pass,â said Lucy.
âI know, but it sure seems to be taking its own sweet time,â complained Diana. âI know I promised not to practice witchcraft, but I really think a repelling spell might help, if you wouldnât mind.â Seeing Lucyâs lips tighten, she quickly added, âThe girls wouldnât even have to know. I could be very quiet.â
âWhy donât you give the doctor a call and get some of that cortisone?â
âFilthy poison,â snapped Diana. âI wouldnât pollute my body with that stuff.â
âMaybe thereâs something else he could prescribe?â
âA prescription isnât going to do any good,â said Diana. âWhatâs going on here is much stronger than any little pill.â
âItâs worth a try,â insisted Lucy. âIâm always amazed at the new stuffâ¦.â
Diana sniffed. âI donât think pharmaceutical companies have come up with anything to counteract a maleficent spell.â
Lucy blinked. âYou think your poison ivy is the result of an evil spell? Is that what youâre saying?â
Diana nodded.
âBut you told me thereâs nothing wicked about witchcraft.â
Diana shrugged. âItâs like any other religionâthere are always some who stray. Witches are people, too, and there are jealousies and rivalries, and when you have attained a certain level of expertise, itâs tempting to use your powers in a negative way.â
âDo you suspect anyone in particular?â asked Lucy.
âI think it was Lady Sybil,â whispered Diana. âShe was very upset when Lord Malebranche asked me to fill in during his absence.â
âYou mentioned Lord Malebranche beforeâ¦.â
âHeâs the high priest of our coven. Heâs been called away.â
âWho called him? Where did he go?â
âHe always spends Midsummer in England, with a coven in the New Forest.â
Not this year, thought Lucy, taking a deep breath. âTheyâve identified the body in the woodsâitâs Malcolm Malebrancheâ¦.â
A deep shudder racked Dianaâs body, and Lucy quickly wrapped her in the comforter that had been tossed to the bottom of the bed. âNo, no,â moaned Diana, rocking back and forth. âNot Lord Malebranche.â
âThey think it was an accident, a magic trick gone wrong,â added Lucy.
âEvilâ¦evil is afoot,â whispered Diana. âI have to take steps to protect myself and the others.â
âYouâre safe here,â said Lucy, trying to calm her. âIt was an accident.â
Diana shook her head; she was still shivering. âNo accident.â She seized a pen and notepad that were lying on the bedside table and began scribbling frantically. When she finished, she shoved the paper at Lucy. âYou must get me these things. Theyâre all at my shop.â
Lucy took the paper and studied the list: black candles, salt, chalice, wine, athame, frankincense, onyx stone. âYou promised,â protested Lucy. âNo witchcraft.â
Diana had pulled her long hair down over her face, but her eyes glittered brightly through the tangled locks. âItâs a matter of life and death,â she said, her voice little more than a hiss. âYou have to get these things for me.â
This wasnât what Lucy had intended at all. Sheâd come back to question Diana about Malebranche, but all sheâd found out so far was that he was the high priest of a Wiccan coven. âWhat can you tell me about Malcolm Malebranche?â demanded Lucy. âHe was a magician, right?â
Diana wasnât yielding; her jaw was set, her hands curled into fists. âGet me the tools I need for the spell and Iâll tell you,â she said.
Lucy knew when she was beat. The woman was hysterical, crazy, totally insane, but she wasnât going to get another word