June's Remedy by Jenna Brandt

Author:Jenna Brandt [Brandt, Jenna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Jenna Brandt Books
Published: 2019-09-04T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

Gerald Partridge showed up at the apothecary a couple of days later ready to interview June. He carried with him a notepad, a pen, and a tapestry bag.

“Good morning, June, how are you doing today?” Gerald asked as he entered the store front.

“I’m doing wonderfully today, Mr. Partridge,” June said with a smile as she came forward to meet him. “How about yourself?”

“I’m rightly good, and looking forward to putting this story together for the newspaper.”

“Why don’t you follow me into the back part of the house where we can talk.” June guided Mr. Partridge through the section of the apothecary and to the living area.

“We can sit at the table so you have a place to write,” June offered, taking a seat as Mr. Partridge took one across from her.

He placed a list of questions down on the table, and June tried to avoid looking at them. It didn’t seem right to pry into what he planned, even though she was the target of it.

Mr. Partridge started with a few basic questions, confirming her name, age, her family history in Belle, and time in Glenda. Once that was done, he started into the meat of the interview.

“So, June, tell me what made you decide to return to Belle rather than staying in Glenda.”

“Family. I wanted to be closer to my uncle so my son and I could spend time with him. I also missed how comfortable life was here in Belle, and how kind the people are in this town.”

Mr. Partridge scribbled down her answer, then asked his next question. “Why did you decide to start an apothecary here in Belle?”

“It’s what I know how to do. I ran one with my husband in Glenda. Plus, I grew up watching my uncle, a doctor, and how he helped people. I wanted to do the same, and since being a doctor was out of the question, an apothecary seemed like the next best thing.”

“You could have picked midwifery,” Mr. Partridge pointed out.

“That’s true, but my husband thought that an apothecary was something we could do together, and even after having children, I could still help out.”

“You mention children, but you only have the one son, Ben, correct?”

Surprised by the question, June pressed her lips together and averted her eyes. She hadn’t expected to have to talk about that.

June forced herself to swallow the lump in her throat, then finally answered. “Having Ben was difficult, and I wasn’t able to carry any other children to term.”

A look of sympathy mixed with regret crossed the newspaper owner’s face. “I’m so sorry, June. I won’t print that.”

“Thank you. It’s still hard to talk about. I feel like others would judge me if they found out. So many people think that it’s a woman’s sole function to have children. I worry others would think I wasn’t capable of fulfilling my duty if I can’t have more children, though I doubt it matters since I have no plans of remarrying.”

“Why is that? You’re a young widow, most people would assume you would want to marry again.

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