The Witches of Cambridge (33 page)

Chrysanthemum—
Truth

Cinquefoil—
Beloved daughter

Daisy—
Innocence

Dittany—
Childbirth

Fennel—
Strength

Honeysuckle—
Domestic happiness and love

Ivy—
Fidelity

Jasmine—
Separation

Laurel—
Glory and success

Lily of the valley—
Return to happiness

Lungwort—
You are my life

Magnolia—
Dignity

Michaelmas daisy—
Farewell

Mistletoe—
I surmount all obstacles

Orchid—
Refined beauty

Purple rose—
Maternal/paternal love

Scabiosa—
Unfortunate love

Sorrel—
Parental affection

Starwort—
Welcome

Stephanotis—
Happiness in marriage

Striped carnation—
I cannot be with you

Trumpet vine—
Fame

Tulip—
Declaration of love

Witch hazel—
A spell

A Few of Cosima’s Favorite Baking Spells

Special Spicy Chocolate Cake—

To Ensure Wishes Come True

200G CHOCOLATE (70%)

200G SALTED BUTTER

100ML ALMOND MILK

RIND OF 1 LEMON

100ML HOT WATER

200G CASTER SUGAR

4 MEDIUM EGGS

190G SELF-RISING FLOUR

3 TABLESPOONS GROUND ALMONDS

2 TABLESPOONS CINNAMON

1 TEASPOON NUTMEG

1 PINCH POWDERED PASSIONFLOWER (FAITH)

2 PINCHES DRIED BELLS OF IRELAND (GOOD LUCK)

5 DROPS WITCH HAZEL OIL (A SPELL)

Method:

Combine chocolate, butter, almond milk, lemon rind, and hot water in a heatproof bowl over simmering water. Remove from heat when chocolate and butter are melted, and add sugar. Let cool. Beat eggs lightly, then add them to chocolate mixture and mix well. Add the rest of the ordinary ingredients and beat well. Sprinkle in the powdered flowers and, as you add the witch hazel oil, whisper your spell. Pour mixture into lined cake tin. Bake for 45 minutes at 170°C.

Breakup Brownies—To Cure a Broken Heart

200G CHOCOLATE (70%)

150G SALTED BUTTER

185G SELF-RISING FLOUR

285G GOLDEN CASTER SUGAR

3 TABLESPOONS GROUND ALMONDS

2 EGGS

1 TEASPOON BAKING POWDER

1 TEASPOON VANILLA EXTRACT

1 PINCH POWDERED MICHAELMAS DAISY (FAREWELL)

2 PINCHES DRIED MAGNOLIA (DIGNITY)

3 DROPS JASMINE OIL (SEPARATION)

CELANDINE (JOYS TO COME)

Method:

Melt chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over simmering water. Remove when melted. Add flour, sugar, and ground almonds. Beat eggs, add to the cooled chocolate mixture, and mix well. Add the remaining ingredients and mix. Pour mixture into lined cake tin. Bake for 25 minutes at 160°C.

Chocolate Flapjacks—For Career Success

220G SALTED BUTTER

1 VANILLA POD

280G SOFT BROWN SUGAR

4 TABLESPOONS GOLDEN SYRUP

5 PINCHES SALT

60G COCOA POWDER

1 PINCH POWDERED LAUREL (GLORY AND SUCCESS)

3 TRUMPET VINE LEAVES (FAME)

1 PINCH ALLIUM (PROSPERITY)

300G LARGE ROLLED OATS

Method:

Melt butter in large saucepan. Take off heat and scrape vanilla seeds into pan. Drop the pod in too and leave to infuse for half an hour. Remove the vanilla pod and put the pan back onto low heat, then add the brown sugar, syrup, salt, and cocoa. Simmer and stir for five minutes. Add the powdered flowers and leaves. Add the oats and mix together. Pour the flapjack mixture into a baking tin and pat down to a thickness of ¾ inch. Bake for 18 minutes at 150°C.

Blueberry Scones—To Elicit Marriage Proposals

8 OZ. SELF-RISING FLOUR

5 PINCHES SALT

1.5 OZ. GOLDEN CASTER SUGAR

3 OZ. SALTED (SOFT) BUTTER

1 LARGE EGG (BEATEN)

6 TABLESPOONS MILK

1 PINCH TULIP (ANY COLOR) PETALS (DECLARATION OF LOVE)

2 PINCHES DRIED LUNGWORT (YOU ARE MY LIFE)

1 PINCH DRIED STEPHANOTIS (HAPPINESS IN MARRIAGE)

30 FROZEN (NOT FRESH) BLUEBERRIES

Method:

Mix the flour, salt, and sugar together. Add the soft butter and crumb together by hand. Add the beaten egg, milk, and dried botanicals. Lightly knead dough and roll out onto floured board to ½ inch thick. Add blueberries and fold in. Cut out scones to 2 inches wide. Place on buttered baking sheet, then glaze with a little more milk. Bake for 12 minutes at 220°C.

