Page 30 of Brews and Banishments
“A-After all this time,” Marigold slurred, her almond shaped eyes narrowing as she focused on Daisy. “The husband s-stealer shows up at m-my door!”
“Marigold,” Daisy said, keeping her voice as even as possible. “Can we -”
She stepped forward, looming over Daisy. “H-How does it feel,” Marigold paused, taking in an exaggerated deep breath, “to be thevillainin someone’s story?”
Daisy blinked.
“P-Picture perfect,” Marigold continued, the bottle high above her head, “Daffodil, notactuallyliked b-by all of Swallowbrook!”
Tessa pressed her hand over her mouth, stifling the laughter that so badly wanted to be released. She glanced in Daisy’s direction, her brows trembling.
Daisy shook her head, her own laughter daring to be released. She watched Marigold instead, trying her best to keep the hesitant smile on her mouth. “How does some water sound, Marigold? You seem a little parched.”
“Bah!” Marigold spat, raising the bottle to her lips to take another long swig. The amber liquid dribbled down her chin and onto her once-beautiful dress. Twisting around, Marigold stumbled back into her house, almost tripping over the threshold but quickly regaining her balance. She mumbled as she walked, but didn’t shut the door behind her.
Daisy glanced at Tessa.
Tessa shrugged and nodded her chin towards the door.
With a deep sigh, Daisy slipped inside, following close behind Marigold. Despite how drunk she was, Marigold didn’t slip or fall. She made her way into a large living room, pacing around the coffee table without daring to let go of her bottle.
“Marigold,” Daisy called out to her. “We wanted to talk to you about -”
“First,” she blurted, waving a hand towards them, “y-you take Bary -” Marigold froze and waved a hand across her face. “Garyfrom me! A-And then, you take Barrett. H-Heartbroken and lonely Daffodil,” she slurred her words so much they could hardly understand, “s-stealing husbands and engagements to make herselffeelbetter!”
Daisy pressed her lips together. It didn’t feel right to interject or stop her from going too far in this state. Marigold could barely even get her name right. What was the harm in letting her rant about the things she, obviously, wished to say? Even though she was entirely wrong. Even though the truth was that Marigold had wanted Gary, and Gary had never wanted Marigold. Garyhad always been completely in love with Daisy, which was a hard pill for Marigold to swallow. The woman had been so unhinged that she’d shown up on Daisy’s wedding day to try to get Gary to run off with her… and had gone even crazier when he hadn’t given her the time of day.
As for Barrett… Daisy had no idea what was going on there. Except that rumor had it that he’d left Marigold on their wedding day, after she’d continued to talk about Gary. Her obsession still was not gone, even after all these years.
Daisy stepped towards the couch and took a seat. Perhaps she was the villain in another's story, even if it wasn’t well-deserved. Daisy couldn’t help but feel bad either way. She sighed, looking up at the drunken woman as she continued her rants.
“I’m guessing you’re the good cop?” Tessa whispered as she sat beside her.
Daisy shook her head. “Neither right now,” she replied. “Don’t you feel bad?”
Tessa scoffed. “As bad as I can for the woman who crashed your wedding.”
Unbothered by their whispering, Marigold continued her rants. “W-What is it about me that took them both away?”
“Marigold,” Daisy cooed, eyeing the bottle in her hands, “fate works out in many different ways. It doesn’t mean you did anything inherently wrong.”
“Don’t lie,” Marigold snapped. “Ibeggedandbeggedfor Gary. What difference did it make?” She thrusted the bottle towards Daisy, a few drops splashing onto the pristine floor beneath their feet. “N-Now the whole town calls me c-crazy. Crazy Mary,” she muttered. “Crazy Marigold. Lovesick Marigold. Deranged Marigold. Humiliating Marigold.” Ignoring the width of her skirts, Marigold collapsed into one of the loveseats, the bottle hanging loosely from her grasp.
“If Gary rejected you,” Tessa suddenly said, her voice seeping with ease, “why do you say it’s Daisy’s fault?”
Marigold was silent for a moment before lurching out of the chair, pacing around the living room once more. “What i-infects a man’s mind more than a w-woman’s voice?”
“Gary had his own mind,” Tessa called out. “I know that for sure. He wouldn’t let me watch whatIwanted on his big screen television. Does that make it Daisy’s fault?”
Marigold continued to stumble around, her brow furrowed so tight together, wrinkles began to crease over her forehead. She muttered something too quiet for them to hear, her anger and stress almost palpable.
Approaching the mantelpiece, Marigold snatched up a framed photograph. “My Barrett,” she whispered, the tears beginning to swell once more. Spinning around, Marigold shoved the photograph in Daisy’s face. “D-Did you even think of me when you took him away? When you t-told him to leave me at the altar?” She gulped down more of the whiskey. “D-Did you enjoy your revenge, Daffodil?”
It was hard to take Marigold seriously when she continuously failed to get Daisy’s name right. Daisy sighed, eyeing the picture before glancing back up at the drunk woman. She had heard through the grapevine that Marigold was getting married again, but never actually met the man herself. From what she heard, Barrett came from a neighboring town. Daisy couldn’t imagine the discomfort he must’ve felt if Marigold continuously mentioned Gary and how he was taken from her.
How could they have been wed if Marigold still clung to the past?
Tessa, at the same time, seemed to have similar thoughts. “Look,” she snapped, standing up from the couch, “if there’s anyone here who enjoys revenge, it’syou,Marigold.”
