Page 96 of A Resistance of Witches
She held her chin high. “What’s it to be? Are you going to kill me now?”
Lydia eased herself into a chair. “We really ought to. But no.”
“So, what then?” Gerda’s eyes darted from Lydia to Evelyn and back again.
Neither woman answered. Instead, Evelyn busied herself at the stove. She put on the kettle and pulled the coffee grinder down from the shelf.
“Do you know, I never did care for coffee. Nasty, smelly, bitter stuff. I’m more of a tea girl myself.” Evelyn reached for the brown paper package of coffee beans. She opened it and gave it a sniff. “Bindweed. Foxglove, too, if I’m not mistaken. I’d have noticed it right away, if it weren’t for that smell. Clever.” She dumped the contents of the bag into the grinder, letting the beans clatter across the counter and onto the floor. Gerda flinched. From where she sat, Lydia could see the tiny flecks of green among the black.
Bless you, Sybil.That was what Lydia had said when she received that brown paper package.Bless you.The grief and humiliation caught in her throat. She turned her face away so her mother wouldn’t see it.
Evelyn worked quickly, turning away at the crank of the grinder, occasionally pausing to empty the grounds into an enormous gherkin jar. Gerda watched, her eyes growing wider as the minutes ticked by. By the time the kettle began to whistle, the jar was half-filled with coarsely ground coffee. Evelyn hummed to herself as she poured the boiling water into the jar. She wrapped the jar in a rag and handed it to Gerda.
“Drink that.All of it.”
Gerda scowled but did as she was commanded. By the time she’d finished, she was close to retching, her teeth blackened with grit.
“Don’t you dare vomit,” Evelyn cautioned.
Gerda set down the jar, sweating and belching. Lydia waited for her to catch her breath, then took a small piece of paper from her pocket. On one side was an address: 64 Baker Street. On the other side was a note. She handed it to Gerda.
“Read that.”
Gerda read. “Attention: David Harlowe. This woman is a German spy. Extremely dangerous. Treat with caution. Regards, L. Polk.” She looked up at Lydia with a look of pure disdain.
“Go to that address,” Evelyn said. “When you arrive, you are topresent that note.”
Gerda scoffed. “I’ll escape.”
“I’m certain you will, a distinguished Traveler such as yourself. But not until my influence over you wears off, which will take several hours, not to mention that binding potion you just ingested, which will take considerably longer.”
“You’re going to die,hedge witch.” Gerda folded the piece of paper and placed it inside her coat pocket before standing to leave.
“Wait,” Evelyn said. Gerda stopped. “To make you suitably forthcoming when you arrive.” She blew another puff of pink powder into Gerda’s face, bringing on a fresh bout of coughs and shrieks of outrage.
“Nowrun.”
Lydia waited until the girl was out of sight, her shoes drumming on the stairs as she ran from the building and onto the street. Then she took a breath, and covered her face with her hands, and wept.
•••
Later, when the sunhad disappeared and Lydia’s tears had finally run dry, Evelyn came into Lydia’s room carrying a small brown bottle in one hand and a teacup in the other.
“What’s this?” Lydia sat up in bed, wiping at her puffy face.
Evelyn placed the bottle on the bedside table. “This one is snakeroot, with angelica and black pepper, as well as a few other things you won’t like, and I won’t name. It will make you sick as hell, but by morning the poison will have left you.” She set the teacup down next to the bottle. “This one is for healing broken hearts.”
Lydia felt as if she would shatter into a thousand pieces. Her head and her heart ached from crying.
“I feel so stupid.”
“Oh, my brave girl.” Evelyn wrapped her arms around her. “You’ve been many things in your time on this earth, but stupid was never one of them. You think you’re the first Polk woman to misplace her trust?”
Lydia buried her face in her mother’s shoulder. “I was so sure it was Vivian, I never even considered…” Lydia stopped, breathless. “You knew about her. I thought you were just jealous, like with Isadora, but you sensed it, didn’t you?”
Evelyn stroked her hair. “If I had known the truth, I would have beaten her silly before I let her anywhere near you. But I knew I didn’t trust her.”
“I trusted her,” Lydia whispered.
