. There was little more she loved than helping her mother in the kitchen. She had grand plans to learn every family recipe and claim the title of best Winchester chef. Upon sliding a look toward Tillie, she realized that wasn’t going to be difficult. Tillie had never shown any interest in cooking.

  “I don’t know what’s wrong with her,” Ginger admitted as she studied her sister. They were close, something their mother was happy to know. That didn’t mean they always got along. “I haven’t seen her in a few hours.”

  Caroline’s gaze was speculative as she studied her calmer child. “Are you two fighting?”

  “No.” Ginger answered. “Well ... maybe,” she hedged.

  “What are you fighting about?”

  “Willa.”

  Ginger’s gaze darkened as she flicked her eyes to the window at the rear of the house.

  Caroline wanted to match her daughter’s expression but forced herself to remain calm. “What about Willa?” It was difficult for Caroline to feign caring when it came to the third Winchester child. Oh, she’d tried over the years. She’d spent time with Willa in an attempt to make her part of the family. But the girl belonged to her husband and another woman — he’d always had a wandering eye. Caroline had agreed to bring her into the family home despite her dislike for her husband. He didn’t know she was plotting a way out. She wasn’t quite there yet, but soon would be. Then she would divorce him and keep the family land. Her husband would be on his own after that. As for Willa, well, Caroline still didn’t know what to do about her.

  “Willa is sneaky,” Ginger explained to her mother. She wasn’t a tattler by nature — Tillie melted down when she was tattled on — but she couldn’t help herself. The one thing she did better than anybody was worry, and she was legitimately worried about Tillie’s relationship with Willa. “She kind of lurks in the corners and waits for Tillie to do something so she can blackmail her.”

  “Lurks?” Caroline arched an amused eyebrow. “Have you been reading in bed again when you’re supposed to be sleeping?”

  Ginger hesitated. Her mother never gave her grief about reading — in fact, she encouraged it — but her father was another story. “I know Papa said he didn’t want us to read too much,” she started.

  Caroline shook her head. “Don’t worry about that. His opinion doesn’t matter. What I say goes.”

  Ginger’s lips quirked. “I don’t know that he would agree with that.”

  “I don’t really care what he agrees with.” Caroline pinned Ginger with a pointed look. “Who are you more afraid of?”

  Ginger’s answer was automatic. “You.”

  “Good.”

  “Well, maybe Tillie.”

  Caroline snorted. “She is going to be a force to be reckoned with. She’s a tyrant at the age of nine. Who saw that coming?”

  Ginger lifted her hand.

  “Yes, well, you always were gifted when it came to seeing the future.” Caroline winked at her fair-haired daughter and then turned serious. “What seems to be Willa’s problem today?”

  “She was hiding in the barn when Tillie went in there with the Harper boys,” Ginger started.

  Caroline’s eyes narrowed. “What was Tillie doing with the Harper boys in the barn? She’s nine.”

  “Oh, it wasn’t anything gross,” Ginger reassured her quickly. “She’s been making stuff and selling it.”

  This was news to Caroline. “What sort of stuff?”

  “Oh, just stuff,” Ginger replied evasively.

  Caroline folded her arms over her chest and pinned Ginger with her harshest look. “What has your sister been doing in the barn?”

  “She’s just been inventing stuff,” Ginger replied. “It’s not bad. You don’t have to worry.”

  “Why would I worry about your sister inventing stuff?” Caroline deadpanned. “I mean ... that’s silly talk. There’s nothing frightening about your sister selling ... whatever it is she’s selling, right?” The question was pointed.

  “Wine.”

  Caroline was taken aback. “Excuse me?”

  Ginger shrank back in the face of her mother’s fury. “Um ... or not.”

  “Your sister is making wine?” Caroline was dumbfounded. “Where did she even learn to do that?”

  “She found a book,” Ginger explained. “It was in the basement, with Papa’s stuff.”

  Caroline’s expression shifted. “Of course. I forgot about that book. I told him to get rid of it. Did he listen? Of course not.”

  “Tillie says it’s not hard,” Ginger offered. “She said we can make extra money selling the wine, enough so that we can afford a new house and get away from Papa.” It was only after she finished that she realized what she’d said. “Or ... we could do something else with it.”

  Rather than chastise Ginger, Caroline took pity on her. “Don’t worry about your father,” she said. “He can’t touch you. He has no say regarding what you are, or who you’ll grow to be. Don’t be afraid of him.”

  Ginger was familiar with her father’s drinking. Because of that, she had no choice but to be afraid of him. “Tillie thinks we’ll be able to buy a new house if she keeps making the wine.”

