Hmmm. Conversations with her mother were rarely helpful and often infuriating, even when Lily had the best of intentions. But it was weeks since Amy had spoken to her, and what if something important had happened? What if something was wrong? Gingerly, Amy tapped the ‘answer’ icon and put the phone to her ear.
‘Hello?’
‘Darling!’ Lily gushed, her formerly British accent now a weird, semi-Californian twang. ‘I’m so glad you picked up.’
‘Of course,’ Amy said, wondering already if answering this call had been a mistake. Lily sounded perfectly relaxed, which implied there was no crisis. ‘What time is it there?’ Amy asked, trying to sound upbeat.
‘Just coming up to ten in the morning,’ Lily said. ‘Sky’s blue. It’s gonna be a beautiful day. But I need to talk to you– I’m a little worried.’
Great. Just what Amy needed: something else to be concerned about.
‘Okay …’ she said cautiously. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘I’ve just pulled a three-card spread for you,’ said Lily.
Amy closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.Thiswas what her mother was calling about from the other side of the Atlantic? A trio of tarot cards?
‘And?’ Amy asked, willing herself not to be too obviously exasperated.
‘All major arcana cards. Very unusual. Significant.’
As far as Amy was concerned, what Lily was describing had no significance whatsoever. She knew from previous conversations with her mother that a three-card spread supposedly offered insight into someone’s past, present and future– though Amy privately considered this an absolute load of hogwash.
She pressed her lips together, determined not to say as much out loud.
‘Your first card was the wheel of fortune. Reversed,’ Lily said gravely. ‘Have you had some bad luck lately? Have you been forced to make some change you weren’t very happy about?’
Amy sighed. This was deeply annoying. When she admitted to Lily that she’d split up with Hugh, changed jobs and temporarily moved back to Rowton, her mother would be more convinced than ever that the cards spoke true.
‘Kind of,’ Amy told her, grudgingly. ‘I don’t want to get into it now, and I promise you I amfine– but I’m back at Gran’s for a while. I got a promotion at work and it required me to be outside London. Also, Hugh asked me to marry him and I said no, so we broke up. I realised I just couldn’t do it, and he … Well. He wasn’t pleased.’
‘Ah,’ Lily said sagely. ‘That explains a lot. Your present card– the second one I pulled– is the tower. I found that a little alarming. But now I think it’s connected to all the change you’re experiencing. You have to let the chaos and revelation you’re going through lead you into a new phase of your life. Embrace the transformation.’
Amy huffed out a weary breath. Short of quitting her job, she had very little choice but to ‘embrace’ everything that had been thrown at her lately. ‘Mmm-hmmm,’ she murmured, humming her agreement with Lily so as not to invite further questions about the state her life was in.
‘And then the future card– well. I’m less concerned about this one, though it does indicate a big shift for you,’ Lily continued. ‘The moon, reversed, suggests you need to start paying attention to your dreams– to all the subconscious messages the universe may be trying to deliver to you. You must listen to what your innermost voice is telling you, confront how you reallyfeel.’
Right now, Amy’s innermost voice was telling her to end this conversation as quickly as possible– so she was pretty sure her mother wouldn’t want her to pay attention to it at this precise moment.
‘Right,’ Amy said. ‘I see.’
‘Do you?’ Lily said, sounding sad and sympathetic. ‘I know you’re sceptical, Amaryllis, but I do think this spread offers a very strong picture of where you’re at in your journey. I think you’d find the cards very instructive if you’d open your mind.’
Urgh. Almost no one had the audacity to call her Amaryllis– at least not to her face.
‘If you know I’msceptical, why do you insist on doing readings for me?’ Amy demanded. ‘I mean, how accurate is it anyway, from thousands of miles away? And shouldn’t youasksomeone before you start consulting the universe about their fate? Surely there’s some rule against tarot-ing without consent?’
‘You’re my daughter!’ Lily cried. ‘My intentions are pure– I’m very confident the universe is clear on that. Of course I’m going to check in on you from time to time. There are only good vibes flowing from me to you, you know?’
Only goodvibesis about right, Amy thought. She couldn’t remember the last time her happy hippy of a mother had helped her in any practical way.
‘So tell me about your new job,’ Lily said.
Amy offered an edited version of how she’d come into her new role and what it involved.
‘I’m no longer surprised by your cards,’ her mother commented. ‘You say you’re working with the heir to the Hall on this festival project?’
‘I’m afraid so,’ Amy confirmed.
