Questions and Answers About A Sorceress Comes to Call

1. Why does Cordelia keep Penelope’s ghost a secret from Hester?

Cordelia fears that revealing a dead woman speaks to her would strain Hester’s belief. She already convinced Hester about Evangeline’s sorcery using Mr. Parker as proof; adding ghosts risks making her seem unreliable. She also worries another sorcerer might be impersonating Penelope, though she dismisses that idea.

Evidence: In Chapter 24, Cordelia decides not to tell Hester because “layering ‘By the way, a dead woman has been talking to me’ would be asking rather a lot.” She acknowledges that many people don’t believe in ghosts, and she cannot afford to lose credibility. This internal conflict shows her pragmatism and isolation.

Interpretation: Cordelia’s silence reflects her deep-seated fear of being dismissed or disbelieved, a pattern from years under her mother’s control. It also delays the group’s discovery of Penelope as a potential ally, adding a layer of dramatic irony.

2. Why does the ritual to unbind Falada fail in Chapter 30?

The ritual fails because Lord Evermore’s soul is aligned to earth rather than wine. Hester supplies the water-note, Imogene the salt-note, but Evermore cannot produce the wine-note. Cordelia senses his essence as “earth and stone,” and his note is washed away, leaving the harmony incomplete.

Evidence: In Chapter 30, Cordelia “could feel Evermore like the other two, but he was made of earth and stone and the wine-note was being washed away.” His love and loyalty are strong but do not match the required element.

Interpretation: This failure underscores that magical power is not enough; personal essence matters. It also forces the group to later improvise with Penelope’s ghost as the wine, revealing that belief and willing sacrifice can substitute for innate alignment.

3. How does Falada’s betrayal reshape Cordelia’s understanding of trust?

Cordelia learns that Falada, her horse and confidant, is actually her mother’s familiar who reported every secret. This betrayal erases years of whispered confidences—about her loneliness, her friendship with Ellen, her desire to run. She feels humiliated and realizes she had no true friend.

Evidence: In Chapter 3, Cordelia recalls “every secret she had ever whispered in Falada’s ear” and how even one secret was too many. The horse’s loyalty to Evangeline makes Cordelia’s escape impossible.

Interpretation: This moment shatters Cordelia’s innocence and forces her to stop seeing the world in simple terms of safe and unsafe. It also establishes Falada as a symbol of false refuge, contrasting with the genuine solidarity she later finds with Hester, Alice, and Imogene.

4. What causes Hester to shift from suspecting Cordelia to protecting her?

Hester initially suspects Cordelia is either a decoy or an accomplice, but after observing her terrified demeanor, trembling hands, and flinching from a pricked finger, Hester reclassifies her as a victim. The embroidery lesson reveals Cordelia’s lack of training and fear of her mother.

Evidence: In Chapter 7, Hester notes Cordelia’s “terrified demeanor” and her slip about her true age. Hester decides she must try to “extract Cordelia from her mother’s influence as well as save her brother.”

Interpretation: Hester’s shift from suspicion to protection is driven by her own history of escaping a dangerous marriage. She recognizes the signs of abuse and chooses solidarity, laying the groundwork for the female alliance that becomes central to the story.

5. What role do geese play in protecting Evermore House?

Geese at Evermore House hiss at Falada and form a protective ring around the horse, preventing him from wandering freely. Hester notes that geese are known to ward against evil magic. The birds instinctively attack the familiar, acting as living guardians.

Evidence: In Chapter 27, geese swarm Falada and Hester explains that “geese ward against evil magic.” Later, the geese defend Hester when Falada attacks the house (Chapter 32).

Interpretation: The geese serve as a folkloric counterpoint to high sorcery, suggesting that simple, natural creatures can resist magical evil. They also provide comic relief and a concrete barrier that the sorceress cannot easily overcome, reinforcing the theme that ordinary allies can be powerful.

6. How does Evangeline’s ruthlessness operate independently of her magic?

Imogene Strauss argues that Evangeline would have murdered Penelope even without magic, using social manipulation and false victimhood. Ruthlessness, not sorcery, is her primary weapon. Magic merely expands her capabilities but does not change her essential cruelty.

Evidence: In Chapter 24, Imogene says “It’s got less to do with sorcery and more to do with ruthlessness.” She posits that Evangeline would have staged a similar scene with Penelope, perhaps without magic.

Interpretation: This insight reframes Evangeline as a human monster who uses magic as a tool, not as her core identity. It also warns that defeating her requires more than breaking spells; the group must also outmaneuver her cunning and social positioning.

7. Why does Cordelia agree to a fake engagement with Lord Evermore?

Cordelia agrees because the engagement buys time for research and draws Evangeline’s focus away from immediate danger. It also offers a plausible path to separate Cordelia from her mother, as Hester proposes they open the town house as a refuge during the “honeymoon.”

Evidence: In Chapter 21, Hester proposes Evermore pretend to court Cordelia. In Chapter 22, Hester suggests she and Cordelia open the family town house while Samuel and Evangeline honeymoon, creating an escape.

Interpretation: The fake engagement is a strategic sacrifice for Cordelia, who must play a role she dreads. It also deepens the emotional complexity between Hester and Richard, who still carry feelings for each other but agree to the ruse out of loyalty.

8. How does Penelope’s ghost assist in the final ritual?

Penelope’s ghost volunteers as the “wine” element during the improvised ritual in Chapter 35. She can see solid objects after the wedding ceremony and communicates telepathically with Cordelia. Her presence completes the water-wine-salt harmony when Lord Evermore’s earth-aligned soul cannot.

