Wisteria Woven (Wisteria Witches Mysteries Book 11) by Angela Pepper

Author:Angela Pepper [Pepper, Angela]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-03-01T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

Zinnia Riddle

Three Years Ago

August

“You can’t use magic to do that,” said Margaret Mills. “You can’t cure a non-magical disease with spellwork, no matter how careful you are. It breaks all the rules.”

Zinnia replied testily, “Breaking the rules isn’t the same as not being able to do something.”

Margaret scowled.

“I can, and I will,” Zinnia said. “Whether you help me or not.”

Margaret crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. They were sitting at a table for two in a luxurious restaurant on the Upper East Side of New York. Neither witch had needed to cast a sound bubble for privacy. Not because the restaurant wasn’t busy at lunch time—it was busy—but because the tall-backed booths that surrounded every table in the place provided plenty of privacy.

Best of all, the booths were upholstered in rich velvet, in the loveliest shade of fuchsia. Being surrounded by so much color, after living for the past year in the dreary beige and gray brownstone, made Zinnia feel alive. The fuchsia velvet made her feel hopeful.

The waiter arrived with the starters.

Margaret sniffed at hers, a stack of delicacies perched on a slice of cucumber.

“This is it?” Margaret asked. “I’ve sneezed bigger appetizers.”

The waiter politely said, “I shall bring Madam the soup course right away.”

“Do that,” Margaret said. “But forget about using the eyedropper to put it into the itty bitty tea cup, or the shot glass, or a thimble from a dollhouse. If you’ve got soup, just bring me the whole pot.”

The waiter shot Zinnia an amused look. “Perhaps a bowl would be more to Madam’s liking,” he said to Margaret. He cupped his hands together, overlaying his fingers to create a bowl. A small bowl.

Margaret took the man’s wrists and shifted his hands apart to form a larger bowl.

The waiter nodded to show that he understood, and left them to their conversation.

“I can’t take you anywhere,” Zinnia said.

“You used to be more fun,” Margaret said. “You’ve been spending too much time around the other rich ladies. The ones named Mimi, and Fifi, and Kiki. With the Botox faces and the butt implants.”

“I don’t know anyone named...” Zinnia trailed off. She did know a Mimi, a Fifi, and a Kiki. Plus there was Mitzi, and Dottie, and Bootsie. And that was just the women. Their pedigreed dogs had even more outlandish names.

Margaret picked up the cucumber slice and ate her amuse-bouche in one not-very-amused bite.

The soup came quickly, and Margaret happily gave the waiter two thumbs up for the bowl size.

The two old friends made small talk through three more courses before Zinnia brought up the taboo topic once more. Zinnia didn’t need to hear that the magic she wanted to perform was against the coven’s rules. She was going to do it anyway. What she needed was a friend. A friend who was a witch, and who was willing to help so that the spell didn’t kill Zinnia.

Margaret listened as she ate her soup.

After Zinnia had made her case, Margaret seemed to consider it as she lifted the soup bowl to her lips and finished the last drops.

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