SO SWEET AS MAGIC, PART FIFTEEN

"Matt?" Lila came into the living room, wearing only a nightgown that left very little to the imagination, "Ah bin waitin' fo' you. Are you plannin' to stay up awl naight?" She put her arms around his neck.

"Lila - " Matthew backed away a step, "I think we should just - keep our relationship the way it is, for the time being."

"Relationship?" Colour flamed in Lila's face. She was offering herself - and being turned down? Nobody - NOBODY! - treated Lila Roberts like that!

"Ah am yo' waff, Matt!" she said, "Ah am not in'trested in a marriage in name only! If that's whut you wawnt, then Jasmine and Ah will be leavin', fuhst thang in the mornin'!"

She turned and went upstairs, her hips swaying in a manner that never failed to stir masculine interest.

****

"Amanda?" said Rachel, "Are you awake?"

"Yes, Mother. Is something wrong?"

"No, Darling. I just feel like talking. Doesn't it seem to you that a lot of strange things have been happening lately?"

"I suppose." said Amanda, "Joe turning out to have used a lovespell on Paulina - "

"I was thinking more of your sudden ability to play the piano."

"I can't play the piano!" Amanda protested.

"I know what I heard, Darling."

"Maybe you heard the radio, or the tv."

"They weren't turned on." said Rachel, "But when I entered the room, you were sitting at the piano, with your hands on the keyboard. How do you explain that?"

"I can't!" said Amanda, "Look, Mother, I'm tired. I just want to take a shower and go to bed!"

"Goodnight, Amanda," said Rachel, and exited.

Rachel waited in the corridor until she heard the sound of the shower, then eased open the door to Amanda's bedroom. As she had hoped, her daughter had removed the silver locket and left it on the dressing table. Rachel took it , and left the room as quietly as she had entered.

****

Matthew hesitated, with his hand raised to knock at the door of Lila's bedroom. He could see her point of view: he might not love Lila, but a few hours earlier he had,of his own free will, promised to love, honour and cherish her. She was entitled to expect more than for the two of them to live like brother and sister.

So, why was he hesitating? It wasn't as though consummating his marriage was going to be an ordeal: Lila was a very beautiful, sexy woman, and, he knew from the night Jasmine had been conceived, she was not frigid.

But, I'm being unfaithful to Sofia, said a niggling voice inside his head. Forget Sofia! he told himself sternly. He had chosen being Jasmine's father over being with Sofia. He coudn't have it both way. Lila was his wife now.

He knocked at the door. "Lila?"

"Come in."

Lila was in bed. She looked at him without speaking.

"You're right." said Matthew, "I - don't want a marriage in name only, either.

Lila threw back the covers, as Matthew started to unbutton his shirt.

****

Meanwhile, Mr Akageno answered a knock at the door of his suite.

"Rachel! This is a pleasant surprise! Please, come in!"

Rachel held up the silver locket.

"Ah!" he said.

"Don't you mean 'ah so'?"

*****

Elsewhere in Bay City, Jake entered his hotel suite, and found that he had a visitor, naked in his bed.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm your wife, Jake. I don't want a divorce!"

"Put your clothes back on, and I'll buy you a drink before you leave."

"I'm not leaving!"

"Then, I am."

Once he was in the elevator, Jake pulled out his cell phone. "Vicky? I'm sorry if I woke you up. Marly's in my suite."

"Is she pretending to be me again?"

"Yeah. Can I sleep on your couch?"

"Sure." said Vicky, "This has to stop, Jake. Marly is totally out of control!"

****

Lila lay beside the sleeping Matthew. She had his measure now. As long as she was Jasmine's mother, she would always be able to manipulate him into doing what she wanted. She smiled to herself as she snuggled down under the covers. She was going to enjoy being Mrs Matthew Cory.

****

"This so-called talisman is definitely intended to make Amanda pliable." said Mr Akageno.

"Can you break the spell?" said Rachel.

"I could, but I prefer not to, just yet." he said, "Not until we know what David Halliday is planning. Can you get this back to Amanda before she knows it's gone?"

"I could." said Rachel, "But I don't like the idea of my daughter being under a spell."

"What I can do is alter the spell slightly," he said, "It's like changing a single figure in a complex equation: it changes the whole result. Halliday won't even notice, unless he examines it carefully - as he has no reason to do."

"Are you sure it will work?"

"I must ask you to trust me on this, Rachel."

"You know I do."