by Cindy Stark
Hazel’s jaw slackened, and it took her a few seconds to completely process Polly’s words. Her blood heated. “Wait. The commotion I’ve stirred? Dire circumstances I’ve put you in?”
She glanced at the crowd. “I did not bring this upon us. Harriett and Olivia are the ones who brought my existence into the open.”
Polly cleared her throat. “Actually, that happened when you practiced magic to stop the vines. You could have chosen to remain hidden. Then you’ve made it worse by agreeing to participate in this ridiculous Ask-A-Witch event.”
Hazel opened her hands wide in frustration. “What would you have me do? Let the greenery eat my wedding guests? People here need to know and understand witchcraft. It will help all of us.”
“Hazel,” Polly reprimanded. “You will adhere to the rules of conduct. You’ll have your chance to speak.”
Cora caught her gaze and gave a slight shake of her head in warning.
Hazel inhaled a deep breath and held her tongue, which took every bit of her self-control.
Polly stared at her for a long moment as though checking for her compliance before she continued. “We have gathered here tonight to discuss the future of the sisterhood in Stonebridge.”
Fifteen
Hazel shot a wide-eyed look at each witch in attendance. “You’re thinking of leaving Stonebridge?”
Georgina Harlowe, a short, plump woman around sixty, shook her head. Her long black curls threaded with gray bounced as she did. “Not us, Hazel. You.”
She gasped and then drew in an incensed breath. “You want me to leave? I’m trying to help everyone here.”
Polly cleared her throat. “It’s an option we’ve considered.”
Fauna moved closer to Hazel and slipped a hand around her elbow. Love and warmth infused her. “Some were happier living in the shadows, hiding their identities.”
“We were safer then,” Georgina said.
Fauna swiveled her head and gave the older woman a hard look. “You were safer then. I would be dead if not for Hazel. And don’t tell me Hazel caused Samuel to come after me. She had nothing to do with it.”
Georgina compressed her lips into a thin red line.
A growing number of whispered opinions grew around them.
“Order,” Polly repeated. “We must have order.”
The group settled.
Cora lifted her hand and let it drop. “I say it’s time for all of us to come out of hiding and back Hazel. She’s fearlessly owned her identity and is trying to defend our rightful existence in Stonebridge. It’s time for us to be accepted as an integral part of this town.”
“Only if you have a death wish,” someone muttered.
Polly ignored that comment. “I will present our options. We’ll let Hazel have her say, and then we’ll vote.”
Hazel drew her brows together. Could they actually vote her out of town?
She didn’t think so. They couldn’t make her leave, but they could make life unbearable. She wasn’t sure she could handle the townspeople and the coven against her.
Polly held up a forefinger. “First option is that we agree that Hazel must leave, and we will go back to life the way it was before this disaster.”
Hazel clenched her jaw but held her tongue.
“Second, we allow her to stay. She’s chosen to be a target, and that’s her business and her consequences. Third, we abandon our secrecy with the hope that it doesn’t cost us our very lives.”
Grumbles arose, and Polly turned her palm up toward Hazel, indicating she could now freely speak.
Hazel took a moment to gather her thoughts. “You do realize that by forcing me to leave town that you are no better than the misguided townsfolk three hundred years ago. They acted in fear, and you are doing the same.”
“We don’t want to die, Hazel,” Georgina said.
Hazel nodded. “I understand that. But there is strength in numbers, Georgina. I believe that if residents realize how many of us have lived here in peace for years, how many of us have been good friends with them, they will realize we only want what they want, to live a happy, peaceful life. They fear what they don’t know. But they do know us, and they like us. We’ve been their friends and neighbors for years.”
“She’s right,” Cora said.
Georgina folded her arms. “Is she? Or is the reason you and Fauna support her because you’ve already been named, too. You’re already targets. You have nothing to lose.”
Cora shook her head, and Fauna sighed.
