Spellbound Seven

by Cindy Stark

  He straightened in his seat, and she sensed him pulling away. “Meaning you should be with someone like Victor?”

  She gripped his hand tighter. “I wouldn’t marry Victor if he was the last man standing.”

  She’d hoped for a smile from him, but she didn’t get one.

  “What if they’re right?”

  She released a derisive snort. “They’re not. I know in my heart that you’re the right man for me. No doubts whatsoever.”

  He shifted his stone-faced gaze out the front window. “What did you say to her?”

  She inhaled an indignant breath. “I told her that she and the coven had no right to tell me who to love.”

  “What did she say to that?”

  “A bunch of malarkey about doing what’s best for the coven.”

  “And she just let it go?”

  She swallowed, wishing they could leave things right there. What the coven wanted made no difference to her. “No, she harangued me until I said I’d think about it. Which I did in one second flat, and my answer hasn’t changed. You’re the right man for me.”

  He still wouldn’t look at her. “Funny, but the last time I felt judged and came up lacking was with my father the day I left home. I set out determined to prove him wrong, and I think I’ve done a fine job of it.”

  Her heart ached for that wounded part of him, and she mentally cursed Polly for saying anything to the contrary even if it wasn’t particularly directed at Peter. “You have done an amazing job. I couldn’t be prouder to be your fiancée.”

  He snorted and shifted his gaze to her. “So, what do we do about it?”

  She lifted his hand and pressed it against her heart. “Nothing. We do absolutely nothing. Honestly, I’ve been just fine without a coven. Happy as a lark. I thought it would be nice to know the witches in town, but they have zero say in my life. I’d like to turn the town’s perception of witchcraft around and soften their hearts, but I’ve been doing that just fine on my own. I don’t need the coven.”

  He nodded thoughtfully.

  “And,” she continued. “That’s partly why I wanted to check out Timothy’s treasures. I might find something there that will help me in my quest.”

  He chuckled, and her heart breathed a sigh of relief. “Your quest?”

  “Yes, I have a quest, to help this town. And, I have the best man possible by my side as I work toward it. You care about the people here as much as I do.”

  He tugged her toward him until their mouths were only an inch apart. “Yes, I do. You can count on me to be by your side through thick and thin.”

  He pressed his lips against hers, heating her attraction and soothing her worries for the future. She didn’t care what the coven thought.

  Peter was the right man for her.

  Eleven

  Hazel returned to her bedroom after breakfast and paused inside the doorframe. She’d opened her window once she got up, and now, fresh morning air filled the space, bringing with it the lovely scents of earth and pine. The town was headed toward Samhain, and the nights and morning temperatures enticed her with their freshness.

  She sat at her vanity and selected an eyeliner pencil from the stash she had in a drawer. She used a hand mirror for detail and carefully lined the top of her right eye. Her appointment with the wedding planner was today, and her nerves danced with excitement. All kinds of ideas churned in her head, and she looked forward to meeting with a professional who could help her sort them out.

  Three loud warbles startled her. She whipped her gaze toward the open window. A familiar owl sat exactly where it had a week ago.

  Her heart lurched in sickening thumps. This couldn’t be happening again. She’d had days of peace.

  She jumped up from her seat to close the window. With her movements panicked, her elbow caught the edge of a crystal vase full of bright yellow sunflowers. She glanced over her shoulder as she continued toward the window and groaned when she realized she’d knocked the vase over and water dripped to the floor.

  At least, the vase didn’t shatter. The beautiful hand-cut crystal vase had been her grandmother’s, and she’d be devastated if she’d broken it.

  She slammed the window closed and hurried into the bathroom for a towel to soak up the water. A few moments later, she’d managed to clean up the mess, though her padded vanity bench would take longer to dry.

  She closed her eyes and sighed in relief. Everything was fine. She wouldn’t leave the house without her protection in place. Though, she couldn’t understand why the owl kept targeting her, or who might have manipulated the omen, if that was even possible.

