“I have to agree with Brynn,” Nora said over my shoulder.
“I’m sorry, I don’t see how what you say is going to happen can happen,” he replied.
I set my hands on my hips. “Can you put your ego aside long enough to let me help you?”
He raised his eyebrows, turned and marched across the street.
“Well, that went well,” Nora said.
I slammed the door and went to my computer. “I have an email from Madeleine.”
I read the message.
I’m sorry to hear you’ve transferred the spell, however well-intentioned your motives. My brother is out on appeal and his case is looking good, but that might be because the spell is nearly satisfied. While I would prefer Daria to suffer the consequences of her actions, I’m afraid I’m unwilling to change the course of events.
No. I had to find a way to reason with her—or find Daria and return the spell. Even if Kyle was being difficult, I couldn’t let him suffer because of my poor judgment.
“Bad news?” Nora asked.
“She won’t help.”
Nora inclined toward me. “I have a strong sense of change in the air.”
I felt it, too. “Nothing is so certain in this life but change. I can’t control what’s meant to happen.”
“Sweet Brynn.” Nora smoothed my hair. “You’ve gone through some difficult trials. I can’t tell you how proud I am of the way you’ve grown because of them. Whatever comes next, I know you’ll handle it with grace and intelligence.”
I chuckled. “Don’t be too proud of me. When this is over, I might hole myself away in this house and never come out again. All these trials take a toll, you know.”
“Each one makes you stronger.” She looked over her shoulder. “Day’s a’wasting. I came to help you get caught up with your products. We’d better get back to work.”
For the rest of the day, I enjoyed the comfort of working side by side with Nora the way we had so often. She started a playlist on her phone and we sang along. We poured new trays of soap, molded more candles, and bottled essential oils.
When the rain had stopped, Nora retreated to the garden to harvest herbs and flowers. I sat at the worktable and summoned the hidden grimoire. As pleasant as it had been to put my predicament out of mind for a few hours, I needed a solution, and Madeleine had been clear she wasn’t inclined to help.
When the book appeared before me, I stared at it with the same tightness in the pit of my stomach that always came with opening it.
“Okay, book. How do I transfer the spell to Daria?”
It remained closed.
“Come on.” There had to be a way.
Nora walked in with a basket of herbs. “No luck?”
I shook my head.
“Why don’t you go to the last thing it showed you, about making sure it’s a spell and not a run of bad luck?” She set the basket down and took out a batch of thyme. She cleaned it and tied a string around it.
The book opened to the last page I’d read. Proceed with caution. Right. It had already been too late by the time I’d read what I’d missed the first time. For a book that was supposed to know what I needed, it was being particularly stubborn.
“What about the potion to break the spell?” I asked the grimoire. “Show me that.”
One of the other grimoires, one that called out my day-to-day special orders, landed on the table and flipped open.
I glanced at Nora, who busily tied bundles of herbs to hang from the ceiling. “At what point does this become intentional magic?” I asked her.
“Do what you will, but do no harm,” she quoted.
I ran a finger down the page of the grimoire with the potion.
“I just thought of something,” Nora said. She set down the herb bundles and went to the cabinet with the recipe grimoires. She touched each spine before taking the one she wanted. “Most people are happy with a given result, but every now and then they change their minds. For instance, there’s a potion to reduce the impact of negative influences. For example, Alice is driving Rhoda Christenson right up a wall, so Rhoda asks for something so Alice doesn’t notice her or doesn’t think to contact her. Then, maybe they’re both asked to serve on a committee, so she wants to reverse the effects. The same principle could apply here. Daria drank your potion, but there’s an ingredient you add to the basic recipe to reverse the effect.” She thumbed through the book and stopped on a page, tapping it with her finger for emphasis. “Here it is. It’s worth a try, don’t you think?” She handed the book to me.
I read the recipe she’d referenced, one to dispel negative influences and the canceling potion. Then I looked up the herb that was added to the potion to change the energy.
“Wait. Are we talking about this fenugreek stuff? The book says fenugreek is used for virility,” I said.
“There are other uses for it, obviously. I’ve seen the same ingredient referenced in other recipes. Recipe, and recipe antidote, in a manner of speaking.”
“Fenugreek doesn’t grow around here, does it?”
The magic shone in Nora’s eyes, sending a shiver along my spine. “No, it doesn’t,” she whispered, staring off into space. “But I think it’s exactly what you need.”
I didn’t question her intuition, but that didn’t mean I was comfortable with it. “Where do I find it?”
“I’ve only ever used it once. There’s an Indian market in Woodrow. They used to carry it in both leaf and seed form.” She picked up a bundle of rosemary and stretched to hang it from the ceiling. “You might pick up some extra. You never know when you might need it.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “Is that your way of asking if I’m still hoping to get pregnant?”
“I think I told you I wasn’t sure that was an option for you. If it hasn’t happened yet,