Hazel glanced at each face, some open to her thoughts, others completely shut down. “This is an opportunity for us to heal this town. One that may not come around again for a very long time.”
Polly gave a quick nod. “The prophecy.”
“If you believe it,” someone else said.
Polly lifted a crystal-crusted altar knife into the air. “As leader of this coven, I will now call for an official vote. Follow your heart so that you will have no regrets later.”
“My vote is that Hazel leaves,” Georgina spoke loudly.
Cora and Fauna voted to support her.
One by one the others voiced their opinions, and each negative vote was a stab to Hazel’s heart. She tried to remember that they’d likely chosen out of fear and that their decisions weren’t personal but doing so was hard.
When the group finished, only Polly remained. Eight wanted her to leave, and eight had agreed to back her. No one wanted to continue as they were. If they weren’t going to come forward, they wanted her gone.
Hazel turned questioning eyes to the leader of their group. Polly held Hazel’s future in her hands, and that thought didn’t set well with her. Worse, the emotions she detected in Polly’s face prepared her for the worst.
Polly paused for a long moment and then exhaled. “I’m sorry, Hazel. I vote that you leave. If I had more faith in this prophecy and if I wasn’t so worried for the others…”
Hazel swallowed, and pain like she’d never known pinned her to the ground like a large boulder, making it hard to breathe. Nine were against her.
So that was it then.
“Excuse me,” called a singsong voice from behind Hazel. “I believe I also get to cast a vote.”
Hazel jerked her face toward the voice. The sight of Beatrice Rutherford emerging from the trees shocked her to the core. Beatrice looked regal in deep blue, her voluminous skirt flowing around her like soft waves of water.
After Beatrice’s pro-witch comments during Hazel’s wedding dress fitting, she shouldn’t have been so surprised, but she was.
Beatrice smiled warmly at Hazel and then turned to Polly. “I vote that we support Hazel in her endeavors and wipe out the nastiness that has plagued our town for generations. It’s time.”
“Beatrice,” Polly said, obviously also surprised by the seamstress’s appearance. “I thought you’d disavowed the coven.”
She shrugged. “I have no idea why you’d think that. I may not have attended meetings in quite some time, but I’ve always treasured my heritage. In fact, if this goes well, I’d like to help move my daughters and granddaughters to town. They love the area, and I’d like to have them closer.”
The thought of generations of witches living happily in the open brought tears to Hazel’s eyes. “Thank you, Beatrice.”
Polly gave Beatrice a curt nod. “Your vote is noted, and we now have a tie.”
Hazel turned to Cora with hope beating in her heart. “Now what?”
Sadness loomed in Cora’s eyes. “In the case of a tie, the coven leader’s vote is the tie-breaker.”
“No,” Hazel whispered, and defeat left her heart a black hole for the second time. How would she tell Peter that she’d have to go? She couldn’t ask him to leave the town and the job he loved.
Polly lifted her altar knife once again. “Since we now have a tie, the final decision falls to me to choose what would be best for all.”
Georgina clapped her hands together.
Hazel dec
ided in that moment, Georgina’s choice had been personal, and Hazel turned away from the group. Wouldn’t matter. They wouldn’t be living in the same town for long anyway.
“I’ve reconsidered and now vote to back Hazel.”
Polly’s words pierced the dark fog that surrounded her, and she stopped. “What?”
Polly gave a firm nod. “Beatrice was my mentor when I was younger, and I’ve always found her to be a very wise woman, able to see through the cloud of thoughts that can get in a person’s way. Truth be told, she should be the one leading this group.”
Beatrice’s lips curved into a smile, and she shook her head. “No, Polly. This was meant for you.”
Hazel blinked several times, processing everything that had taken place during the past several minutes. She placed a hand over her heart. “I thank you for your support.”
As she glanced at each of the women’s faces, she realized another truth. “I’m grateful that you’re not asking me to leave, but I can’t ask unwilling members to put themselves and their families at risk. I would prefer that they choose to support this cause. It will have more power that way, anyway.”
