Elizabeth tried not to roll her eyes and dropped the coins on the table, giving the woman her hand. It was a high price, but perhaps this was how the witch stayed in business. In any case, it might be her only chance to have her fortune read, and so, she grudgingly slid the five coins on the counter.
The older woman grasped her hand and felt her fingers, her palm, and the back of her hand. She yanked her hand towards her face and sniffed it. She surveyed Elizabeth’s fingernails, then flipped her hand over, studying her palm.
“You have the nails of a lady, but the roughness on the pads of your fingers suggests you’ve worked with your hands at some point. Your heart line is jagged and broken, as is your life line. Your fate line is abnormally well-formed, which means you either are very unlucky or will play a pivotal role in something yet to come.
“Your life line is cleaved in two—your old life or current life, and the one waiting for you to move forward with.”
Elizabeth stared at the woman with shock and begrudging wonder.
The woman continued, “You have a head line that is very strong, so you must be either very strong-willed or deeply intellectually curious. Or both.” She paused. “You smell of the roses and the sea. You are from Rhodea.”
“Yes.”
“You stink of demons, girl.”
Elizabeth pulled back her hand, affronted.
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell. But I will need more to divine your particular future. Their presence can distract and obscure the inner eye.” The woman tapped her forehead knowingly and shook her shoulders. She pulled out a deck of cards, shuffled them and set them on the table. “Pick six cards.”
She did, and the woman spread them out, looking intently at them and moving them this way and that. Finally, she scooped them up and placed each one in front of her, each card hitting the table with a sharp slap of finality.
The six cards lay across from her, figures and faces on each card, but she didn’t have the slightest idea what each one meant.
“These cards suggest several paths ahead of you, blessings in one direction and consequences in the other. Which path leads where, I cannot say.” The elder narrowed her eyes at the first two cards, lips pursed. “You have more than two paths in front of you, and your life will be different depending on which you take. One will bring happiness while one will doom you to a lifetime of misery, so take care to choose wisely.”
She pointed to another card. “Ten of Swords. At some point in your life, you will be betrayed by someone close to you. When this happens, I cannot say.”
Elizabeth was impressed with her intuition. However, the woman wasn’t telling her anything she didn’t know. Obviously, her father had betrayed her trust by forcing her engagement with Duke Howard. Was the witch only going to tell her things she already knew?
“These two are happier cards. The Lovers and the Ace of Cups. This suggests you have a powerful love interest in your future, though how it begins or ends, I cannot say.”
Elizabeth nodded politely. The woman was likely a hack, here to tell young women they would fall in love, produce many healthy babies, and come into great fortune. She sighed inwardly, thinking it would be a fun story to tell Charlotte, and she had well and truly wasted her money.
As if she sensed her reluctance to believe her words, the shop owner gathered the cards in one swipe and placed them back atop the deck. She folded her gnarled hands on the table. “I can give you protection against demons, you know, if they are bothering you or trying to coerce you into doing something,” the witch said brusquely, but not unkindly.
“I think I’ll be alright, thank you.”
“Be careful. Whatever they have promised you, they are no friends to the living.”
“Like I said, I’ll be fine. I should be going now.” Elizabeth shook her head. She paused at the door, and gave what she hoped was a kind smile. “I’m trying to get to the bookstore. Would you be so kind as to tell me how to get there?”
“Oh, alright, alright. I’ll walk out with you. I need to stretch my old bones.” The woman smiled disarmingly at her. Elizabeth strode out after her, the stack of books heavy against her arm.
The woman walked with her down the lane and around a few corners. It was nice of the older woman to show her the way. Turning a corner, she spied Maud at the entrance to the bookstore, her arms crossed over her chest.
The woman sniffed the air. “Look at me, child.”
Elizabeth did, and the woman searched her features. “Are you the one staying at the castle on the hill?”
Elizabeth didn’t answer.
The woman studied her for a moment, and the woman’s face grew pitying.
“If you need help, come to me.”
“For a price, of course,” Elizabeth muttered.
“For a price,” the woman confirmed.
