Mrs. Annabel Fairfax is a witch who lives near the Chipping Valley. She knows a great number of people, and at times takes on apprentices of her own. She was an apprentice of Mrs. Pentstemmon, and is very fond of honey. She is good friends with Fanny Hatter, and takes on Martha Hatter as a pupil to teach her magic after Mr Hatter's death. Some weeks later she discovers that Martha and her sister Lettie switched places using one of Mrs Fairfax's own honey-based spells. She lets Lettie stay on as a student on the condition that she stay as her real self. Mrs Fairfax soon discovers that Lettie has a real gift for magic; and considers her to be in the same league as the Witch of the Waste, but in a good way. When Wizard Howl comes courting Lettie under the name 'Sylvester Oak', Mrs Fairfax recognizes him immediately, but doesn't let on that she does. She encourages Lettie to let Howl court her, because she sees that Lettie could learn a lot more from Howl than she could from Mrs Fairfax. When a dog comes to the house to stay, Mrs Fairfax sees that it is really a bespelled human. Later, Mrs Fairfax visits Sophie in the moving castle with Lettie, and after the curses on Howl and Wizard Suliman and Prince Justin are broken tells Prince Justin that Sophie is the lady of the house, or will be soon.
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