  If blood magic was involved, she guessed that could definitely be a thing. If she was still living in Boston, her thoughts wouldn’t have taken that direction. But she was in Stonebridge where the darker side of witchcraft pulsed with a powerful heartbeat.

  With chaos under control, she found the eyeliner she’d carelessly tossed and picked up the hand mirror to finish lining her eyes. When she lifted the mirror to peer into it, she discovered a thin crack that snaked its way along the edge.

  Fear coursed through her, thick and clingy, and she flung the mirror away from her and onto the bed. Her house was supposed to be protected.

  This couldn’t be happening. Not again.

  She’d gotten up on the right side of the bed. She had the acorn in her pocket, and the two crystals tucked inside her bra. Peter’s gold four-leaf clover lay nestled between her breasts. The only think she hadn’t done was wear her underwear inside out because that was supposed to change her luck, and she’d assumed the effects of the omen had passed.

  She’d thought she was in a good luck zone and didn’t want to risk changing it.

  She dropped her forehead to the vanity’s surface, feeling defeated. The thought of always wearing her underwear inside out had seemed ridiculous, but what if that would be required for the rest of her life?

  There had to be a more permanent solution.

  Something maybe Clarabelle might know about. She might even risk blood magic if using it would solve her problem. Seriously, her quality of life would diminish significantly if she had to worry every time she stepped outside.

  She’d needed to search for a lock-breaking spell anyway before she took her turn minding the library, so she might as well look for an anti-omen spell as well.

  Hazel hurried to finish getting ready for her wedding planning appointment so that she’d have plenty of time before she left to look through Clarabelle’s spell book.

  Once she was ready, she set the timer on her phone to remind her when she needed to leave in case she found herself engrossed by the spells, and then she curled up in her favorite chair to peruse possible solutions.

  A zing of energy heated her veins as she opened the ancient book, and she was reminded of her connection to something old and powerful. She wasn’t sure she’d ever given that the proper respect it deserved. She’d been blessed by the Mother and for that she was grateful.

  She couldn’t imagine encountering her problems with no way to solve them. She certainly wouldn’t be as big of a help to Peter and his investigations.

  Of course, some of the problems had been by-products of her blessings, but she wouldn’t give up both to be rid of the one.

  Hazel found a spell to banish bad luck about a quarter of the way through Clarabelle’s book, and the simplicity of it surprised her.

  She headed to the suitcase in her bedroom in search of supplies. Once she gathered what she needed, she strode to the kitchen with incense and three white candles in her hands.

  A flash of ginger fur caught her off-guard, and she nearly dropped everything. She glared at her cat. “Could you not do that? You’re going to give me a coronary.”

  He released a sassy meow and climbed onto a chair to watch.

  She shook off her anxieties and set to work. The wooden match lit easily on the edge of the box, and she held its flame to a stick of cedar incense. A few seconds later, a curl of
smoke rose into the air, releasing its distinctive smell.

  She placed the three white candles in a triangle on the table and set aside a match to light them.

  “Mother Earth, hear my plea. Send your protection up to me. Watch over me day and night. Bring good luck to ease my plight. These things I ask of thee, so it is, so mote it be.”

  She struck another match, sending the scent of sulfur into the air to mingle with smells of cedar. She lit each of the slender candles and stood back to watch them burn.

  Although she’d have to wait until the candles burned all the way down to complete the rituals by burying the remains, a sense of peace settled over her, assuring her the spell would work.

  She’d done it. She’d used her magic and had protected herself.

  She was Clarabelle’s granddaughter after all. Why should that be a surprise?

  Two hours later, with the ritual complete, Hazel headed out the door with a renewed sense of hope and empowerment.

  Not long after, she pulled up in front of an old Victorian house and grinned in surprise.

  Audrey, the wedding planner, had literally created a fairytale garden. Hostas, impatiens, and begonias in lush gardens, thrived in the shade beneath towering oaks. In the spaces where sunshine sneaked through, a riot of orange, vibrant pink, and sunny yellow zinnias communed with waves of violet petunias.

