By the time she was finished, Harper felt dizzy. The woman barely came up for air. The entire time she was explaining the different combinations of herbs and supplements, she worked at her cauldron, cutting and adding and stirring.
“Does-does that make sense? I’m sorry. I probably should have broken it up into little chunks. I’m not good at . . . Well, I’m not good at the actual client bit. But I have everything written out on cards for you, instructions on what to take and when and how much.”
“Oh, you’re fine. That was, like, ridiculously impressive? I only took core curriculum herbcraft, but I know it’s really hard. You’re giving big hospital doctor, whether you mean to or not.”
The woman, Ladybug, smiled, her head dipping and her cheeks reddened.
“Um, how much do I owe you for all this?” Harper held her breath, waiting for the answer. Her weekly trips to the tearoom were beginning to cause a noticeable dent in her savings, and she was going to need to get off her ass and get a job sooner rather than later.
“Oh, there’s no change, not yet. I want you to take everything and get into a routine with it, determine whether or not you feel like it’s doing any good. Then we can set up a standing order.”
“Are you sure? This is a lot, and you clearly put a lot of work into it already —“ she cut off as Ladybug waved her protestation away.
“I’m sure. Like I said, Holt told me all about you. You’re a sister in need of aid. That’s all I need to know. And if you feel you want to continue on, we can set something up. Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it.”
Adjustments to the formulas needed to be made based on Harper’s weight, and as Ladybug bent over her worktable, Harper pulled out one of the heavy-legged antique chairs. “Are you the coven’s hedgewitch?”
“Oh! Oh, no. No, I don’t belong to the coven. Not anymore.”
She didn’t say anything further, but Harper could sense it was not a happy story. She felt a rising tide of empathy within her for this incredibly kind woman. “Well, that makes two of us. I flunked out of school last term, and because I’m not actively enrolled, they won’t let me attend coven meetings. They said I have to stay with the juniors until I am back in school, and I can’t even begin to tell you how hard that is absolutely not going to happen. I’ll take up snake handling first. I did my time in the Junior coven. It was horrible, and I’m never going back.”
Ladybug laughed. “It really is the worst experience, right? I don’t blame you. But I am sorry. I know what it feels like to be cast out, and it’s not a kind thing to do to anyone, let alone a sister. Do you have plans to return to study?”
Harper mulled over how to answer. “I-I think so? Honestly, it changes from day to day. I have no idea what to focus on. Trying to work with divination right now, but I don’t think I really have a natural talent for it.”
“She’s a shadowmancer.”
Harper jerked at Holt’s bored-sounding utterance. He was sitting on the countertop, stretching his arm against the cupboard, and she had a feeling that if he had been wearing his other skin, his leg would be over his head, licking himself.
“Oh! Well, that’s very good. That’s a rare skill, good for you.”
Harper looked between the two of them, her mouth hanging open, not knowing how to answer. “I-I’m a what-?”
Holt rolled his eyes, hopping lightly to the floor. “You commune with the shadow folk. They do your bidding. Honestly, I’m not even sure how you manage to dress yourself in the morning.”
“Holt!”
The woman sounded scandalized, but Harper just glared.Fucking cats.
“Rude.”
From the work kitchen, they moved to a back hallway, dimly lit and thick with cobwebs. She couldn’t imagine any part of this pleasant woman’s home being full of dark corners, but there was something decidedly creepy about the thick webs against the walls.
“It’s in pretty bad shape. There’s a lot of water damage here. I’m not sure if a serious collector will be okay with that . . . I’ll give you $300 for it.”
Holt and Ladybug were standing in front of what appeared to be a carousel horse, a strange thing to keep in a hallway, but Harper decided she shouldn’t judge. It was strange looking, even for a carnival ride. A grey-dappled horse with what looked like seaweed in its lacquered mane, its mouth opened in a snarl. She could never remember going on a carousel with horses that had sharp, jagged teeth, but different strokes for different folks.
“Are you out of your mind? Of course, there’s water damage. It was pulled from the water! Add another zero to that, and maybe we’ll talk.”
He threw up his hands. “Be reasonable! I still have to sell it.”
“You have to sell it, but that doesn’t mean you get to rob me in the process. I don’t think this is ethical anyway, I personally want nothing to do with it. I’m only the . . . the, um— “
“The fence,” Holt grumbled.
“That’s right. The fence. $1500 and not a penny less.”
A thumping came from the ceiling above them, and Harper nearly dropped to the floor, worried the house was collapsing.
