Chapter 24
The Solent’s water journeyed in with gentle lapping and covered Isabel’s bare feet. She couldn’t help but squeal at the coldness of it, hopping from foot to foot as it whooshed away again leaving rivulets of water running down the sand. Her jeans were rolled up to her calves but were still damp thanks to the odd rogue wave. She wasn’t the only hardy paddler on the bluish-grey horizon. Two women a short distance from her were laughing, their skirts held up in bunches as they ventured deeper into the water where it formed white tips. They’d get wet knickers if they carried on, she thought sagely. There were even a few brazen enough to go for a dip; she saw as one man reared up out of the water. He shook his head, sending droplets of water flying. He looked like a seal in his wetsuit, she thought. A seal who was auditioning for a shampoo advert.
The next time the water swished in, she was ready and bending down she filled the empty medicine bottle, she’d picked up at Boots, her second port of call after the herbal health store. The store, she’d seen from the twirling sign as she walked up Union Street, was called The Natural Way. Inside, it was light and modern, and just as Constance had said she would, she’d found everything she’d needed for what she was now thinking of as her war on eczema.
The shopkeeper, a woman around her age, had looked up from the box she was unpacking as Isabel entered. For someone working in a magic potions shop, she looked rather normal as did the shop, Isabel decided taking in her faded khaki cargo pants and yellow T-shirt with a white dove pictured on it. She was pretty, she noticed absently, her pixie cut framing a roundish, friendly face. There was no nutcracker nose, chin with warts or pointy black hat to be seen.
‘Hi, I’m Delwyn—how’re you today?’
‘Good thanks.’ Isabel’s eyes scanned the shelves.
‘Is there anything, in particular, you were looking for?’
‘There is, yes. Raw honey for starters please.’ Isabel followed Delwyn’s lead and stood staring at the array of jars. ‘It’s for my skin.’
‘I’ve just the thing.’ She picked a jar filled with golden liquid off the shelf and handed it to Isabel. ‘This is fresh from a local hive as of yesterday.’
Isabel swallowed hard upon seeing the price. It better be worth it. ‘Thanks. I also need some dried chamomile please.’
The shelves of the shop Isabel saw scanning them were full but not cluttered with packets of every kind of dried herb imaginable. There were specialty teas, and aromatherapy oils and her eyes scanned the ‘raw materials’, shelf with curiosity. Distilled witch hazel, neroli oil, organic beeswax, myrrh gum—it really was a shop full of ingredients for a witches brew.
‘Believe it or not, I’m out of dried chamomile, sorry. I’ll have it back in stock by the end of the week. I could give you a call as soon as it arrives if you like?’
Isabel didn’t want to wait that long. ‘Oh bugger. Well, what about dried horsetail herbs then?’ She hadn’t fancied the sound of that, but Constance had said she thought it would be more effective. In for a penny, in for a pound and all that as her mother would say!
‘Yes, that’s not quite such a big seller.’ Delwyn smiled scanning the shelf. ‘Ah, here it is. Horsetail likes the banks of streams and boggy ground. It’s rampant in these parts. If you don’t mind my asking, what are you using it for?’ She handed the packet to Isabel for her to inspect.
‘I don’t mind. I get a bit of eczema. It’s not severe enough for a visit to the doctor, but it’s enough to be annoying, and Constance Downer recommended it, I think you might know her?’
‘Oh yes. She’s an amazing lady. Quite the legend around these parts and very knowledgeable. I’ve only met her the once when she called in and introduced herself. I could chat with her for hours; there’s not many self–trained herbalists left.’
Amazing and grumpy, Isabel thought unkindly. ‘Well, I had a chat with her this morning about my eczema, and she recommended bathing in chamomile or a brew of horsetail tea.’ She showed Delwyn her neck, seeing her wince at the sight of the weepy, red patch.
‘Is she still doing consultations then? I thought she’d retired when she moved into Sea Vistas. That is where she’s living, isn’t it?’
‘Yes, and I don’t think so. I had a message to pass on to her from a relative, and she spotted the patch on my neck. That was how the conversation came about.’
‘Ah, I see, well, Constance would know. I’ve thought about calling on her. Like I said, I’d love to talk to her about some of the old remedies.’
‘You should. I got the feeling she’s lonely.’
‘Really? I thought she’d have a steady stream of visitors. I will go and see her then.’
‘Be warned she can be a bit—’
‘Acerbic?’
‘Good word.’
‘My granny was like that; loneliness can do that to a person. Whole days could pass after my granddad died without her seeing anyone. It won’t phase me. Good luck with the horsetail and honey. I’d love to hear how you get on. If it makes a difference, it means I can recommend it to other customers with confidence.’
‘I will,’ Isabel said, following Delwyn to the counter. She handed her the honey and herbs and waited while she rang them up before handing over a decent wedge of the previous night’s earnings. She thanked her and took the bag from her before heading down to the water.
Now, satisfied she had enough water in her bottle for the eczema assault she headed back up the beach. She sidestepped a woman who’d