  Hazel was sure if she turned her head fast enough, she would spy flower fairies skipping through the gardens. She needed to do something like this at Clarabelle’s house, though she’d never want to go inside if she did.

  She’d walked halfway up the cobblestone path toward the front door when it opened. A gorgeous, curvy woman with brunette curls falling across her shoulders emerged. The smile on her face and warmth in her aura told Hazel she’d chosen the right person to help her.

  “Hazel?”

  “Yes,” she said with a smile. “You’re Audrey?”

  She strode forward with a large pad of paper under one arm and her hand out. “I am.”

  Hazel shook her hand and received a flood of welcoming affection.

  Audrey nodded her head toward the side of the house. “It’s such a beautiful day. Would it be all right if we sat in the garden?”

  Excitement rushed through Hazel. Asking an earth witch to sit amongst the Mother’s greatest creations was like forcing a kid into a candy store. “That would be amazing. Your gardens are so lush and peaceful. I’m totally envious.”

  Audrey glanced about as they walked. “Creating this and being out here is my sanity.”

  Hazel was half-tempted to ask if she was an earth witch, too, but decided against it. Even though she was miles outside of her town, she knew of several in Stonebridge who had used Audrey’s services. If they spoke of witches, Hazel’s earth affinity could spread like wildfire if the topic was right.

  Audrey led her to a cluster of brown wicker furniture that took up most of the paved space beneath a tree. Fat orange and turquoise cushions invited her to take a seat, and the glass overlay on the table would give Audrey a smooth writing surface.

  A silver tray laden with two glasses and a sparkling glass pitcher filled with what looked like her pineberry bush iced tea waited for them. Condensation ran in rivers down the sides, leaving her thirsty.

  Audrey caught her eyeing the iced tea and smiled. “It’s a fantastic blend that you can only get from your town.”

  She narrowed her gaze in wonder.

  “Teas and Temptations,” Audrey continued.

  A grin spread across Hazel’s face. “That’s my teashop.”

  Audrey seemed surprised. “Really? I mean, I guess I wouldn’t know who owned your shop because my sister is the one who always picks it up for me when she’s on her way into Salem. Though I’ve been meaning to get there myself. But this is a lovely surprise.”

  A year ago, when she’d thought about moving to Stonebridge, she couldn’t have imagined her teas would expand outside of town. Now, look at her. “I hope you will stop in next time you’re in Stonebridge. I’d love to have you taste my newest blends.”

  “Absolutely. You won’t have to twist my arm. I’ve been dying to try your spiced chai now that the weather is cooling off.”

  Hazel couldn’t contain her smile. “I would have brought you a sample canister if I would have known. Next time, for sure. I have a new blackberry sage tea that’s getting positive feedback, too.”

  That seemed to please Audrey. “We might have to trade tea for services.”

  Hazel chuckled. “I’m afraid I’d be getting the better end of the deal. It would take a lot of tea to equate to your services.”

  Audrey shrugged and poured them each a glass of iced tea. “Eh, I don’t know.”

  Hazel smiled, enjoying their friendly banter. It seemed her spell had not only banished the bad, but it had brought considerable good luck as well.

  Audrey flipped open her notebook and wrote Hazel’s name. She glanced up. “Do you have a date set yet?”

  She shook her head. “I thought I should see when you’re available first. My fiancé and I can be flexible. Our wedding will be small with no out-of-town guests.”

  The wedding planner slipped a thin appointment book from behind the note pad. “Let’s see what we have. Are you thinking sooner or later in the year? A Christmas wedding, perhaps?”

  Hazel didn’t want to wait that long. “More like October. I’d love a fall wedding.”

  Audrey widened her eyes in agreement. “We could decorate with fall leaves and pumpkins, and we could serve your delicious tea.”

  She sipped her drink. “That’s what I was thinking. Though I do want lots of beautiful flowers, too.”

  “Definitely.”