  “Tillie is a menace.” Despite the words, Caroline grinned. “Don’t worry about getting a new house. This house is mine. It was left to me. We just need enough money to kick your father out.” Caroline was thoughtful. “How long has Tillie been making wine?”

  “About two months. Lots of people buy it.”

  “And she’s managed to hide the fact that she’s selling it for two months.” Caroline couldn’t help being impressed. “Don’t tell Tillie I know about the wine,” she said.

  Ginger was taken aback. “But ... shouldn’t she know you want her to keep selling it? She won’t have to sneak around as much.”

  “I want her to sneak around. Your sister is a master at hiding what she’s doing. I need your father not to find
out. Do you understand?”

  Ginger’s eyes went wide but she nodded.

  “Good.” Caroline squeezed her shoulder and then went back to the pie crust. “Tell me about Tillie and Willa. What seems to be the issue?”

  “They hate each other.”

  “I hope they’ll outgrow that,” Caroline mused. “Their bond is not as strong as your bond with Tillie.” Caroline studied Ginger a moment and then smiled. “You’re not as close with Willa either.”

  “I don’t like her.” Ginger opted to tell the truth. “She feels ... different.”

  Caroline’s forehead creased. “What do you mean?”

  “I don’t know.” Ginger held out her hands. “When I’m with Tillie I feel stronger. It’s like we’re always supposed to be together. I don’t feel that way with Willa. When I’m with her, I just feel angry because she’s so sneaky.”

  “I could point out that Tillie breaks the rules,” Caroline argued. “Maybe Willa feels she’s putting this family in danger with her actions.”

  “No, that’s not it.” Ginger’s headshake was instant. “Willa wants to be better than Tillie. She wants to win all the time. ”

  “And do you think that will happen?”

  Ginger snorted. “No. Tillie always wins.”

  “Even more than you?”

  Ginger hesitated and then nodded. “I don’t need to win like Tillie does.”

  “Willa does,” Caroline noted. “Why do you think that is?”

  “Because she doesn’t feel like she belongs here. She’s different from us and she knows it.” Ginger studied her mother with fresh eyes. “You know it too.”

  “Willa is part of this family,” Caroline countered quickly. Even though Willa wasn’t her biological daughter, she’d accepted the girl into their home and promised to care for her. She might not like Willa, but she would never mistreat her. “She’s not an outsider. I don’t like that you guys cut her out of the action.”

  Ginger made a face. “She’s a baby.”

  “She’s younger, but you and Tillie aren’t the same age and you play together.”

  “No, I mean she’s a baby,” Ginger insisted. “If we don’t let her win games she cries and carries on. She tattles on us in school. Tillie hates her.”

  “Tillie only thinks she hates her. She’ll figure out that Willa is still her sister. She’ll grow to appreciate her.”

  Ginger had her doubts. “I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

  “No?” Caroline pursed her lips.

  “I think they’ll be enemies forever.”

  “Well, that might be fun, too.” Caroline smirked as Tillie stomped between the kitchen and living room. “Hey, little monster, do you want to help with the pie?” she called out to her dark-haired daughter. Tillie’s long hair swished behind her like a tail.

  Tillie stopped pacing long enough to eye her mother. “Why would I want to make a pie?”

  “You need to learn a skill,” Caroline replied. “So far, the only thing we know you’re good at is irritating people.”

  “Oh, I’m good at more than that.” Tillie’s smile was smug.

  For a moment, Caroline considered calling out Tillie about making the wine. Seeing her daughter’s face when she realized her business endeavor had been discovered would’ve almost been worth losing the money. Almost. She didn’t want Tillie to quit, though. The girl was sneaky in her own right, and if she could continue bringing in money under her father’s nose it would benefit them all.

  “You’re a wonder,” Caroline agreed dryly. “Still, you should probably learn to cook.”

  “Why?” Tillie never did anything without being convinced it would somehow benefit her.

  “Because someday you’ll marry and your husband will want you to cook dinner.”

  “Yeah.” Ginger stuck out her tongue. “I’m going to have a very happy husband.”

  “Because you cook?” Tillie sneered. “Mama is the best cook in the county and Papa isn’t happy. Why would I waste time cooking? If I marry someone — and it’s doubtful I will — he’ll be the cook.”

  Caroline chuckled. “I don’t know any men who cook. That seems a tall order.”

  “Oh, I guarantee there’s one out there. I’m going to find him, hit him over the head with a stick, and lock him in the house so he can wait on me.”

  “I like the stick part.” Caroline’s smile was impish. “Where is your sister?”

