Free The Moon Spun Round by Elenor Gill

firm in Newmarket. Lots of the local owners and trainers are his clients. Imagine how it might look, his wife indulging in all this New Age stuff. Bad for the firm’s reputation.’
    ‘What about your reputation, Mum? You deserve more credit for what you do.’
    ‘Not now, Daniel. Sally’s not interested in this.’
    ‘Oh, but I am. I’d like to know more. I have a friend in London who does Bach remedies, uses a pendulum to prescribe different blends. She used to make me up a bottle sometimes, when I felt a bit run-down or something. When Jonathan died, she gave me something to help. I don’t think I could have got through the funeral without it.’
    ‘There you are, you see. People are more open to these things than Dad would admit. You’d have them queuing up for help. It’s not just the animals, Sally; she treats humans as well, only family and friends, but she could help lots of people if she were more open about it.’
    ‘Is that right, Abbie? Look, I know this is none of my business, but I can’t help agreeing with Daniel. If you have a gift for healing people, perhaps you should consider using it.’
    ‘It’s not that simple. George is a good man, Sally. All right, he can be a bit pig-headed at times, but he’s never complained about the time or money I spend on the stables. He doesn’t care if I don’t make a profit, never bats an eyelid when I go out to buy a riding hat and come home with another horse. And he really doesn’t mind about the medicines and the healing, so long as I confine it to animals and use a bit of discretion. No, Daniel, I’m not going against your father in this. He’s entitled to his opinion and I respect that.’
    Daniel looks as if he were about to launch into another episode of what’s obviously an ongoing family argument, but Cassie arrives, strapping a riding helmet under her chin.
    ‘Lunch will be a little while yet, I’m afraid,’ she says. ‘Time for a quick ride down to the river?’
    ‘Yes, sure.’ Daniel takes Rowan’s rein and picks up a saddle and bridle for Lottie. ‘You talk to her, Sally. She might listen to you.’ Rowan and Daniel stride off towards the paddock, Rowan snorting with anticipation and Daniel huffingwith frustration. Cassie, sensing Daniel’s mood, shrugs her shoulders and runs to catch up.
    ‘Oh dear, I’m sorry. I obviously touched on a sore point.’
    ‘Don’t worry, it’s an ongoing debate. If you hang around this family you’re bound to hear a lot more of it.’
    ‘Seriously, though, do you treat people? Only, with all the changes recently, perhaps I could use something. I was going to see if there was a local practitioner in Newmarket, but if you deal with natural healing…’
    ‘Yes, of course. I do prescribe for friends; I can probably give you something. Only don’t tell George. You seem to be coping well, a little too well, I think. Sometimes these things can come back and bite you when you’re least expecting it. Let’s go through to the office. That’s where I keep my medicinal stocks.’
    Abbie’s office is a screened-off corner of the stables—same concrete floor, metal filing cabinets, and a computer on a metal tabletop. The ancient wooden dresser looks out of place with its carved panels and scrolled hinges. Abbie selects a key from a bunch on her belt chain and opens the doors.
    ‘I like to keep all my supplies in one place. They seem to work more effectively when they’re stored together.’
    ‘Wow, magic potions. This looks like—what? An alchemist’s laboratory?’
    Abbie laughs. ‘An apothecary’s, perhaps?’
    ‘What
is
all this stuff?’ Sally looks through jars and bottles of preserved plant life. Some resemble her own collection of cooking herbs; others are more like dried flowers, pansies and marigolds. There are pestles and mortars, a set of old-fashioned scales, ceramic pots with wax-sealed lids, jars made of stone and coloured glass. She picks up a cork-stoppered bottle made of dark