  Audrey thumbed through pages until the month of October lay before them. “I’m pretty booked up, but I do have one open Saturday. The bride called off the wedding.”

  Audrey paused and tilted her head. “You might know her. Katelyn Travis?”

  Hazel lifted her brows. “Katelyn? Yes, I know her. I knew she’d recently broken her engagement, too. Makes me sad.”

  She shrugged. “At least she discovered the marriage wouldn’t work before she was thirteen years into it.”

  “Point well made.”

  Audrey glanced at her calendar. “It’s the fifteenth. Does that work?”

  Close enough to Halloween that she might get away with adding witchy touches, and no one would be the wiser. She liked it. “We’ll take it.”

  “Perfect.”

  The fact that she and Peter had a set wedding date left her giddy. “I can’t believe this is actually happening. I never thought I’d find the man of my dreams.”

  Audrey sipped her tea and then snorted. “You are lucky. Far too many find Mr. ‘He’ll Do’. The dream is rarely a reality.”

  She couldn’t argue with that. Her parents certainly hadn’t been happy. But then who could be with her mother?

  After Audrey wrote Peter’s and her name on the calendar, she switched back to the notebook. “What about venues?”

  This was where she struggled. “I’m not sure. We really want to have the ceremony and reception in Stonebridge, but the only place that seems suitable is the old church.”

  Audrey’s gaze grew dreamy. “Ah, yes. The Old Stone Church. Such a magnificent piece of architecture. I don’t think you can go wrong there.”

  Except Hazel didn’t want to get married in a church. But the town would expect it, would truly wonder if she didn’t.

  “I was hoping to have it outdoors.” The excuse was lame, and she knew it. She took a drink of tea to avoid any scrutiny.

  Audrey narrowed her gaze in thought. “Mid-October. You might luck out with a warm day, but the evening will certainly be cool. What if you plan to hold the ceremony outside if the weather is nice, and have the inside available if it’s not? As long as it’s not raining or even snowing considering the time of year, we could bring in outdoor patio heaters to help keep guests warm.”

&
nbsp; The idea appealed to Hazel. She sipped tea and pondered the options.

  The church grounds were gorgeous. And if she did end up being married inside, at least it was a beautiful, historic building.

  Hazel paused and considered who would marry them. If they were married at the church, the town would expect the priest to oversee the ceremony. Her mother would freak. Clarabelle would screech through the house for days on end.

  But Clarabelle didn’t have to know. Her mother wasn’t invited. And what better place to hide her witchiness than right under their noses?

  She couldn’t imagine Peter would object, either. He liked to keep the town happy.

  Hazel nodded. “Yes. I think the church would be lovely. I’ll see if it’s available for that date and let you know the details.”

  Audrey scribbled on her pad. “You’re making this way too easy. Let me call and check on the church. That’s what you’re paying me for.”

  She snorted. “Just wait until the day of. That’s when you’ll really earn your keep.”

  Audrey grinned. “I’m totally up for it. Why don’t you let me work up a few ideas around what we’ve talked about? I’ll get some pricing, the types of flowers available at that time of year, etc. I’ll secure the church for that date. You can work on getting your dress and deciding who will be the maid of honor and best man. Let’s schedule another appointment for two weeks and reconnect then.”

  Hazel exhaled her relief. A wedding planner was exactly what she needed. “That sounds wonderful. If Peter is available, I’ll bring him with next time.”

  “That would be delightful. I’d love to meet him.”

  Hazel stood and shook Audrey’s hand. After confirming the date of their next meeting, she followed the wandering path back through the incredible gardens toward her car. If Audrey could make her yard this pretty, Hazel was certain she’d turn her wedding into a beautiful wonderland.

  She couldn’t wait to tell Peter all about it.

  Twelve

  The morning shift that day at the teashop dragged on for Hazel like Massachusetts maple syrup in the dead of winter. She and most of the rest of the shop owners in town would close early to attend the Harvest Moon Festival, so there’d been no point in having Gretta come to work only an hour or two.