  Tillie’s expression remained blank. “She’s right there.” She jabbed a finger at Ginger. “Is your eyesight going?”

  “My sight is fine. I was talking about your other sister.”

  Tillie made a face. “I have no idea where she is.”

  “Maybe you should find her.”

  “Um ... no.” Tillie shook her head and did a little dance. “She can find her own way home. She’s not a lost kitten.”

  “She’s still your little sister.” Caroline insisted. “It’s your job to take care of her.”

  Tillie didn’t bother to hide her disdain. “At some point Willa is going to be an adult and responsible for herself. All that tattling she does will be for nothing because we won’t have to take care of her.”

  “Don’t you think you should always take care of your sister?”

  “This one.” Tillie pointed toward Ginger. “She’s my real sister and I’ll take care of her.”

  Caroline froze. Could they know? She’d been careful never to slip in front of them when it came to Willa’s true parentage. Had she somehow overlooked something? “What do you mean?” she asked, carefully avoiding eye contact.

  “A real sister doesn’t tattle,” Tillie insisted, missing the relieved breath her mother let out. “Willa isn’t a real sister. She’s a tattler, and there’s nothing that I hate more than tattlers.”

  “Willa is the youngest sister,” Caroline noted. “You guys often play without her. She tattles because that’s the only way she can be included sometimes.”

  “Don’t kid yourself,” Tillie said drolly. “She tattles because she thinks it’ll help her win. I have news for her. I’m going to win. I’m smarter than she is.”

  Caroline felt weary. The thought of having to watch Tillie and Willa battle it out for decades weighed heavy on her. “Don’t you think you could at least try for your mother?”

  “It’s like you don’t know me at all,” Tillie groused. “She’s evil. She won’t get better, no matter what you say about her growing out of it. You have to see that too.”

  Caroline studied her wild child. “She’s still your sister. You’re stuck with her for life.”

  “That doesn’t mean I have to like her,” Tillie insisted. “Blood only goes so far. Ginger and I will be together until the end. Once Willa is an adult, she can go wherever she wants and do whatever she wants ... as long as it’s nowhere near me.”

  Caroline studied Tillie’s face and then shook her head. “I think you’ll change your mind.”

  “I won’t.” Tillie looked to the window. “I’m going to rule the world one day. Willa won’t be part of that world.”

  Despite herself, Caroline couldn’t stop the laughter from bubbling up. “You’re going to rule the world?”

  “I am.” Tillie bobbed her head. “I’ll be good at it, too.”

  “Well, at least I don’t have to worry about you sacrificing your ego on the altar of a man,” Caroline muttered.

  “Definitely not,” Tillie agreed, her lips curving. “I’m going to be awesome when it’s my turn to rule.”

  “I hope you’re right. There’s nothing worse than a non-benevolent ruler.”

  “I don’t know what that means.”

  “It means you’re going to be a fair and just ruler,” Caroline explained.

  Tillie made a face. “That’s not going to happen. I’m going to make people cry, and I’m going to start with Willa.”

  Caroline sighed at the circular nature of the conversation. “How about you at least try to get along with Will
a for me? Can you do that?”

  “No.”

  “Either try or you won’t get any pie.”

  Tillie worked her jaw. “That’s blackmail,” she said finally. “I don’t like blackmail.”

  “You like it when you’re the blackmailer,” Caroline pointed out.

  “Then it’s fun.”

  Caroline allowed Tillie to see her frustration. “You might very well rule the world one day, but you won’t always get your way. You need to learn to deal with disappointment.”

  “That sounds like no fun at all.”

  “You still need to learn.” Caroline lowered her voice. “There will come a time when you have a decision to make regarding Willa. I’m still hopeful you’ll make the right one.”

  “And if I don’t?”

  “Then you’ll have to live with it.”

  Tillie waited but her mother added nothing. “That’s it? You’re saying my punishment for getting my own way is having to live with getting my own way?”

  “Oh, good grief,” Caroline muttered. “You only see what you want to see.”

  “I do,” Tillie agreed. “I see that I’m going to win and Willa is going to lose. I’m going to laugh and she’s going to cry.” Tillie’s smile went feral. “I’m going to dance and she’s going to pout in a corner.”

  “I believe we’re already living in that world,” Ginger offered.

  “True.” Tillie extended her hand. “One day, Willa will realize this is my world and I’m only allowing her to visit. One day, I’ll make her cry buckets.”

  Caroline considered sending Tillie up to her room without supper to shut her up but ultimately opted against it. Tillie’s spirit was the one thing that would always keep her afloat. “You might change your mind one day.”