Polly paused for a moment, and then nodded. “Agreed. We will not force anyone into the open, but I truly hope if any of you find Hazel, or others who are risking themselves for our benefit in need, you will offer service.”
Georgina snorted and turned away, her salt and pepper curls bouncing as she did. “We’re going to regret this,” she muttered.
Cora hugged Hazel and whispered. “This is a good step. Give them time.”
She pulled away and nodded. Fauna also hugged her, and several others offered words of support.
Beatrice stepped forward and clasped Hazel’s hands. “You will do well.”
An odd burst of energy shot through her fingertips and traveled up her arms to her heart. Hazel tilted her head and eyed the wise, older woman. “You’re the one, aren’t you? The fourth witch. The water witch.”
Beatrice smiled. “Very intuitive. Trust that instinct.”
Hazel drew her brows together and spoke in low tones. “But why haven’t you told the others? Shouldn’t they know?”
“I will. Soon.”
Beatrice released her grip to pull away, but Hazel tightened her fingers to stop her and leaned close. “Wait. I have something that belongs to you. Eliza’s spell book.”
“I know.”
The seamstress had surprised Hazel once again. “You know? Then why haven’t you asked for it?”
She smiled again, and a feeling of peace settled over Hazel. “I trust that the universe will provide it to me when it’s ready.”
Her heart thumped in her chest. “Oh, it’s ready. Or at least I am. The coven needs you.”
“I’m here, dear Hazel. I have been all along. Even more so once Glenys was taken away.”
She couldn’t believe Eliza’s descendant had been hiding beneath her nose. “I wasn’t sure another granddaughter would come along. Not with Glenys still alive.”
Beatrice squeezed her hands. “A descendant of each original witch will always reside in Stonebridge. Never doubt the old ones.”
She feared to ask her next question. “Does that include the prophecy?”
“Most definitely.”
Beatrice gestured to the side of them with her head. “You should go. I sense your man is getting very impatient.”
Peter.
Oh, gosh. She’d completely forgotten about him. She was probably lucky he hadn’t lit a match yet. “Yes. Thank you. I will visit soon to bring you that book.”
Beatrice gave a short nod. “Whenever you feel it’s right.”
Hazel gave her a quick hug and headed through the trees toward Peter. She wished she could have Beatrice’s strength and faith.
Peter straightened when she emerged from the trees and exhaled in relief. She could barely see his features in the dim light, but she sensed his emotions all the same. “What happened? Are you okay?”
She walked straight into his arms and gave him a fierce hug. “They voted to force me to leave Stonebridge—”
“What? They can’t.”
She hurried to continue before he exploded. “But Beatrice Rutherford showed up and convinced them otherwise. Let’s walk, and I’ll tell you everything on the way home. I need to distance myself from the reactions of the group.”
Sixteen
Hazel closed Teas and Temptations early on Saturday afternoon, as did most of the shops in town. It seemed everyone was eager to attend the Ask-A-Witch event. And why wouldn’t they? Whether things went well for Hazel or not, it was certain to be an interesting evening.
She intended to do her best to help heal the town and prayed the fates had her back on this one. Her six, like Peter had said.
Peter picked her up and drove the short distance to the Old Stone Church. “I’m still not certain this is the best venue for this type of function.”
Her stomach quivered with nerves. “That’s what I said, but Margaret assured me it would work out well.”
He glanced at her. “If it makes you feel any better, I’ve asked several of my guys to come in plain clothes, mostly to watch Samuel, Timothy, Quentin and Tony, but they’ll also be available if anything goes awry and will provide protection.”
Her tummy did a complete flip, and she clutched it as though that would help. “Oh, boy. It’s bad enough to be in the spotlight, but to know some in the audience despise me makes it all the worse.”
“Yeah,” he agreed. “But it might make one of them show his hand, too. Interrogations have given us nothing in Gracie’s case. They’re a tight-lipped bunch. But emotions will be high tonight, and someone could crack.”
