Page 48 of Magic Touch
Pauline knocks but enters before anyone calls back. "Mother, I have brought company for you."
The house is dark with drawn curtains and no candles. With the baby in one arm, Pauline pulls back the front curtain to let in some light, revealing a neatly kept front parlor with worn furniture in faded green, and wood that hasn't seen polish in some time. No rug softens the scuffed wood floor.
There are two doors other than the one we entered through. One presumably leads to the kitchen. In the other, stands a gaunt woman who might have once been as pretty as her daughter. Her cheeks are sunken, and dark rings mark the undersides of her red-rimmed blue eyes. She holds tight to the door frame and blinks as if to clear her vision.
Prudence rushes to her. "Clair, my dear, you should have stayed in bed. I'd have come the rest of the way."
"Prudence Bishop?" Clair squints. "I must be seeing things." She stumbles forward and nearly topples them both.
Luckily, it's a small home, and I'm there in an instant to lend each an arm. "Ladies, can I escort you to the sofa?"
Clair's eyes widen as they meet mine. "You've brought a gentleman to call?"
I smile and coax Mrs. Kyle to the sofa. "I'm William Meriwether, madam. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"Sir William is a student with much potential." Prudence sits beside Clair and takes her hand. "Tell me, what ails you, old friend?"
"The doctor's already written me off, I'm afraid. Stomach is no good. It's dying first just to make my own death more miserable." Clair gives the report without any emotion.
Prudence touches the woman's stomach and then her forehead. She sighs. "I'll not lie to you, Clair. You're sicker than I'd like to begin treatment. Doctors don't know everything, though. Let me ease your pain and start some healing. I've got a fine tea that may help as well. I'll send Esme, a fine healer, to you daily to continue treatment. We'll do what we can for you while we're here. I'll come back to see you next week as well."
Tears run freely down Pauline's face as she rocks the baby in her arms. "Thank you, Great Mother."
"Don't thank me. We may be only slowing the inevitable, but we'll do what we can." Prudence closes her eyes and places her hands on Clair's abdomen.
Some color comes back into Clair's face, and the tightness in her lips eases.
"There now, that's a bit better." Prudence points to her bag. "William, I'll have you make a tea with barley, chamomile, and milk thistle.”
I pull out what she listed then move to the door I assume is the kitchen.
"William." Prudence stops my retreat.
"Yes, Great Mother?"
"You must brew the tea with intention." Her gray eyes are alight with meaning.
"I will."
I go into a small room with a cold hearth, a basin, and two pans. Stacks of clean dishes sit on a shelf with several cups and a chipped teapot. Lighting the fire with one of the new spells Esme taught me, I think of the way fire heals and warms. At the well outside the back door, I fill a small pot and hang it over the fire.
While the water warms, I take each herb and place them in the teapot. I want Mrs. Kyle to regain her health and see her grandchild grow to a man. I imagine her with the same round cheeks as her daughter and eating around a table after Michaelmas mass. The family is happy and laughing. A man is holding Mrs. Kyle's chair and grinning.
I take a breath and snap out of the vision. "Herbs to heal and herbs to care. One by one this brew is fair. Each to work the magic free, and find that which I see. As I will, so mote it be."
The water bubbles, and I pour it over the herbs, repeating the spell once more. I wait a few minutes for the tea to darken, then place it on a wooden tray with a teacup next to it and carry it out to the parlor. Placing the tray on a small table, I wait while Prudence opens the lid and gives the tea a sniff.
She smiles at me. "Well done, Sir William."
I pour and hand the simple white cup to Mrs. Kyle. "You must drink the entire pot. It should be pleasant, and at the least, make you feel better."
Mrs. Kyle sips the tea and rests her head back on the sofa cushion. "It's quite good, and it's the first time a man has ever made me tea, let alone a knighted one."
We all laugh, and I say, "Perhaps it shall be a new trend, madam. I quite enjoy the brewing process."
"Imagine that, Mother," Pauline says. "Do you think Bart will be fixing my tea each day?"
Clair grins. "With all you do for that man, it would do him good to make you a bit of tea."
