Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson

Author:Juno Dawson [Dawson, Juno]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2022-05-30T00:00:00+00:00

27

GIRLS’ NIGHT OUT

Niamh

It was funny, thought Niamh, how she always made much more of an effort when she was going out with her girlfriends. A compliment from a woman means twice as much as one from a man. She wore makeup less and less over time, but she still enjoyed the language of it. Like witchcraft, it was a tongue spoken predominantly by women – a secret Esperanto most men couldn’t follow.

She licked lipstick off her teeth and rummaged through her dresser drawer for the partner to her silver hoop earring, wondering if she could pull off mismatched ones. She gave up and settled for some gold creoles instead.

She looked herself over in the mirror: tea dress, velvet blazer and old cowboy boots. Stevie Nicks would be proud. A spritz of perfume – basil and bergamot – and she was done. She was surprised at how excited she was. It was the faint flavour of her life before the war; date nights with Con, nights out with the girls. Before the babies had come along, she used to see Elle or Hels all the time, she’d go over on weeknights just to chill and watch The Apprentice or old episodes of Charmed. It’s funny how much life had slowed down, how she’d adjusted to her own company. Now, if she left the house two nights in a row . . . gods, busy old week.

Downstairs, she heard Holly make her entrance, talking aloud to Theo. That must mean Jez was outside in the car with Elle. She hurried down to the lounge. ‘Hi Auntie Niamh!’

‘Hi, darl. Theo, you got everything you need?’

She nodded. Niamh had been practising, but still wouldn’t be saying anything until Theo – or whatever her name was – was ready. She didn’t want to hijack her. Like, they’d figured Leonie was gay years before she told them, but you can’t chase a flower out the ground, you have to let it bloom on its own clock. Well, unless you’re a witch, but that was a whole other thing.

‘OK, there’s money for pizza on the counter. Don’t drink, don’t smoke, although if you have to smoke, make sure it’s something green, yeah?’ They both laughed. She brushed a stray hair off Holly’s face. Thanks for being such a good friend to Theo, she told her.

Holly blushed, batting off the compliment. It’s OK.

Niamh said no more and hurried out to meet the car waiting in the lane. Elle, from the passenger side, reached over her husband and honked the horn. ‘Get your skinny bum in the car!’ she yelled. ‘The girlies are waiting!’

Oh gods. Girlies. Oh, Elle. Niamh jumped in the backseat. ‘Hi Jez!’ she forced a cheery greeting for Elle’s sake.

‘You all right, love?’ His car smelled of engine oil, not unpleasantly.

‘I’m good! You?’ They only ever had small talk. And that’s what you get, Elle, when you only share half of yourself with your husband.

It was hard to like Elle’s husband, not only because he was

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