Very Simple Sicilian Biscuits—For Domestic Bliss

100G GROUND ALMONDS

100G SELF-RISING FLOUR

25G GOLDEN CASTER SUGAR

25G SALTED BUTTER

1 EGG

1 PINCH POWDERED AMARANTH (IMMORTALITY)

2 PINCHES DRIED HONEYSUCKLE FLOWERS (DOMESTIC HAPPINESS)

Method:

Mix all ingredients together. Roll out dough to about ½ inch thick. Cut into squares. Bake for 12 minutes at 220°C.

Gustare (Italian)—to enjoy, taste, savor, relish

Conversion Table

Liquid Measures

1 cup = 8 fluid oz. = ½ pint = 237 ml

1 pint = 16 fluid oz. = ½ quart = .473 liters

4 quarts = 128 fluid oz. = 1 gallon = 3.79 liters

A dash equals less than ¼ tsp.

Dry Measures

1 oz. = 28 grams

1 gram = .04 oz.

1 pound = .45 kg

1 kg = 2.2 pounds

3 tsp. = 1 Tbsp. = ½ oz. = 14 grams

2 Tbsp. = 1⁄8 cup = 1 oz. = 28.4 grams

4 Tbsp. = ¼ cup = 2 oz. = 56.7 grams

Temperature

To convert Fahrenheit to Celsius, subtract 32 and multiply by 5⁄9 (.555).

To convert Celsius to Fahrenheit, multiply by 9⁄5 (1.8) and add 32.

The Gods and Goddesses

Athena
—the ancient Greek goddess of wisdom. Also the goddess of courage, inspiration, civilization, law and justice, strategic war, mathematics, and the arts.

Bes
—Egyptian god of domestic protection, especially for pregnant women, childbirth, children, and families.

Hera
—the ancient Greek goddess of love and marriage.

Isis
—the Egyptian goddess of motherhood, protection, and magic.

Mama Quilla
—the Incan goddess of the moon, marriage, and the menstrual cycle. She was considered the protector of women.

Minerva
—the Roman goddess of wisdom, as well as of war and crafts.

Saraswati
—the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, arts, wisdom, and learning.

Satī
—also known as Dakshayani. The Hindu goddess of marital felicity and longevity.

Thoth
—the Egyptian god of knowledge. Also associated with the arts of magic, the invention of writing, the development of science, and the judgment of the dead.

Tsao Wang
—Chinese god of the hearth and family.

Vár
—Norse goddess of marriage oaths.

For my fellow witch, Amanda.

With love & thanks for first inspiring the story…

Acknowledgments

E
PIC THANKS, AS
always, to my magnificent agents, Christina Hogrebe and Andrea Cirillo, for keeping the faith and supplying the inspiration. Enormous thanks to Linda Marrow, the loveliest editor a writer could hope to have. Gigantic thanks to all at Random House, especially Elana Seplow-Jolley, Alex Coumbis, and Maggie Oberrender—what an amazing team you are! Massive thanks, as ever, to Alice Jago, for her brilliant brain and eagle eye. Huge thanks to Laurence Gouldbourne for his infinitely inspired feedback. Mammoth thanks to all my readers—your generosity and enthusiasm touch my heart. Great thanks to my friends/students, especially: Leah, Katrin, Vica, Ashley, Sandy, Anita, Stefanie, and Natasha for your enthusiasm and absolute brilliance—you all inspire me so! Thanks to dearest Virginie and to little Héloïse for inspiring big Héloïse. And infinite thanks, as always to Artur, for loving me and making everything possible.

By Menna van Praag

The House at the End of Hope Street

The Dress Shop of Dreams

The Witches of Cambridge

PHOTO: © JEFFREY SANTOS

M
ENNA VAN
P
RAAG
is an author and creative writing consultant. She graduated from Oxford and lives in Cambridge with her husband and young son. She’s also the author of
Men, Money and Chocolate; Happier Than She’s Ever Been; The House at the End of Hope Street;
and
The Dress Shop of Dreams.
She’s currently working on her newest novel,
The Lost Art of Letter Writing.

mennavanpraag.com

Facebook.com/mennavanpraag.mvp

@MennavanPraag