She exhaled, working to keep the flow of air even. “Great.”
He reached over and squeezed her hand. “Don’t worry. I’ll be right beside you the whole time.”
He parked a block away since all the close parking spaces were taken, and they walked hand in hand toward the church. Several people said hello as they made their way inside, but most just stared.
A frenzied energy swirled about the building. Townsfolk wanted answers, and they deserved them. She intended to provide enough information to satisfy their curiosity and make them feel at ease.
The whole town needed that, needed to know they weren’t in any danger from her kind. That would be her first step in bringing them together.
Margaret stood at the front of the church near the pew speaking with Father Orien. Margaret had dressed in a long, austere black dress with a white collar, reminding her of a judge or mediator.
Someone had set up a rectangular table near the first row of pews and had placed three chairs behind it. She could only assume the chairs were for Margaret, Peter, and her.
Margaret and the priest both turned when she and Peter approached, and Father Orien offered them a warm smile. “Welcome, Hazel and Peter. I’m so glad you’re here.”
Peter shook his hand.
Hazel hadn’t seen the priest since she’d come out of hiding and hadn’t been certain of his reception. The fact that he was open to her gave her a small measure of relief. “Thank you. And thank you for letting us use the church. I have to admit I was surprised.”
Kind eyes sparkled from behind his black-rimmed glasses. “Of course. All are welcome here.”
She lifted one side of her mouth in a half-smile. “Even if I’m a witch?”
Father Orien dipped his head in acknowledgement. “Honoring Mother Earth doesn’t mean you’re against the Father. Am I correct?”
She smiled and nodded. “You are correct.”
Margaret sent her a knowing look and then checked her watch. “We’ll start in five minutes. Why don’t we take our seats so that others will do the same?”
The commotion quieted over the next few minutes, and then Margaret stood. “Thank you for coming tonight, everyone. I hope that by the time we all leave, we’ll feel better about having a witch in our midst.”
&
nbsp; Margaret glanced to Hazel. “Honestly, she’s been here for a while, and I think you will all agree that she’s been a fine, upstanding member of our community. I ask that you come at this with an open mind and an open heart.”
Hazel hoped for the same.
Several in the audience started whispering, and Margaret held up a hand. “A reminder that this is a civil gathering. If anyone can’t conduct him or herself in a respectful manner, he or she will be asked to leave. With that, Hazel is ready for her first question.”
Dotty Fingleton stood and raised her hand. The friendly woman, one of Hazel’s best customers, had piled her bleached blond hair so high that Hazel feared it might fall. Luca sat next to her, gazing at Hazel with adoration that warmed her heart. His nephew, Lachlan occupied spaced next to him with his arm around Cora.
That the first question would come from friends helped ease her anxiety.
Margaret pointed to Dotty.
“Hi, Hazel.” Dotty gave a small wave.
Hazel grinned in return.
Dotty beamed. “I’ve absolutely loved all your teas, and I was wondering if you had anything magical that would help with weight loss?”
Hazel couldn’t help but chuckle. “First off, you should all know that none of the teas I sell in my teashop have been touched by magic. Having said that, many teas contain catechins, which contain natural antioxidants that may boost your metabolism and increase fat burning, especially green and white teas. Of course, eating healthy and exercising is also important. Trust me, if there was a magic cure, I’d be all over that.”
Chuckles rose from the audience.
“Also,” Hazel continued. “Before anyone asks, I do not create love potions. I believe everyone should fall in love naturally.”
She glanced at Peter who smiled.
“Why not?” Quentin Fletcher called from a seat in the back row, and she bristled. His question was innocent enough, but she didn’t trust the man.
Hazel paused to consider her response. “Well, the fact is that some spells come at a fairly high cost, and good witches don’t try to alter outcomes because it messes with karma. We trust that the universe knows what it’s doing.”