Evidence: In Chapter 35, Penelope “volunteers as the wine” and the group uses brandy, water, and salt with belief. Penelope’s ghost allows the ritual to succeed where it previously failed.

Interpretation: Penelope becomes a willing sacrifice, redeeming her earlier murder by accepting her death and helping stop Evangeline. Her ghostly state also underscores the theme that death does not end agency or solidarity.

9. What is the significance of closed doors throughout the story?

Closed doors represent privacy, safety, and autonomy that Cordelia is denied. In Chapter 1, Evangeline leaves doors open so Cordelia cannot hide. Later, Cordelia sleeps with her door closed when her mother is gone (Chapter 3) and hides in a wardrobe (Chapter 9). The ability to close a door becomes a measure of freedom.

Evidence: In Chapter 1, Cordelia notes that open doors prevent escape. In Chapter 9, she hides in a wardrobe, a closed space. Hester’s offer of a private room (Chapter 5) is transformative.

Interpretation: The motif of closed doors parallels Cordelia’s gradual liberation. Each closed door marks a small victory: her own room at Chatham House, the wardrobe, and finally the town house that becomes her refuge.

10. What does the water-wine-salt ritual reveal about each character’s soul?

The ritual’s elemental alignment exposes inner truths: Hester’s water-note flows from her fear of losing herself; Imogene’s salt-note reveals her ruthless reserve; Lord Evermore’s earth-note shows his steadfast love; Penelope’s wine-note (in the second ritual) comes from her willing sacrifice. Cordelia chants from the center, binding them.

Evidence: In Chapter 30, Cordelia senses Hester’s fear and Imogene’s ruthlessness when the notes ring. In Chapter 35, Penelope’s ghost supplies wine, completing the harmony.

Interpretation: The ritual acts as a confessional without words, forcing the group to acknowledge vulnerabilities. It also demonstrates that effective magic requires truth and willing participation, contrasting with Evangeline’s coercive sorcery.

11. Why does Evangeline leave Cordelia alone for three days in Chapter 3?

Evangeline leaves to marry a man in a coastal city, but she sends Falada back as a spy. She trusts the familiar to monitor Cordelia while she secures a new benefactor. The three days give Cordelia her first taste of freedom, screaming into her pillow and sleeping with the door closed.

Evidence: In Chapter 3, Evangeline announces she will marry a man near the coast and rides off. Falada returns alone, and Cordelia realizes he is there to watch her.

Interpretation: This period of isolation is both a gift and a trap. Cordelia experiences autonomy for the first time, but its brevity underscores her powerlessness. The freedom only strengthens her resolve to escape later.

12. How does Imogene Strauss’s view of ruthlessness differ from Hester’s?

Imogene sees ruthlessness as a universal human trait, not limited to sorcerers. She argues that Evangeline would kill without magic and that social climbing itself is a form of violence. Hester initially focuses on the magical threat and must expand her understanding to include non-magical manipulation.

Evidence: In Chapter 24, Imogene states “It’s got less to do with sorcery and more to do with ruthlessness.” She later warns that sorcerers may hide their abilities to avoid detection.

Interpretation: Imogene’s pragmatism complements Hester’s moral clarity. Their partnership shows that defeating Evangeline requires both magical knowledge and social cunning, and that ordinary people can be as dangerous as sorcerers.

13. What does the Little Haw murder foreshadow?

The newspaper report of an axe murder in Little Haw foreshadows Evangeline’s violent past and her willingness to kill. Cordelia faints upon reading it, and Hester’s suspicion deepens. Later, Cordelia learns her mother likely caused the Parker family massacre.

Evidence: In Chapter 8, the newspaper describes a “horrific axe murder in Little Haw.” Cordelia admits she is from there. In Chapter 18, she tells Hester her mother probably caused the Parker massacre.

Interpretation: The murder functions as an early warning, tipping Hester to the danger. It also gives Cordelia a concrete reason to fear her mother beyond mere control, reinforcing the stakes of resistance.

14. Why does Cordelia decide to confront Falada alone in Chapter 33?

Cordelia believes she is the only one Falada will not harm, as all Evangeline’s plans depend on her. She sneaks out to stop the headless familiar from killing again. The confrontation forces her to ride the familiar into the woods, where her mother waits.

Evidence: In Chapter 33, Cordelia tells Alice “He’s my mother’s familiar.” She goes into the woods alone, mounts Falada, and rides through the night. Evangeline emerges from shadows.

Interpretation: This solo mission marks Cordelia’s transition from passive victim to active agent. She chooses danger over complicity, even though it leads to recapture. The scene also shows her unique bond with Falada, twisted from friendship to horror.

15. How does the ending establish a new family for Cordelia?

After Evangeline’s death, Lord Evermore proposes adopting Cordelia, and Hester agrees to move into Evermore House as chaperone. They form a chosen family out of survivors: Cordelia, Hester, Richard, Alice, Willard, and Imogene. Cordelia visits Penelope’s grave and resolves to live with style.

Evidence: In Chapter 36, Richard says he will adopt Cordelia and asks Hester to move in. Cordelia “resolves to live with style” after saying goodbye to Penelope’s ghost.

Interpretation: The ending transforms isolation into belonging. Cordelia gains parents who do not control her, a home with closed doors, and a community bound by shared trauma. The novel’s final note emphasizes resilience and the power of chosen bonds.