Sentence:  The witch saw at once that there was some secret understanding between him and her that she did not understand. Her magic escapades often left her in this position. However, she winked back hopefully. But she was not a skilled <WSD>winker</WSD>. Everybody—even the Dog David—saw her doing it ... 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  Somebody who winks; somebody who connives.