Page 39 of Brews and Banishments
“What’s that about a ladder?”
Mrs. Witherford gestured over her shoulder towards the backyard. “You won’t find me standing on ladders anytime soon,” she mumbled, obviously displeased.
“Daisy!” Tessa whispered from the first few steps. She waved her hand, mouthing the wordslet’s gorepeatedly.
Turning back to Mrs. Witherford, Daisy searched for the words to say. The guilt rested so easily within her, practically on the tip of her tongue, that she could hardly imagine walking away without taking the blame for the old woman’s fall. Even if she didn’t claim the fault for the accident, the truth of the matter would lie in the forefront of Daisy’s mind. Pressing her lips together, Daisy reached to give the old woman’s hand a quick squeeze before turning around on her heel.
The pair made their way back down Old Lady Witherford’s driveway, and onwards towards town. A few mourning doves flew by, landing on the empty streets and waddling their way around in search of food. Daisy kept her gaze focused forward, entirely aware of how Tessa watched her, waiting to hear some sort of reasoning as to why she went to speak to the old gossip. But the silence seemed to be enough to convince Tessa not to ask, as Daisy was too involved in her racing mind to even think about explaining.
After a while, they reached their destination. Ashford Groceries expelled amber lights from their sliding doors. Though the rest of the town was quiet and rather dreary, the grocery store remained a bright fixture at the border of downtown Willowbrook, where Fields’ Herbalswaited patiently for its doors to be opened to the public.
“Should I go in alone?” Tessa asked when they neared the front doors.
Daisy’s brow rose. “What for?” She smirked, nudging her shoulder against Tessa’s playfully. “Think I’m gonna fist-fight Drusilla in her own store?”
Tessa laughed. “Daisy, if I thought you’d do something like that, I would’ve sold tickets to a crowd before going in.” Her facegrew serious. “You seem more affected than I thought in regards to all of this.”
“It’s hard not to be,” Daisy murmured.
Tessa sighed. “And I wouldn’t dare to argue that fact. But Drusilla Ashford…she’s something else in comparison to someone like Marigold.”
“Believe me,” Daisy replied, “I know.”
“So if you want me to go in alone, then I -”
Daisy reached to clasp down on Tessa’s hand. “The hate Drusilla houses for me is nothing more than consequences from her own actions. If she wishes to hold onto it still, that’s her prerogative, not mine.”
Tessa pressed her lips together. “Itbecameyour prerogative the moment she placed that curse on you.”
“Do you think she did it?”
“A woman scorned is capable of more than we might realize.”
Daisy, now filled with determination to be rid of the curse that managed to put Old Lady Witherford in a wheelchair, marched forward into Ashford Groceries.
That early in the morning, the store was incredibly quiet. Ever since Daisy was in grade school, the entire Ashford family worked within the store. Whether it be the mother or father, a daughter or a cousin, they spent their spare time in Ashford Groceries.Daisy was in the same class as Drusilla every year, and yet they never grew close enough to be considered friends. It was as if they were bound to be something else entirely, a path Daisy never chose but was placed upon after Drusilla’s irreversible actions in their last years of high school.
A teenage girl was near the front of the store, running a rag across the main counter.
Daisy stepped towards her. “Excuse me,” she politely began.
“Good morning,” the girl said in a sweet voice.
“I’m looking for -”
A familiar face whipped around one of the aisles, storming forward before standing directly behind the young girl. Voluminous grey hair streaked with strands of pure white were pulled into a loose braid down Drusilla Ashford’s shoulder. She was as stunning as she was in grade school, with deeply tanned skin and no need for the slightest tint of makeup. Her natural beauty alone attracted countless opportunities to Drusilla’s hands, but it was the inevitable darkness within that drove them all away.
“What a surprise,” Drusilla drawled as her sharp gaze struck them. “Daisy Fields walks into my family store.”
Daisy pulled the best smile she could across her lips. “It’s been a long time, hasn’t it? The store looks -”
“Mydaughter, Lorna,” Drusilla interjected, her hands gripping onto the young girl’s shoulders tightly, “excelled through school, and has just received a full-ride scholarship to the most prestigious -”
“Mom,” Lorna whined, an embarrassed pink hue sliding across her cheeks.
Drusilla continued, entirely unbothered. “The most prestigious school on this coast. Isn’t thatmarvellous, Daisy? My eldest girl, following in her mother’s footsteps.”
Daisy pressed her lips together, more than aware of where the conversation was heading. “Congratulations,” she managed to say before Drusilla began ranting again.
